Given that the reading age for adult museum-goers is twelve, and that children have as much ability to understand well-expressed concepts in simple language as anyone else, writing labels for your actual audience rather than as an academic exercise, and explaining the occasional technicality or odd word, will allow you to communicate with almost everyone. It's also important, in a multicultural community, not to make assumptions about commonly-held ideas, myths, mores and behavioural patterns. This is a lot more difficult than you might think! Translating out of professional jargon is not that easy, either. That aside, there may be occasions when you know you will have a very young audience - KIDS interactives, a circus exhibition - where large print, very simple statements would be helpful, and give a nice caring, sharing tone to the exhibition. But these are very much an exception. Generally if they're old enough to read, they're old enough not to be patronised. Heleanor Feltham Powerhouse Museum ----------