Several non-naval museums asked the visiting historians to examine objects that had entered broad collections without a secure identification. Staff knew the objects were present but were unsure what some of them were. In several cases, the historians recognized material as rare and historically important. Collection care depends on specialist identification as well as preservation because an object can survive physically while much of its meaning remains hidden.
Notable Point · 1:01:26-1:02:08
Specialist knowledge can recover hidden museum history
Australian museums sometimes held rare naval artifacts inside mixed collections without recognizing their importance until visiting historians helped identify them.