Museums that do not have a conservator on staff can still achieve a high standard of conservation care. Basic steps to achieve this goal include: consulting with conservators, conducting assessments, prioritizing tasks, writing a plan, finding funding, and conducting improvements in phases. A brief overview of roles, responsibilities, and qualifications aids in understanding when it is advantageous to engage conservation services. Examples of common pitfalls, such as forgoing conservation consultations or mismatching experience and tasks, serve to guide the reader toward sound standards of conservation management. Common conservation myths are addressed in three case studies to elucidate common challenges and how they may be addressed. The basic model presented should serve well to improve conservation management, conservation project design, and improve a museum's success in attracting external funding for conservation related projects.
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References
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Collections Stewardship and Management
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American Association of Museums. 1984. Caring for collections: strategies for conservation, maintenance, and documentation. “Developed by the American Association of Museums with the support of the National Endowment for the Humanities, this pamphlet explores the most important responsibility of all museums—collections care. More than 65 curators, registrars, and conservators discuss how to improve environmental collections in museums, manage inventory, register objects, and enhance public awareness of museum collections.” @ American Association of Museums Website 3/23/2005. Although dated, the publication provides useful guidance. Further consultations will provide more current information with regard to conservation project planning.
3.
BachmannKonstanze (ed.). 1992. Conservation concerns: a guide for collectors and curators.Smithsonian Institution Press. “In 22 essays, contributors discuss collection care and conservation for a variety of materials and media. Focusing on proper storage techniques and environmental control, the book offers information on emergency planning, disaster management, and identifying damages that may require professional treatment.” @ American Association of Museums Website 3/23/2005. While this 12-year-old publication offers ample guidance, conservators may be consulted on more current materials and methodology when developing new conservation-related projects.
4.
Butcher-YounghansSherry. 1996. Historic house museums: a practical handbook for their care, preservation, and management.Oxford University Press. “Serving both as a hands-on guide and reference, this handbook examines the problems encountered in historic house museums, offering practical advice, and solutions. Topics include governance, resources, care of collections, conservation, security, and interpretation.” @ American Association of Museums Website 3/23/2005.
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FahyAnne. 1994. Collections management.Routledge. “This detailed text answers important questions on how to develop standards for collections management. Topics covered include museum security, insurance and indemnity, management policies, deaccessioning, and disposal of collections. Collections Management is an invaluable text for all museum professionals.” @ American Association of Museums Website 3/23/2005.
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GardnerJames B., and MerrittElizabeth E.2004. The AAM guide to collections planning.American Association of Museums. “Every museum should have a clear vision of what it aspires to be, but it may never reach its goal if it can't shape and develop its collections as a whole. This new AAM guide will help your museum create a collections plan, the first step to gaining intellectual control over the collections and ensuring that you have the appropriate staff and resources for collections care. The authors discuss building an intellectual framework, writing the plan itself, the planning process, and the challenges of museum politics. Resulting from the November 2002 Colloquium on Collections Planning organized by A A M and the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, this valuable guide also features excerpts from sample collections plans, a glossary, and other resources. With an introduction by AAM Accreditation Chair Martin Sullivan.” @ American Association of Museums Website 3/23/2005.
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KeeneSuzanne. 2002. Managing conservation in museums, 2nd edition. Butterworth-Heineman. “This title examines the practice and management of conservation, and shows how management-information techniques can be applied in order to understand, monitor, and control conservation work and processes. These techniques include performance indicators, strategic planning, decision-making, and priority setting. Includes a discussion of digital collections and the use of information and communications technology.” @ American Association of Museums Website 3/23/2005. This text provides useful information that helps guide museums toward a broader approach of conservation management.
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KnellSimon. 1994. Care of collections.Routledge. “Care of Collections examines collections management and care, in particular preventative conservation. Focusing on specific, practical guidelines for collections care, climate control, indoor air pollution, and handling works of art, this text is essential for all curators, conservators, and students of museum studies and collections management.” @ American Association of Museums Website 3/23/2005. Now 10 years old, this publication offers helpful guidelines though more current expertise could be sought for conservation project planning.
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SnyderJill. 2001. Caring for your art: a guide for artists, collectors, galleries, and art institutions, 3rd edition. Allworth Press. “This guide for artists, collectors, galleries, and art institutions is a well presented, easy to understand publication that introduces basic art handling in lay terms. Starting with a synopsis of the environment of art and its potential hazards, the book then details subjects, including storage, framing, documentation, and shipping. Includes a discussion of insurance and security. Perfect for the beginning collector and smaller cultural institutions without full-time staff. The new third edition features all-new information on technological advances, materials, methods, and art forms.” @ American Association of Museums Website 3/23/2005. After reading this guide, museums without conservators on staff are advised to consult a conservator for more detailed recommendations.
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WhelchelHarriet (ed.). 1998. Caring for your historic house.Heritage Preservation/National Park Service/Harry N. Abrams, Inc. “This comprehensive illustrated guide focuses on the importance of maintenance in preserving historic houses. Each chapter is written by one or more leading preservation practitioners and provides expert advice on every aspect of the subject. An excellent resource for both personal and educational use for historic house museums and historic preservation organizations.” @ American Association of Museums Website 3/23/2005.
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AIC. 1994. Code of ethics and guidelines for practice.The American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works, Revised. Available at http://aic.stanford.edu/about/coredocs/coe/index.html on 3/23/2005.
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AIC. 2002. Position paper on conservation and preservation in collecting institutions. The American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works. Available at http://aic.stanford.edu/about/coredocs/positionpaper.html on 3/23/2005.
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AmbroseTimothy, and PaineCrispin. 1993. Museum basics.International Council of Museums/ Routledge. “A guide to “best practice” in every aspect of museum work. Museum organization, exhibition design, collections management, conservation, marketing, audience, management, facilities, and security are discussed. Also included are a comprehensive glossary, a full bibliography, and a detailed index.” @ American Association of Museums Website 3/23/2005.
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Commentaries to the Guidelines for Practice of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works. The American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works. Available at http://aic.stanford.edu/about/coredocs/coe/comment.html on 3/23/2005.
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Institute of Museum and Library Services. Conservation project support application guidelines. Available at www.imls.gov on 3/23/2005.
AIC. 2004. Requisite competencies for conservation technicians and collections care specialists.Collections Care Task force of The American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works.
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EdsonGary, and DeanDavid. 1996. Handbook for museums.Routledge. “Provides basic information on the responsibilities of museum personnel and offers general instruction in the standards and ethics of the community. Sections describe collection management and care, interpretation, communication, and professionalism. Includes technical notes and resource lists.” @ American Association of Museums Website 3/23/2005. This book is an excellent resource for defining roles and responsibilities that can be applied to collections care and conservation.
OgdenSherelyn. 1998. Preservation planning: guidelines for writing a long-range plan.American Association of Museums/Northeast Document Conservation Center. “Turn your conservation needs assessment into a long-range plan! This publication leads you through the process of writing a long-range preservation plan for collections care. Intended for museums, historical societies, libraries, and archives that have had a conservation needs assessment and seek assistance in developing a written plan, this step-by-step guide lessens the need for an outside consultant. The workbook contains guidelines and worksheets for drafting a plan, a checklist to follow throughout the process, information on updating and marketing the plan once it is written, and a sample plan. Published in an easy-to-manage loose-leaf notebook, the worksheets can be removed and photocopied. The worksheets also are supplied on an IBM-compatible disk included in the workbook.” @ American Association of Museums Website 3/23/2005. This guidebook will help first-timers in writing a conservation long-range plan. Including conservators more in the process of developing a plan will result in a more effective plan.
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AIC News, The American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works, quarterly newsletter that periodically lists funders and application deadlines for conservation project support.
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American Association of Museums/The Taft Group. 1995. The big book of museum grant money. “The largest source ever of museum-friendly givers. In today's uncertain funding environment, this directory of 3,000 private-sector funders is designed as a time and cost saver. Development staff who have been poring over huge and more expensive general funding volumes to extract potential museum givers will now have an opportunity to get right to the grant seeking itself. Co-published by AAM's Technical Information Service and the Taft Group, a subsidiary of Gale Research.” @ American Association of Museums Website 3/23/2005. Although much broader than targeting resources only for conservation related projects, this book can assist in identifying additional resources.
