HERITAGE:THE WATERFORD Museum of Treasures at the Granary in the city has some pedigree when it comes to engaging members of the public in what you might call "co-curating" exhibitions.
Last summer the museum appealed to locals to contribute memories and memorabilia to an exhibition celebrating Waterford's contribution to the showband era.
The resulting exhibition, Hucklebuck Time, featured hundreds of photographs of the showband stars and memorabilia, including a Royal Showband jacket and saxophone from the 1960s.
"When we did the Hucklebuck exhibition, we realised that an awful lot of this stuff is being lost," said the director of Waterford Museum of Treasures, Eamonn McEneaney. "People are not keeping these things anymore, so we feel that we have a role in collecting items which relate to a particular time period."
To coincide with this year's heritage week, the museum was at it again - hosting an open day yesterday entitled "People As Curator" where the public were encouraged to lend artefacts for an exhibition later in the year. The event had an Antiques Roadshow flavour, but McEneaney was more interested in the stories behind the objects than the antique value of the objects themselves.
"It doesn't have to be 18th-century teapots. What we are interested in is the story behind the object and how that reflects what life was like in a particular era."
"People As Curator" has produced a number of finds that McEneaney considers significant: for example, a map from 1870 details plans to build an integrated rail network in Waterford, including an underground tram. The city was deprived of its very own Luas when the key financial backers, the Malcomson family from Portlaw, were bankrupted by the American civil war.
Another key find is a glass plate slide-show from 1894 which shows old buildings in Waterford, most of which have since disappeared.
Of particular value, according to McEneaney, is a slide that depicts the famous jail wall in Ballybricken, which collapsed during the second World War, killing 13 people living in adjacent houses.
It is not surprising, given that Waterford are back in an All-Ireland hurling final for the first time in 45 years, that many of the items have a sporting theme.
The daughter of Waterford's first All-Ireland winning captain, Jim Ware, has provided the museum with his hurling medal collection, while the family involved in the 1895 Grand National win of local horse Wild Man From Borneo have promised the cup.
• If you live in the Waterford area and have items that you think might be of interest, contact Eamonn McEneaney on 051-304500 or e-mail emceneaney@waterfordcity.ie