ABSTRACT
The way many museums collect and display objects, especially industrial objects, bears little or no relation to history as a discipline dedicated to explaining what happened in the past. This is so because of a lack of awareness of the cultural forces which have produced and shaped curatorship, of the traditions within museums, and of the kind of people who are attracted to working within them. To be effective communicators in the service of the public, curators have a professional obligation to become conscious of the cultural and psychological forces which influence us in our work. The alternative-of acting unselfconsciously, without exploring the rationalized explanations of our behaviour-makes us less able to direct our efforts in ways which are both personally satisfying and meet the needs of our audience.
