Christina first discussed the location- a New Deal planned farming community of 500 homes. It is now the only surviving home from the community and the town now has only 388 residents today. The home was acquired by the Arkansas Heritage Sites if Arkansas State University, located an hour and a half away. The home was furnished with 2 rooms of original flooring and objects owned by the family augmented by furniture dating to the time and 2 rooms of floor covering belonging to nearby Dyess Colony houses. The house was to be opened as a historic site for visitors in August 2014
RLA (Rosa Lowinger & Associates) was brought in at the end of the project to conserve the original floor coverings. Consideration had to be taken into account that the living room flooring would be walked on. There was little time and budget due to this being an add-on to the project at the last minute. The original estimate was double what the project could afford. Discussions led to a scale back in the project and priorities were set to what was most important to happen right away. Treatment was mostly confined to the 2 original-to-the-house floorings- those in the living room and Johnny Cash’s boyhood bedroom. Treatment was confined to cleaning (vacuuming and surface wet cleaning), stabilization of tears (on back with Japanese tissue and B72), fills and in-painting on living room flooring, and varnish (applied by brush) to protect the surface of the flooring. The non-original-to-the-house flooring was not varnished. Recommendations for now are furniture pads to protect the floor underneath, recommendations for visitors to remove shoes and use booties in the living room and roller shades to reduce light during off hours. Next steps are to raise additional funds to finish work on the floor, work on additional buildings on site (outlying farm buildings) and to raise funds for a visitor center.
There were many complexities to this project: the area was very rural, there was no running water in the house, the house was climate controlled but not airtight, no shops to be able to get supplies and the client was an hour and a half away. Everything had to be brought in. Additionally since the floor covering project was a last minute addition, furniture was already in place and could not be moved out of the house. With careful planning, much more was accomplished in the time given than was though possible and the treatment was a success.
Category: Specialty Sessions
Posts on talks that were presented as part of the specialty sessions at AIC’s Annual Meeting
AIC 43rd Annual Meeting- Book and Paper Group-Case Study: A Practical Approach to the Conservation & Restoration of a Pair of Large Diameter English Globes (Lorraine Bigrigg & Deborah LaCamera)
This talk presented the multi-disciplinary treatment involved in conserving two English globes- one celestial, one terrestrial. Overall it took 1400 studio hours! That is no typo! Deborah has kindly forwarded some screenshots of the powerpoint that you will find below.
The globes were made between 1845-51 by Malby & Co (http://www.georgeglazer.com/globes/globeref/globemakers.html#malby jump to “Malby”) and they were acquired in 1851 by the University of Deseret, the university founded by the Church of Later Day Saints, now University of Utah.
The structure of these globes goes back to the early 16th century. Globes are essentially 2 hemispheres molded over a form and joined at the equator with an adhesive. The globe is then covered with plaster and paper gores (a gore is the name for the printed sections of paper that contain the informational content of the globe) and the entirety is burnished and varnished.
The Malby globes of the University of Utah were in poor condition, with cracks and losses and discolored varnish. The speakers considered the options for treatment of the two globes and decided they needed to treat them differently, since the terrestrial globe was so damaged that all of the gores needed to be removed and the hemispheres realigned, while the celestial globe had only small areas of damage so it did not need to be completely disassembled.
The treatment involved removing the varnish, removing the paper gores with a hand-held steamer, realigning the terrestrial globe’s hemispheres, cleaning the gores, mending, filling losses, reattaching the gores, burnishing, then varnishing.
Where there were areas of loss to the information on the gores, the TKM studio found gore reference sheets from Malby at the Royal Geographic Society in London. These were copied and then printed using pigmented ink-jet printer for the celestial globe. Gores from another globe, also at the RGS in London, were used as a reference for the terrestrial globe replacement gores. The reproductions were inserted as fills in the specific areas of loss in the cartography. Since this treatment, carried out in 2007, new techniques have become available, and the TKM studio has been using Pronto plates (http://www.nontoxicprint.com/polyesterplatelitho.htm ) for the past year or so. These plates use traditional printer’s ink, which is light, solvent, and heat stable.
The filled gores were registered and reattached to the hemispheres using a wheat starch paste-methyl cellulose mix.
After mounting the gores, the globes were burnished, then sized with 3% gelatin mixture. After in-painting, the globes were varnished with Dammar containing Tinuvin. The authors stressed that the entire project was multi-disciplinary as the stand was repaired and the metalwork was cast and engraved to form the completed object.
The treatment is published in the most recent Journal of the Institute for Conservation, volume 38 no.1 2015
AIC 43rd Annual Meeting- Book and Paper Group: Foxing and Reverse Foxing: Condition Problems in Modern Paper and the Role of Inorganic Additives (Sarah Bertalan)
This talk was given by Sarah Bertalan, as the culmination of a career observing foxing and reverse foxing during her conservation practice. It is such an interesting topic that there was too much information to squeeze into 30 minutes, and Bertalan left us hanging without a conclusion but I will provide some links to articles that she mentioned at the end of the talk summary, as well as to the conservation wiki on foxing. I hope that she will publish in the BPG Annual Postprints, as I’m sure the majority of the attendees of her talk would agree! It is a topic that I find so interesting, and I even compiled my own literature review of foxing while in graduate school!
Bertalan’s observation of 19th and 20th century papers has led her to propose that foxing, the “reddish, brownish, roundish stains that occur in a random pattern,” is not caused by mold or by metal inclusions, but rather by inorganic additives that were added to the paper. It is widely reported that treating foxing stains can frustratingly lead to their reappearance within a relatively short amount of time. Bertalan also considers the capacity for 19th and 20th century papers to discolor over their entire surface, not just in in the staining we associate with foxing. In such cases, the stains may be extensive but superficial, and the condition would be due to contact with catalyzing, acidic materials, not migration of degradation products, as is seen for matburn. Reverse foxing is a term that remains undefined, and the cause is unknown. White spots, as if negative images of the dendrite-like reddish brown foxing spots, will appear and be visible in normal light, often after a paper has been treated. Reverse foxing has been identified frequently on Van Gelder Zonen papers.
Inorganic additives were added to papers in the 19th and 20th centuries to achieve specific results. Additives such as minerals and metal oxides were added to modify the surface and texture, to act as fillers and opacifiers, brighteners and to aid in ink retention. The additives are extremely reactive and act as salts, catalyzing acid-base reactions. While foxing was not visible immediately after the paper was made, elevated humidity, changing pH and daylight would provide the environment to form foxing. Contemporaries were aware of the effect of humidity on papers, notably the appearance of foxing stains.
Bertalan observes that the sensitivity of papers coated or immersed in metal salts to light is well documented, as the earliest photographs were made with paper coated in metal salts. The supporting evidence Bertalan presents for inorganic particles causing foxing is the presence of opaque zones that correspond to foxing stains when paper is seen in transmitted light. Furthermore, when foxing is not visible in normal light, opaque dendrite-like inclusions in the paper can be seen in UV light as well as transmitted light. Even when the reddish-brown stains have been washed out of the paper, the opaque regions still remain when viewed in UV light.
Resources:
http://www.conservation-wiki.com/wiki/Foxing_(PCC)
Soyeon Choi Literature Review on Foxing (you must use your AIC sign-in to access the article) http://www.maneyonline.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1179/019713607806112378
Browning, B.L. Analysis of Paper 1977.
AIC 43rd Annual Meeting – The Daguerreotype Uncovered: An Overview of the Surface and Subsurface Chemistry, Physics and Material Science Underlying the First Photographic Process Based on Electron Microscopial Studies. Patrick Ravines
This presentation was delivered by Patrick Ravines, Director and Associate Professor, Buffalo State University. Co-authors include Peter Bush, Lisa Chan, Natasha Erdman, Lingjia Li, Rob McElroy, and Anne West.
Patrick et al have been using electron microscopy to investigate the surface and subsurface of daguerreotypes. They have created fresh plates for the investigation, and have used these analytical techniques during each stage of preparation. They have made discoveries including how scratches to the surface Ag are not always completely removed during the polishing process, polishing removes approximately 1 mm of Ag, and fuming with I2 creates a discontinuous layer of AgI across the plate. One interesting thing Patrick noted was how upon placing a sensitized daguerreotype plate in an SEM, the electron beam produced enough energy to cause the AgI particles to print out before their eyes. After exposure to Hg vapor, they were able to observe the Ag-Hg particles from various angles and discern that there are many other cluster shapes than cubic and hexagonal. Using lasers, they drilled into the daguerreotype surface, created cross-sections, and observed the subsurface voids. Patrick discussed their believe that the subsurface voids are the result of Ag migrating up to the surface to form the image material, leaving behind an absence of material. This work will be published soon in more detail.
Patrick noted that professionals in the electronics industry are using similar materials, Ag and Au, and they are finding similar subsurface voids.
43rd Annual Meeting – Research and Technical Studies, May 15, “Parylene Treatment for Book/Paper Strengthening” by John Baty
In the 1990s there was a pioneering study on the use of parylene to strengthen brittle book paper performed by Don Etherington, David Grattan, and Bruce Humphrey. Ultimately their research did demonstrate that parylene strengthened weak, brittle paper, but several concerns regarding the material’s long term effects were raised; such as reversibility and the uncertainty of its aging properties. John Baty and his colleagues at the Heritage Science for Conservation Research Center at Johns Hopkins University, sought to reexamine the potential for using parylene to strengthen brittle paper, given the improved scientific instruments and analysis methods available today. Their research sought to answer five primary research questions: does parylene strengthen paper, what is the permanence of its effect, what are the side effects, how can parylene treatment be scaled up, and how can it be reversed. Currently they have answered the first two and are conducting ongoing research.
Parylene is applied to brittle books by using a chamber that draws a vacuum and essentially pulls sublimated parylene through the system. The amount of parylene dimer that is added to the chamber directly correlates to the thickness of the deposited film. Previous research had not optimized the amount of parylene needed to achieve a desirable film layer, so this was a primary goal for Baty and his colleagues. The success of the treatment was evaluated using three mechanical paper strength tests: tensile testing, the MIT fold endurance test, and the Elmendorf tear test.
Baty and his team found that using 3 grams of parylene was sufficient to strengthen brittle paper to the point that it behaved similarly to modern wood pulp paper and only imparted a smoother appearance to its surface. 5 grams of the dimer was too much and conservators inspecting the pages concluded that the paper had a more “plasticky” and stiff feel to it. The three mechanical tests did indicate that the brittle paper samples were strengthened with the addition of a parylene coating, but there are still questions regarding this treatment’s reversibility and side effects that remain to be answered by Baty and his team in subsequent research.
43rd Annual Meeting – Research and Technical Studies, May 15, “The Deacidification of Contemporary Drawings: A Safe Method Based on Nanotechnology” by Giovanna Poggi
The degradation of cellulose-based materials, such as paper and canvas, is exacerbated by the presence of acidity caused by the natural aging process, various sizings, surface coatings, inks, or other papermaking products. Conservators attempt to mitigate this problem by the use of alkaline compounds to deacidify the substrate and impart an alkaline reserve within the fibers to counteract future acidity. In the case of paper-based objects, deacidification is most commonly accomplished by either washing in an alkaline bath or spraying on a solvent-based dispersion solution of micro-particles of magnesium or calcium.
Dr. Poggi’s talk presented research into a new method that can be used to deacidify paper-based objects using an apolar solvent dispersion of alkaline nanoparticles applied topically (an airbrush was used in these experiments), without the need for full immersion. The benefit of using nanoparticles for deacidification is that these particles have a higher surface area which react more readily with acidic compounds, creating a faster neutralization reaction; they are more homogenous in structure; and nanoparticles are able to penetrate further through the paper fibers, surface coatings, and sizing than micron sized particles. This research was conducted as part of the broader Nano for Art project, which seeks to devise new methods for the conservation and preservation of art using nanotechnology. More information can be found at their website: http://www.nanoforart.eu/.
Through the use of solvothermal reactions, Dr. Poggi and her colleagues were able to procure nano-sized particles of a crystallized form of CaOH in ethanol. They discovered that an alcohol based system created a stable, highly concentrated dispersion without the need for further purification and was very effective at deacidification. However, this solution could not be applied to more modern papers containing inks which were sensitive to alcohol. Apolar solvents were explored due to the fact that they would not adversely impact the topography of cellulose substrates. A variety of problematic inks were tested, such as ballpoint pen and felt tip marker, until it was determined that cyclohexane was the most appropriate solvent to use. During experimentation on both mockups and actual works of art, it was found that the cyclohexane dispersion did not adversely affect modern inks nor the topography of the paper substrates. Aging tests were performed on samples and indicated that papers treated with the nanoparticle dispersion discolored less and had an improved degree of polymerization when compared to aged, untreated samples.
Dr. Poggi’s presentation was very interesting and I’m looking forward to learning more about the use of these nanoparticle solutions to achieve a more effective and hopefully long lasting form of deacidification.
43rd Annual Meeting-Book and Paper Session, May 15, 2015, "16-17th Century Italian Chiaroscuro Woodcuts: Instrumental Analysis, Degradation and Conservation" by Linda Stiber Morenus, Charlotte Eng, Naoko Takahatake, and Diana Rambaldi
The presenter, Linda Stiber Morenus, began her discussion of these complex prints with a description of the printing process. Chiaroscuro woodcuts were intended to emulate chiaroscuro drawings, which were comprised of black chalk shadows and white chalk highlights on colored paper. Color oil-based printing inks were first used to print 14th-century textiles, being used on paper by the mid 15th-century. The chiaroscuro woodblock prints required two to five separate woodblocks, inked with different shades lighter and darker than the midtone colored paper.
In order to better characterize the media, Morenus collaborated with art historian Takahata, and conservation scientists Eng and Rimbaldi from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). In addition to prints at LACMA, the team studied prints from the British Museum and Library of Congress. Out of over 2000 surveyed woodcuts, 72 were studied in depth, with X-ray Fluorescence (XRF), Fiber Optic Reflectance Spectroscopy (FORS), and Raman spectroscopy. Inorganic compounds were indicated by XRF analysis. FORS was especially helpful for detection of indigo. Raman spectroscopy provided additional information about organic colorants.
Renaissance artists’ manuals, such as Cennino Cennini’s Libro dell’Arte guided the research by providing information on the most likely colorants for printing inks. Inorganic pigments included lamp black, lead white, ochres, vermillion, verdigris, and orpiment. Organic pigments included indigo and a variety of lake pigments.
After providing background information, the presenter began to focus on deterioration and conservation of the chiaroscuro prints. The prints from the Niccolo Vicentino workshop had a high lead content. The inks typically had a low vehicle-to-pigment ratio, tending to turn gray around the edges, due to the presence of lead sulphide. Verdigris corrosion was also a common problem, as found on “Christ Healing the Paralytic Man” by Giuseppe Niccolo Vicentino, as well as 13 other prints from the same workshop. Typical copper-induced paper degradation included yellow-brown halos around inked areas and cracks in the paper.
Fading and discoloration were major problems for the organic colorants, such as indigo and the yellow lakes. Morenus compared copies of Ugo da Carpi’s “Sybil Reading a Book” in the British Museum and the Library of Congress, finding clear evidence that the indigo in the British copy had faded. The British Museum had confirmed the presence of indigo through Raman spectroscopy. At least 8 of the prints were found through XRF to have high levels of calcium in the same areas where indigo had been identified, suggesting the presence of chalk-based lakes. Organic greens had shifted to blue or brown where organic yellows had faded or become discolored.
The presenter concluded with suggestions and caveats for conservation treatment. First, she advised conservators to exercise caution in aqueous treatment, in order the preserve the topography of the prints. The woodblock creates a relief impression in the paper, and the layering of the inks adds another level of texture that might be altered by humidification, flattening, washing, or lining treatments. The low binder content also makes the inks more vulnerable to saponification and loss during alkaline water washing. Morenus warned that the hydrogen peroxide color reversion treatment for darkened lead white would be particularly risky, because the white lead sulphate end product has a lower refractive index than basic lead carbonate original pigment. This means that treated lead white becomes more translucent, and the lower “hiding power” shifts the tonal balance of the print to appear darker overall.
For exhibit recommendations, Morenus suggested that we should always expect to find fugitive organic colorants in chiaroscuro prints, so exhibit rotations should be planned accordingly. Maximum exhibit conditions should be 5 foot-candles (50 lux) of visible light for 12 weeks of exposure, no more often than every three years. She also indicated that overmatting should be avoided to reduce the risk of differential discoloration.
During the Question and Answer period, Morenus clarified the color order used in printing. Some prints were inked from dark to light, but most were printed with the lightest color first.
I thoroughly enjoyed learning about these beautiful prints, but I think that the discussion of the lead white conversion treatment-induced refractive index shift was the most important “take-away” from the presentation.
2015 Annual Meeting EMG/OSG/VoCA Joint Session: Collaboration with Artists in the Preservation of Artistic Heritage
The Electronic Media Group (EMG) and Objects Specialty Group (OSG) of the American Institute for Conservation (AIC) are joining with Voices in Contemporary Art (VoCA) to present a special joint session on the topic of collaboration with artists at the upcoming AIC Annual Meeting in Miami, FL, May 13-16, 2015.
Recognizing that artists have a stake in the legacy of their work has shifted conservation practice in recent decades. Moreover, it is possible to maintain a critical art historical discourse while also integrating the voices and opinions of the artists within preservation strategies for their artworks. The mission of organizations like VoCA has been guided by the possibilities of this shift. Increasingly, these practices are flourishing at major museums across the country.
Many conservators are actively seizing opportunities to interview and otherwise interact with artists. This session provides a venue for novice and experienced practitioners alike, from conservation and allied preservation-related fields, to share their outlook on and practice of collaboration with artists and their associates.
The sessions will be take place on Thursday, May 14, from 2pm-5:30pm, and Friday, May 15, from 8:30am-12:30pm. A ½ hour discussion will be held at the end of each day’s talks, led by Jill Sterrett on Thursday and Glenn Wharton on Friday.
The full schedule for the joint sessions is available here.
Blog at AIC's 2015 Annual Meeting and win!
Each year we receive feedback from colleagues who couldn’t make it to the annual meeting that write-ups of the talks posted here on www.conservators-converse.org were interesting and informative. For the past few years we had so many fabulous concurrent session that even those present at the meeting couldn’t attend all the talks they were interested in and found that they could get a taste of what they missed using the blog. Our blog sees a huge increase in traffic due to annual meeting posts with almost 600 unique visits per day. We know that many colleagues are looking forward to hearing more about the conference and hope that some of you will volunteer and share your thoughts from the meeting.
How To Sign-up:
Signing up is easy. Just click on the link below to access the signup spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pNEluroUP6aP_Degsdvy0Ns7PMpximU2XDYUkGHia-A/edit?usp=sharing
There is a separate tab down at the bottom for each SG or session. Next, input your name and email next to the talk you are interested in covering. Easy! The limit for signup is two talks so that nobody feels overwhelmed.
What’s In It For Me?
Many people take notes at the talks and writing them up is a great way to organize your notes and thoughts while doing something great for your colleagues and the field. Speakers are often grateful for the feedback. And, yes there is something in it for you…all volunteers who complete two posts will be entered into a drawing to win a FREE 2016 ANNUAL MEETING REGISTRATION!
What do I need to know about Blogging?
Not much! All volunteers will be sent AIC’s Guidelines and Blogging Tip Sheets. Writing a good blog post can take some time but covering a just two talks is very manageable. Here are a few things to know:
- You do not blog in real time so you don’t need a laptop or internet access at the conference– the best way is to take notes and then write up your thoughts later (ideally by the end of the conference or shortly thereafter).
- You need not be an experienced blogger nor particularly tech savvy. The WordPress blog format is extremely easy to use and any necessary hand-holding will happily be provided to make you feel comfortable online. If you can send an email – you can create a blog post.
- There is no pressure to be particularly witty. Active tense, first-person and personal style are all encouraged in blog posts – this is a chance to free yourself from the writing constraints of condition reports! While all posts should be professional overall, the tone is somewhat between reporting and “what I did over my summer vacation”. The best posts tell why you were interested in the topic and what you learned, you aren’t expected to be writing the speaker’s postprint so you don’t need to capture every detail. The goal is for readers to learn more about the talk than they would gain from the abstract. Tips and Guidelines will be provided for all volunteers.
- In addition to the talks we also value reviews of the workshop, tours, receptions and other associated events and sessions.
I Have Some Questions Before Signing Up – Who Do I Talk To?
Contact Rachael Arenstein, AIC’s e-Editor either via email or using the Email AIC’s e-Editor box in the footer of this blog.
Preview of STASH Storage Tips session in Miami
Safe storage for collections is one of the primary goals of preventive care for collecting institutions, and individuals charged with collections care and cultural institutions often face challenges in designing storage and support systems for individual items or collections. There are few tasks more concrete and practical than devising a storage mount that preserves an object while making efficient use of an institution’s human, financial and material resources. Constructing a successful storage solution requires numerous choices regarding materials, techniques, time and skill.
In May 2014, FAIC, with funding from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, launched STASH (Storage Techniques for Art, Science and History collections), a web-based resource to share well-designed storage solutions. The site contains the original entries from the printed text, Storage of Natural History Collections: Ideas and Practical Solutions, originally published by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), and has begun receiving new submissions, including storage projects that were presented last year at the first STASH Flash session as part of AIC’s 42nd Annual Meeting. The website project is interdisciplinary and the site’s editorial board is composed of representatives from a range of allied organizations
The 2015 STASH Flash session to be held at the Miami meeting on May 13, 4:30 – has an exciting lightening round of tips lined up. Tips presented at the session will be formatted and appear on the www.stashc.com website after the meeting. We hope that you will join us to kick of the meeting with a practical take on storage and rehousing. Read on to see what is in store….
OVERSIZE OBJECTS
Contributor(s): Angela Andres & Laura McCann
Institution: New York University Libraries, Barbara Goldsmith Preservation and Conservation Department
Collection Type: Rolled Archival Materials
This hanging housing system is designed for oversize low-use rolled items. Objects too large for flat files or unlikely to be accessed often can be rolled around an archival tube and suspended with S-hooks from cage in stack areas (or eye-hooks may be secured into wall if cage is not available). Pressure-mounted Ethafoam bumpers support the tubes and protect the rolled objects from pressure against wall or cage. S-hooks and bumpers can be easily shifted or removed as necessary.
Contributor(s):Andrew Hare
Institution: Smithsonian Institution, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Collection type: East Asian Paintings/Scrolls
Of great concern for the preservation of East Asian paintings is the damage caused by rolling scrolls around small diameter roller rods, a problem that typically results in severe creasing and pigment loss. This inherent vice in the design of Chinese and Japanese hanging and handscrolls can be greatly alleviated with the addition of a roller clamp, known in Japanese as a futomaki soejiku or simply futomaki. This roller clamp is closed around the roller rod of the scroll to at least double the diameter of the scroll when rolled. This simple and functional solution has the disadvantages of being made from an acidic, off-gassing l wood, can be quite heavy and is usually difficult and expensive to obtain in the West. Two alternative options are preservation rollers, developed within the Freer and Sackler Galleries’ East Asian Painting Conservation Studio. They are made from folded Mylar (polyester sheeting) or Ethafoam tubing covered with Stockinet. The Mylar preservation roller is best for handscrolls and smaller hanging scrolls. The Ethafoam preservation roller works best for larger scrolls. Both preservation rollers are made from inert, lightweight materials that are readily available in the West. With the instructions provided, conservators, volunteers, interns and fellows can easily produce these preservation rollers at a relatively low cost and greatly improve storage conditions for East Asian scrolls.
Contributor(s): William Bennett
Institution: Smithsonian Institution Archives, Conservation Specialist
Collection type: rolled oversize graphic recordings placed in a custom housing
Items of an unusual shape or size perpetually pose problems of storage and access for archives. One recent example from the Smithsonian Institution Archives is a collection of six rolls of oversize drawings—a set of graphic recordings of planning sessions, which ultimately resulted in the formation of the current strategic vision of the Smithsonian. Neither flat nor offsite storage was possible due to the unusual dimensions, necessitating a custom housing that would remain in the Archives’ onsite storage. The drawings were wrapped around archival cores fitted with corrugated board feet to increase stability and protect the bottom edges; these rolls were placed into a custom two-piece box, made from more corrugated board. Both the lower portion and the lid are composed of two pieces attached with mitered flaps, with each piece pre-scored to ensure clean folds. Time will tell whether this housing solution functions as well as hoped. While this solution was not ideal, it is effective and was an excellent opportunity to experiment with custom enclosures.
BOXES & SHELVES
Contributor(s):Jennifer Lewis & Nancy Lev-Alexander
Institution: Library of Congress/ Conservation Division / Head, Collections Stabilization Section
Collection type: Pre-Columbian inorganic ethnographic items
The Library of Congress holds relatively small but highly significant collections of 3-dimensional artifacts from the J.I. Kislak Collection that present challenges for storage and research use. Unlike museums which often have customized furnishings and specialized staff required for safe storage and handling, the Library must accommodate these objects among its standard shelving and provide housings that protect the object when handled by curators or researchers with a wide range of object-handling experience and skill. Staff from the Collection Stabilization Section have designed a storage solution based on customized inner fittings applied within paperboard boxes that were made either by hand or on automated equipment depending on size. The inner fittings created of safe materials such as alkaline board, polyester batting, Ethafoam planking, polypropylene fabric, and Tyvek, provide support and cushioning around the object while creating malleable cavities or drop or removable walls that allow easy viewing and access to the object. This presentation will demonstrate how this housing solution has been customized to provide protection for a wide range of Library objects. Additional information will demonstrate strategies for protecting larger pre-Columbian ceramic objects without full boxing within gasketed cabinets. The same housing solution has also been applied to artifacts from the Alan Lomax collection including sound recording equipment and other tools of his ethnographic sound recording work.
Contributor(s): Stephanie Gowler & Susan Russick
Institution: Northwestern University Library
Collection Type: Housing objects on library shelving
As a purpose-built library, Northwestern’s shelves are integrated into the structure of the building. This means we can never adjust the position of the shelving units. Irregularly sized or shaped materials still need to fit in sequence in the collection. Examples include letters written on petri dishes which must fit into a document box with other correspondence, a scroll that needs to be stored vertically on the bookshelf, and puppets from a 1960s television show. Our protocol begins with compiling a reference sheet of shelf sizes and the maximum sizes of boxes that can fit on those shelves. Labeling preferences for each curator are also recorded. The exterior of boxes are standardized while the interior is customized. Curatorial and use patterns also influence housing decisions. This presentation will show housings used for books, papers and objects at Northwestern.
Contributor(s):Angela Yvarra McGrew
Institution: Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University, Contract Conservator
Collection type: Archaeological and ethnographic art, from Africa and the Americas
The goal of the project is to re-house all of the African and Ancient American Collection to create layers of visibility with researchers in mind so that direct handling is only necessary in special cases. Open shelving requires that each box will have a lid. A window is provided to prevent packing being taken apart to confirm the contents. The boxes take into account the potential for earthquakes in this region but are not meant for travel/shipping.
Contributor(s): Rebecca Newberry
Institution: Science Museum of Minnesota
Collection type: Drop-front boxes for Natural History objects and specimens
Custom made drop front boxes are ideal for housing fragile objects stored on open shelves. The front of the box is designed to fold open from the bottom, allowing free access to the object stored within. The drop front has flaps which are fastened to the side of the box with envelope-style string and button closures. This system is more reliable than adhesive hook and loop (Velcro) fasteners commonly used. The boxes can be made from either corrugated cardboard or corrugated plastic.
Contributor(s): Rebecca Newberry
Institution: Science Museum of Minnesota/Conservator
Collection type: boxes for natural history
Double scored folds in corrugated plastic boxes with attached lids: Corrugated plastic boxes with attached lids are useful for frequently accessed objects. Since the lid cannot be separated from the box, it cannot be misplaced. It is important to allow the attached lid to fold back completely for best access. The lid fold is scored along the interior and the exterior flutes. This double scored fold allows the lid to fold back, leaving the top of the box clear for object access.
Contributor(s):Gretchen E. Anderson & Deborah G. Harding
Institution: Carnegie Museum of Natural
Collection type: Microclimate storage for archaeological metals
The CMNH Anthropology Department is in the beginning phase of a major NEH funded reorganization of collections storage. One of the first projects is to improve storage conditions for small archaeological metals. Thirty years ago these had been placed in plastic bags and Rubbermaid™ containers with silica gel (which had not been reconditioned since the original storage was developed). Plastic bags and polyethylene foam padding were all that protected these fragile objects. Some were stored in Masonite™ and wood drawers, with only a thin layer of foam between them and the wood. The new storage project was the perfect opportunity to apply new methods. The new system had to provide better physical support and organization for the collection, as well as buffering fluctuating relative humidity and protecting the sensitive collection from contamination. The new storage solution is compact, simple and cost effective.
DRAWER SOLUTIONS
Contributor(s): Alison Reppert Gerber
Institution: Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of African American History and Culture
Collection type: 16” lacquer transcription audio discs
In the fall of 2014, the National Museum of African American History and Culture prepared 24 audio discs of varying formats for travel in order to digitize their rare audio content. Five of these discs exhibited varying degrees of delamination and required innovative packing and long-term storage solutions. First, we created a simple clamshell-style box from archival blue board. Using Volara® polyethylene foam cut into circles (6” in diameter) and wooden dowels wrapped in Teflon® tape, we were able to secure the disc in the box while suspending the grooved portion of the disc, which was the primary area suffering from delamination of the nitrocellulose lacquer coating. By adding Velcro® closures to the exterior of the box, it could safely be transported vertically to reduce surface tension on the disc. All five discs were given their own enclosure and then placed into one large box for stability and transport.
Contributor(s): Angela Andres & Laura McCann
Institution: New York University Libraries, Barbara Goldsmith Preservation and Conservation Department
Collection Type: Panorama photographs and/or maps
A simple-to-construct modular system for dividing flat file drawers to house panorama photographs (or other long/narrow items such as maps or broadsides). Dividers of E-flute board or 20-point board are held in place by panels of the same type of board and can be fitted to either x or y orientation. Easy to remove, add, and alter divider sections, this is an easy and low-cost solution to the difficulty of housing these odd-shaped items.
Contributor(s): Angela Andres & Laura McCann
Institution: New York University Libraries, Barbara Goldsmith Preservation and Conservation Department
Collection Type: ephemera
Housing for a collection of political buttons using stacked placards of Volara-lined B-flute board. B-flute board is lined on both sides with thin Volara (tacked at corners with linen thread, eliminating the need for) and buttons are affixed to the placards with their own fasteners or, when fasteners are missing or damaged, placed in small poly zipper bags and tacked to placards with linen thread. Placards are stacked inside standard archival document boxes that integrate well in existing shelf space.
Contributor(s): Allison Rabent & Jane Klinger
Institution: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Collection Type: Drawer Grid, textiles
As in many other museums, much of the textile collection at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is stored in flat-file drawers. In preparation for moving the collection to a new facility in 2017, current storage methods are being re-evaluated. A new housing system was needed to organize and provide stability and protection for armbands and badges of various shapes and sizes. Part of the challenge was to ensure the artifacts could also be housed and organized by accession number. In order to address these issues, an adjustable grid system was created. Dividers made of corrugated blue board were cut to size and modified to create a stable grid that could be placed within the drawer, allowing the textiles to rest safely within individual squares. By adjusting the size and number of dividers, this system can be easily modified to accommodate for storage of a variety of flat media.
DOCUMENTATION
Contributor(s): Stephanie Gowler & Susan Russick
Institution: Northwestern University Library
Collection Type: Library and Archival Materials
This presentation will describe the use of the smartphone/tablet app Notability to facilitate documentation and labeling during a large-scale paintings collection survey. Each painting was photographed with the smartphone/tablet camera, imported into Notability, and annotated with a color-coded key to indicate major types and levels of damage. These annotated images were then incorporated into an existing documentation database. Print-outs of the annotated images were attached to wrapped paintings as caution labels, alerting anyone handling the paintings to the most vulnerable areas. This proved to be an efficient way to create on-the-fly condition notes and produce a quick visual reference for future conservators. This method could easily be adapted for triage in disaster response situations, large-scale surveys across multiple storage locations, or anytime there is a need for labels cautioning handlers about an object’s condition.