Author: Ryan Winfield

ECPN needs you!

We’re opening the blog up as a forum for our members! Get your name, your work and your own blog out there to your peers Are you an emerging conservation professional with something you’d like to say? Or an experienced professional with something you’d like us to hear?

Seeking guest bloggers for ~500-1500 word entries!

Suggested topics include your outreach efforts, your ongoing treatments, perspectives on your specialty, resources you think we want to hear about, how you get and keep volunteers in your lab, disasters you’ve planned for and ones you haven’t! Have another idea that you’d like to write about? Just let us know!

How:

Pick a week in the next calendar year in which you think you can post one blog entry and contact Katie Mullen @ kamullen at library dot in dot gov to get signed up.

CoOL Update

Dear AIC Members / CoOL & DistList Communitiy,

Following is an update regarding the status of the Conservation DistList and Conservation Online (CoOL).

Walter Henry and John Burke, who have been working tirelessly on this project, have made significant strides towards the goal of returning all the above materials to active status at a new server location. Successes include the physical transfer of the server machines which have contained these resources from Stanford Libraries to TDL, a California-based web hosting company. Now that the new location of CoOL is settled, Walter and John are engaged in reconfiguring each of the complex pieces that comprise it. Much of the CoOL site is now active online, including the DistList archive (other listserv archives are not yet available). We are currently still in the process of setting up other materials including AIC specialty group websites, the JAIC online archive, and other associated web sites.

In the meantime, please be aware that the email listservs for AIC and other groups associated with CoOL are still active – feel free to continue using them. The DistList is not yet back to regular postings – when it is, messages will be posted to announce its return and to inform you how to resume submitting material for inclusion in future postings. The new URL location of CoOL will also be announced when the site is complete.

We hope to have all the above materials back to normal, active status as quickly as possible. Due to the number of resources included with CoOL, which have grown in size and complexity over the course of 20 years, additional time is needed to complete the process of protecting them for the future. If you have any questions, please let us know by emailing coolinfo@conservation-us.org.

– The Board and Staff of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works, coolinfo@conservation-us.org

Helping other emerging professionals beyond our border…Part 2…Kinda…

Think of this as more Part 1a than as Part 2. So a little more than a month ago I posted about the initiative by the US State Department to develop a new National Training Institute for the Preservation of Iraqi Cultural Heritage in Erbil, Iraq as well as how we as emerging conservators could help. While I don’t have additional information to communicate at this time, I thought I would share something I came across the other day that very strongly resonated with me about what I had posted.

I listen to a podcast program supported by National Public Radio on WNYC called Radiolab, which is hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich. Let me say to begin with that I am a big fan of this podcast and would highly recommend it. I could try describing them but they do a much better job than I do: “Radiolab believes your ears are a portal to another world. Where sound illuminates ideas, and the boundaries blur between science, philosophy, and human experience. Big questions are investigated, tinkered with, and encouraged to grow. Bring your curiosity, and we’ll feed it with possibility” (http://www.wnyc.org/shows/radiolab/).

I usually will listen to the episodes in spurts and often save them for when I am involved with a more in-depth conservation project. The other day I was listening to an episode titled “Race” that was originally broadcasted in December 2008 and revolved around a quote by Francis Collins in 2000 following the completion of the first full mapping of the Human Genome – “the concept of race has no genetic or scientific basis.” The podcast sought to delve into what does this mean and where does it leave us by exploring the issue along several avenues of thought. What grabbed my attention was the last thought of the podcast, which focused on whether we can accurately identify a person’s background from their appearance. In it, a former translator and correspondent of NPR’s Baghdad office, Ali Abbas, related about how the question of identity and appearance in Iraq today becomes an issue of life and death based on the religious tensions and violence between the Sunni and Shi’a. The difference in identity came down to the spelling/pronunciation of a name (do you say uh.mar or uh.maar?).

The podcast is just over 59 minutes long but the section I am directing you to starts at the 48 minute, 04 second mark. You can find it at the following link: http://blogs.wnyc.org/radiolab/category/podcasts/page/3/utm_source=podcasts&utm_medium=hp&utm_campaign=radiol. As you can see (or rather hear), the challenges that a program such as the Iraq Cultural Heritage Project (ICHP), which seeks to unite the Iraqi people around a shared cultural heritage rather than try to divide them, will be many. All the more reason that I again encourage you to show your support for this project and our future colleagues through the simple act of donating a book for the institute’s library.

For more information about donating, see the recent post on the AIC blog: http://blog.conservation-us.org/blogpost.cfm?threadid=1384&catid=172.

Scholarship to attend Museum Computer Network conference

The following announcement was posted to the AAM-EMP group:

Announcing scholarships to attend the 37th annual Museum Computer Network conference in Portland, Oregon!

The Museum Computer Network is delighted to offer museum professionals the opportunity to apply for scholarships that will enable them to attend the MCN annual conference in November.

The annual meeting provides an occasion where you can meet and learn from experts on the technology topics challenging today’s museums. It’s also a great time for networking and establishing new relationships to strengthen your resources for the coming year.

SCHOLARSHIP BASICS
What? Eight scholarships are available to attend MCN’s 2009 annual conference. Each stipend includes the full conference registration fee, free hotel stay, and a US $50.00 stipend to cover additional expenses.

Who? This scholarship is available to museum professionals who meet one of the following criteria:
• Employed at an institution with no more than 20 permanent staff
• First-time MCN conference attendee.
• New to the profession with less than 2 years experience in the field.

Where?Museum Information, Museum Efficiency: Doing More with Less
37th Annual MCN Conference
November 11-14, 2009
Portland, Oregon

Why? The annual MCN conference offers tremendous personal and professional benefits and rewards. Not only do attendees gain professional knowledge from sessions, they also have the opportunity to network with professionals from around the world.

How? Complete the MCN 2009 Scholarship Application and Acceptance Agreement and submit according to instructions available online at http://www.mcn.edu/conferences/index.asp?subkey=2454.

Submission Deadline: August 15, 2009

Questions? Please contact Jana Hill, 2009 Scholarship Committee chair, jana [dot] hill [at] cartermuseum [dot] org.

AIC Session at AAM Conference

On May 1, 2009, AIC sponsored a session at the American Association of Museums (AAM) annual meeting in Philadelphia on disaster preparedness and recovery. Barbara P. Moore, an objects conservator in private practice in Rochester, NY, was Chair for the session. The panel included Anna Stanfield Harris, Curator of the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art in Biloxi, Mississippi, Robert Herskovitz, Outreach Conservator at the Minnesota Historical Society, and Jerome Thompson, State Curator of the State Historical Society of Iowa. Approximately 100 people were in attendance

Anna Stanfield Harris demonstrated how the Ohr O’Keefe Museum’s emergency plan was applied during Hurricane Katrina, how well it served the Museum, and how that plan has been further developed in light of lessons learned to include regional collaboration on a “safe haven” storage facility.

Jerome Thompson then spoke about the state-wide communication networks that were used effectively during the floods in Iowa in the summer of 2008, and about the state-wide disaster response planning effort for cultural institutions that he is undertaking now.

Bob Herskovitz, who has been first on site to assist many cultural institutions that have suffered serious damage to their collections, spoke about what museum personnel can do before a disaster, in the midst of a disaster, and during the recovery phase to lessen the impact of the event on collections, staff, and institutions.

Finally, Barbara Moore gave the audience an overview of resources for museums to use both in developing disaster plans and in responding to emergencies.

AASLH: Federal-State Partnerships for Museums

The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) has posted useful information and links on the Federal-State Partnerships for Museums. The Federal-State Partnerships Coalition is a group of 63 organizations, formed to advocate for federal grants that would come from IMLS to each state and then be distributed to museums based on the evidence of need as articulated at the state level, not the need determined at the national level. The Coalition has worked hard to be sure the museum field understands the benefits from such a program, and that members of Congress who work on IMLS legislation hear from the field that they should support the movement when IMLS is reauthorized (scheduled for 9/09).

The site includes information about the effort, frequently asked questions, a link to instructions on what to do right now to help, and a sample letter to congress members in support of IMLS.

Minutes 7/16/09 ECPN Call

ECPN Call 07/16/09
Present

Jason Church
Ruth Seyler
Ryan Winfield
Amber Kerr
Ann Simon
Kim
Rachel Penniman
Katie Mullen
Karen Pavelka

I Welcome

II. Project Updates

a. Communications

i. Blogging/calendar –
After looking at Google calendaring and 30 Boxes, we’ll go with 30 boxes. It’s easy to add an email to a scheduled event to send out reminders and it can be embedded in the blog. Katie will work on an email calling for posts – like call for papers. Amber will pass it on to her program contents and Katie will post it to the Distlist, the Ning site, the blog and Ryan will send it to the ECPN email list. Rachel, Katie and Jason all have contacts who are already interested in posting and will pass on the message to them. Suggested topics will be included, such as perspectives on one’s specialty, ongoing projects, disaster planning, implementing preventative measures. Guest bloggers (outside AIC) are welcome!

ii. Website search/ connecting to ECPN page
RP pointed out that when searching on the new AIC website for “emerging conservator” ECPN does not show up, but searching on “emerging conservation” does pull up the group. Ryan will add the word “conservator” to the ECPN page to fix this.

b. Outreach

i. Angels Project (CAP Assessment, other contacts)

ii. Site Visit

Ruth is preparing for a site visit to Milwaukee at the end of the month and is working through contacts there to identify a possible site for the 2010 Angels project. Ann is also speaking to contacts in Milwaukee. Ruth will have more information after her site visit!

c. Professional Development/Training

i. News
Amber Kerr is compiling a list of program contacts. There is a delay hearing back from Buffalo, Queens and the Strauss Center because of the summer break. Amber will begin to compile contacts outside of Anagpic and also internationally.
Jerry Podany has asked ECPN members to submit poster for the next IIC meeting in Istanbul. More will be forthcoming about this.

ii. Pre-program Internship Guidance
A brochure is in the works along the lines of “Top 10 things to know about pre-program internships.” It is also suggested that we do the reverse, and ask conservators what they expect from these students going forward. We’ll use the Ning forum to gather initial information from ECPN’ers regarding pre-program and internship experiences, then build a survey based on this to engage the experience of our network. Once this and the changes (see below) to “Find a Conservator” are complete, Amber and Ryan will work on a brochure to send out to undergraduate departments across the country that may have students who are interested in pursuing conservation.

iii. Changes to Find a Conservator
Ryan Winfield is working on changing the “Find a Conservator” tool on the AIC website to allow users to search for conservators who will take pre-program and internship students.

d. Mentoring

i. Matching of mentors and mentees

ii. Online Application Form
Ryan is running into some bugs setting up the online form. While these are being worked out, he will scan the mentee/mentor application forma and email them to Ann and Angie Elliot. There are about 15 total responses so far. We’ll also ask participants going forward if they are willing to blog about the experience.

III. New Business/ Open Discussion
None

IV. Setting of next call and adjournment
Next call will be August 20, 1 PM. This conflicts with an AIC board meeting, so the call will be held in the absences of Ruth Seyler and Karen Pavelka

Environmental Management Program – New Ideas for Your Institution, Nov. ’09

NEW IDEAS FOR CONTROLLING COLLECTIONS ENVIRONMENTS

ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT: STEWARDSHIP AND SUSTAINABILITY presented by the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts, Philadelphia, PA

November 12, 2009

This one-day workshop will explore new approaches to controlling environmental conditions in cultural institutions. Leading experts in the field James Reilly, Director, Image Permanence Institute; Michael C. Henry, PE, AIA, Principal Engineer/Architect, Watson & Henry Associates; and Richard L. Kerschner, Director of Preservation and Conservation, Shelburne Museum, will present strategies that are feasible, physically and financially, to preserve collections materials for the long-term.

Topics to be covered will include:

    The Collections Environment

    Understanding the Building/Climate Relationship

    New Approaches and Best Practices for Environmental Control

    Environmental Monitoring and Data Analysis

This program is intended for staff of cultural heritage organizations responsible for monitoring and managing environmental conditions for collections, including registrars, facilities managers, archivists, librarians, curators, collections managers, and stewards of historic house museums.

Program Fee: $85 for CCAHA members/$100 for non-members.

Major funding for this program is generously provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities, The Pew Charitable Trusts, The Philadelphia Foundation, and the Philadelphia Cultural Fund.

Hosted and cosponsored by The Wistar Institute, Philadelphia, PA

For more information and to register online, go to

http://guest.cvent.com/i.aspx?…4ac9-8b82-6518165f4b74

Still have questions? Visit our Education Program Calendar at www.ccaha.org, call 215-545-0613 or email pso@ccaha.org.

2010 Mountmaking Forum – Save the Date

Please mark your calendars for the 2nd International Mountmakers Forum to be held at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC on May 5-6, 2010.

The Forum will follow and expand on the groundwork laid by the first Forum, held at the Getty in 2008, by offering one day of talks relating to the principles, application and research of mountmaking for museum objects followed by a second full day of tours of exhibit fabrication workshops and related exhibits at various Smithsonian museums and support sites.

The Forum will once again be free of charge, but registration will be required. All presenters and attendees will be responsible for their own transportation, meals and hotel accommodations. More detailed information will be sent in a few months.

Please direct any inquiries to:

Shelly Uhlir

Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of the American Indian

Cultural Resources Center

Suitland, MD 20746

301.238.1417 phone

301.238.3201 fax

uhlirs@si.edu

NEDCC Appoints Executive Director

From Julie Martin, Development and Public Relations Coordinator at NEDCC:

“The Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) is pleased to announce the appointment of an Executive Director after a nine-month search. William P. Veillette, Executive Director of the New Hampshire Historical Society since 2004, will head the nonprofit conservation center in Andover, Massachusetts. To read more: http://www.nedcc.org/about/news.execdir.php