ABSTRACT
Introduction Important progress has been made in recent research in the domains of public and community archaeology, as well as in public consultation and participation in area conservation and town planning.1 There is also a substantial and growing body of literature on the relationship between museums and heritage audiences (see Avrami et al. 2000, Crooke 2007, Hooper-Greenhill 2008, Macdonald 2002 and 2005, Merriman 1991, Smith 2014 and others) providing a platform for looking more closely at the relationship of the public with museum conservation practice. Even though, during the past two decades or so, there has been a gradual shift towards public engagement stemming from the public value debate in early 2000s and its impact on current thinking and practice in heritage-related professional fields, effective communication remains a challenge for conservators (Brooks 2008, 2013). Arguably, the field of museum conservation has some ground to make up, in terms of active public engagement and involvement in its current policy and practice.
