This resource publication was first produced by the NSW Branch of AMaGA in 1994, with the assistance of the Department of Communications Information Technology and the Arts. The second edition was published in 2002 as a national resource by the National Office of AMaGA.
The Museum Methods publication has been a particularly successful formula for meeting the needs of small museums. Its printed format was a 400 page, loose-leaf technical manual. Between 1994 and 2001, approximately 730 copies of the manual were distributed. Since 2002 more than 500 copies of the second edition were sold. While the manual remains in demand, Museum Methods has not been updated since the second edition was produced and the printed format is now considered to be static and inflexible.
In 2019 AMaGA National Office began to review and revitalise Museum Methods to ensure the publication remains relevant and accessible to small museums and galleries across Australia. One of the major changes to this edition is the re-arrangement of the information sheets to reflect the three sections of the National Standards for Australian Museums and Galleries. The 2020 edition of Museum Methods will be made available online in a staged release over the next few months. The flexibility of the digital delivery of this third edition of Museum Methods will guarantee that the publication can be regularly updated with new and additional information and associated resources.
The 2020 edition of Museum Methods will be free to members both in Australia and internationally. At this time, it will not be available to non-members. Once the staged releases are completed, the publication will also be available to all for purchase.
How to use Museum Methods
You must be a member of AMaGA to access Museum Methods.
This page lists the contents of Museum Methods under the three main sections of Manage, People and Collections. As information become available the links to those pages and resources will appear in orange.
Each topic’s page will include a range of related information and resources that can be navigated around using the links on the page. The pages for most topics will include:
- Introductory information on the topic
- Fact sheets that relate to the topic
- Case studies that will help you understand the topic
- Relevant sections of the National Standards for Australian Museums and Galleries
- Guide to the development of policies or plans relating to the topic
- Useful links
- Resources and further reading
- Related Resources
- A downloadable version of the whole topic or the individual segments from the page
The links to the individual fact sheets noted in the contents list directly link to the fact sheet rather than the associated topic page enabling quick access to specific information.
Print distribution of Museum Methods
To maintain the flexibility of the online edition of Museum Methods the publication will not be available as a pre-printed book. However, once the publication has been fully released, we will make available a paid print on demand version of the publication for those organisations that have difficulty with online access.
Review and feedback
Our thanks to expert colleagues for their advice and support as the manual is updated. AMaGA also welcomes feedback so that the manual remains accurate and useful.
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Starting your museum or gallery |
Building and site requirements |
Planning |
Ethical issues for museum and galleries |
Risk Management |
Developing a Disaster Preparedness Plan |
Financial Management |
Working with your funders |
Applying for grants |
Legal concerns for museum and galleries |
Copyright for museums and galleries |
Valuations for collections |
Managing your people |
Management committee members |
Managing volunteer programs |
Employing consultants and contractors |
Working with local Government |
Advocacy |
Heritage implementation at a local level |
Cultural planning |
Cultural Precincts: an opportunity for museums, heritage sites and regional galleries |
Heritage Trails |
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Customer service and public relations |
Communicating with your public |
Marketing your museum or gallery |
Social Media for your museum or gallery |
Media liaison for small museums and galleries |
The press release |
Community radio broadcasting |
External Relationship Management |
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An introduction to inclusive practices |
Working in culturally appropriate ways with diverse communities |
Indigenous issues for museums |
Indigenous protocols |
Australian Indigenous keeping places and cultural centres |
Meeting the needs of people with disabilities |
Queer histories and inclusion |
Migrant and refugee histories and inclusion |
Culturally and linguistically diverse inclusion |
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The role of public programs |
Involving community groups in public programs |
Guided tours |
Developing education programs |
Developing education kits |
Primary School visits to your museum or gallery |
Secondary School visits to your museum or gallery |
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An introduction to audience research |
Exhibition evaluation for museum and galleries |
Evaluating museum education programs |
Engagement and consultation |
Designing questionnaires |
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Developing a collection policy |
Significance and objects |
Collecting the now |
Developing a preventative conservation policy |
Managing museum or gallery archives |
Developing a research policy |
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Nomenclature |
Cataloging museum and gallery collections |
Accessioning |
Managing donations |
Numbering objects in your museum or gallery collections |
Collection management stocktakes |
Loans |
Deaccessioning and disposal |
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Digitisation: Start Here |
Starting to digitise your collection |
What resources do you need to digitise your collection? |
Equipment to digitise your collection |
Software to digitise your collection |
Storage and backup for your digitised material |
Formatting standards and file types for your digitised collection |
Formats and standards: Photographs and documents |
Formats and standards: Maps and plans |
Formats and standards: Books |
Formats and standards: Objects and artefacts (3-Dimensional) |
Formats and standards: Audio and audio-visual |
Metadata for your digitised collection |
File naming for your digitised collection |
Providing digital access to your collection |
Approaches to digital access for your collection |
Measuring the impact and value of sharing access to your collection |
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Choosing the best display and storage materials |
Storing small objects |
Box and folder making |
Steel shelving systems for small to medium sized objects |
Objects storage |
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Environmental deterioration |
Recommended environmental conditions for museum and gallery objects |
Environmental monitoring |
Integrated pest management |
Light and lighting |
Disaster Preparedness - Response and recovery |
Disaster Preparedness - Fires and Smoke |
Disaster Preparedness - Flood and water damage |
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Managing photographs |
Hints on handling museum objects |
Framing |
Care of musical instruments |
Farm Machinery |
House Museums |
Preserving the closed collection house museum |
Displaying archaeological collections |
Storing archaeological collections |
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Developing an exhibition |
Exhibition planning |
Display basics |
Exhibition texts |
Writing exhibition labels |
Writing labels for children and their companions |
Producing exhibition labels |
Producing exhibition publications |
Touring exhibitions |
Making a 'museum-in-a-box' |
An inexpensive picture hanging system |
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Domestic technology: approaches to research and interpretation |
Presenting controversy |
Interpretation and presentation of period and recreated rooms |
Oral history |
Researching, writing and publishing local history |