Category: Specialty Sessions

Posts on talks that were presented as part of the specialty sessions at AIC’s Annual Meeting

42nd Annual Meeting (Objects Session 5/31/14) – "Testing and implementation of microclimate storage containers for small metals and plastics" by Dana K. Senge

Dana’s talk – the last of the Objects session talks given at AIC’s 42nd Annual Conference in San Francisco – presented the results of multiple tests conducted by the National Park Service (NPS) Intermountain Region Museum Services Program, evaluating several readily available materials for their ability to protect sensitive objects from less-than-ideal climate conditions. Tests sought to identify the best methods for long-term storage of two distinctly different categories of collections materials: archaeological metals and historic plastics. The ideal solutions would be cost effective and easy-to-use, would allow for easy monitoring and access, and could be consistently applied across all NPS sites.
Archaeological Metals
Various storage systems for archaeological metals have been employed at NPS sites in the past, including Stewart boxes, 2-4 mil polyethylene (PE) bags with twist ties, and heat-sealed Marvelseal enclosures in combination with desiccants and/or scavengers.
Following the work done by JP Brown (2010) and Alice Paterakis (2011), Dana did some short experiments to confirm that resealable PE containers with silicone gaskets held a microclimate better than similar containers without gasketing. This being established, she added data loggers and twice the calculated amount of desiccant recommended for the container’s volume, and conducted a longer test in three locations – Arizona, where storage conditions were generally dry (about 35% RH); Montana, where conditions ranged from 25-45% RH; and Texas, where conditions fluctuated around 50% RH. Even under the most humid conditions in TX, the worst-performing silicone-gasketed PE boxes only allowed an increase of 2% RH over the course of the year-long test period. Measurement of the TX test box after a second year registered only another 2.7% increase in RH. Based on this set of experiments, Dana calculates that this particular setup would only require recharging with desiccant every 5 years if a change of less than 15% RH was desired. In addition, Oddy testing of the materials involved in the system confirmed that there was nothing harmful being off-gassed.
Historic Plastics
To find an ideal solution for historic plastics, Dana started by consulting Yvonne Shashoua’s 2008 publication, Conservation of Plastics. She learned that different polymers have wildly varying requirements for safe storage: cellulose nitrate (CN) and cellulose acetate (CA) need ventilated or scavenged environments to slow deterioration, while natural rubber fares better in anoxic environments, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) calls for only non-absorbent glass or Mylar fabrication materials. The deep trays with Tyvek covers that had been in use at NPS since the 90s were not effective, so alternatives were sought.
For use with CN and CA, several box designs were evaluated for their ability to ventilate the space and prevent dust accumulation inside the box. Acid-free board boxes were made with slatted or screened walls and were tested without lids, with Hollytex lids, or with acid-free board lids. Inside the prototype boxes, Dana placed a deteriorating CA shower curtain ring along with a sticky surface to determine how much dust found its way in, and A-D Strips to monitor for the buildup of harmful acetic acid vapors. Findings supported the use of a blue-board lid, as it prevented the most dust over a month-long period. Though screened and slatted boxes did equally well, the screened boxes were found to be easier to construct. No harmful buildup was detected by the A-D strips in any of the boxes.
As a space-saving alternative to ventilated storage, Dana next evaluated several common scavengers in conjunction with the previously described resealable PE containers. In order of their performance (worst to best), they were Kodak Molecular Sieves, a single MicroChamber board, Getter Pak, two MicroChamber boards, and Zorflex. The most effective adsorbent, Zorflex, prevented acetic acid build-up in the container for 18 days. Interestingly, each scavenger tested lowered the humidity in the box to some extent initially, though it did eventually rebound. A second round of tests that doubled the amount of scavenger found no benefit to doing so. Future work will include evaluating activated carbon cloth, and rerunning the above described scavenger tests on boxes containing a larger amount of deteriorating CA to see if the products can keep up with increased volumes of off-gassed acetic acid. She would also like to test resealable glass containers in this capacity.
Although storage for PVC objects was not extensively discussed, Dana mentioned that she has been using and is pleased with heat-sealed 1 mil Mylar enclosures. She prefers the use of a single-impulse heat sealer to a double-impulse model to make the enclosures.
Finally, Dana made a point to address a few limitations of the systems she evaluated for this paper, including size (the largest silicone-gasketed PE containers she’s been able to find only measure 9 x 12 x 6 inches) and the need for a robust monitoring/maintenance plan.
Questions/comments after the talk:

  • One talk attendee mentioned that she had found much larger gasketed PE boxes, but that they didn’t necessarily seal well because of the distance between the clamps, especially on the long edges. She recommended testing the container with water – if it’s not watertight, it won’t be airtight either!
  • A question was posed about the efficacy of these systems compared to non-gasketed PE boxes that were sealed with aluminum tape instead. Dana stated that aluminum tape was not evaluated in this round of testing.
  • Dana, though she didn’t mention brand names, cautioned that some brands of containers definitely held a better seal than others. Test your enclosures first!!!

I really enjoy hearing about research with practical applications. Thank you, Dana, for a well presented and interesting talk!!

42nd Annual Meeting – May 30th, "Sustainability Roundtable" hosted by the Sustainability Committee

What does it take to get your institution to do something about sustainability? The Sustainability Committee roundtable sought to create a space to discuss facilitating change at our institutions. In full disclosure, I am on the Sustainability Committee, however my role at the Annual Meeting did not include organizing the roundtable. Jia-Sun Tsang and Sarah Stauderman lead a discussion of five sustainable issues, focusing on the Smithsonian Institution (SI) as a case study. This was followed by a discussion amongst the audience, who were divided into groups of two.
The five sustainable issues were recycling, reuse, making a difference/activism, preservation environment, and lighting. After the presentation of these five, the audience was invited to add additional issues they would like to discuss, which included planet sustainability (especially water consumption, CO2 emissions, exotoxins emissions).

  • Key factors for improving the success of recycling at the Smithsonian were improving communication between housekeeping and facilities and educating the staff about how to recycle.
  • Reuse of materials occurs at an individual level, through units, and across museums. For example, the SI has a process for reusing equipment, exhibition cases, etc. that are no longer needed at a particular branch. A
  • Activism was profiled through the experience of Eric Hollinger, an employee at the SI who has had a major impact on green issues. He sees himself as an “agitator,” “assistant,” “advisor,” and “advocate.”
  • Making changes to the preservation environment occurs best when all the relevant constituents are at the table (facilities, conservation, curatorial, etc.). An example of effective change to preservation environments was a Smithsonian wide summit that occurred last year.
  • Colonial Williamsburg recently worked across departments to make changes to their lighting system and switch to Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs). Further information on that case study can be found on the Sustainability pages of the AIC wiki. Another case study for successful changes to lighting is the partnership between the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Department of Energy.

Sarah Stauderman gave us a crash course in management theory to give us the tools and mindset necessary to create change. Learning to frame the conversation to effect change takes practice. These conversations work best if you have a defined purpose and engage multiple perspectives. Change happens most quickly when you can collaborate, compromise, and negotiate with your colleagues. Keeping things simple and aiming for small outcomes will help to get the momentum going on your project. When you do get a meeting, think carefully about where the meeting will be held and if you can make it an experience or in some way engage the constituents in the issue.
We then broke into pairs to discuss the following three questions. The goal of this section was to help participants practice the dialogue and thought processes that facilitate change.
1)   What do you need to achieve the goal?
2)   What in your organization is keeping you from your goal?
3)   What training/resources do you need?
Personally, I found it helpful to have a framework to start thinking about change. Talking through ideas with my partner was encouraging and provided valuable insight. I hope that the other audience participants were able to take away a feeling of optimism about their ability to implement new sustainability initiatives at their institutions.

42nd Annual Meeting – Book and Paper Session, May 29, “Conservation of Johannes Herolt’s Sermones de tempore, c. 1450” by Harry Campbell

The Thursday afternoon session of Book and Paper presentations was full of talks about challenging and innovative treatments, and Harry Campbell’s paper “Conservation of Johannes Herolt’s Sermones de tempore, c. 1450” was no exception. Mr. Campbell, Book and Paper Conservator at The Ohio State University Libraries, talked the audience through the steps in treating a newly-acquired manuscript with extensive damage.
Known as one of the most prolific sermon writers of his time, Johannes Herolt was a Dominican friar of Nuremberg and vicar of the Katharinekloster. There are approximately 500 known manuscript copies of his collected sermons, some of which are fragmentary. This copy was re-bound at some point in the 20th century in a less-than-sympathetic binding, and pressure sensitive tape had been applied over areas of badly degraded iron gall ink. Because the manuscript was anticipated to receive heavy use, the decision was made to completely rebind the manuscript in a 15th century German style.
The manuscript was disbound, and the tape was carefully removed from each page using a heated tool. After reducing adhesive residue and staining with acetone, Assistant Rare Book Conservator Molly Carlile worked with Mr. Campbell to line the damaged pages. A lining of very thin tengujo tissue was adhered to one side of each page with dilute paste, and then loose fragments were put back in place using before treatment photographs as a reference. Once all the fragments were replaced, the second side of the page was lined, forming a sandwich. In some places the ink was so highly acidic that nothing of the original letter forms remained.
The mended pages were resewn using the original sewing holes, and two-color endbands were sewn in a style appropriate to the period. New covers were made from hand-shaped American beech boards. The wood, along with the work of milling, drying, and delivering the boards, was donated by William “Bill” Bear, who has also done extensive work to preserve the Fort Salem Indian Mound in Lynchburg, OH. After the new boards were laced on, the spine was covered in alum-tawed leather, and the exposed boards were fitted with metal clasps. The finished product was housed in a custom box, along with binding fragments that were not re-used.
Such extensive treatment is not always possible, or even desirable. However, in this case treatment allowed for the manuscript to be safely handled by students and researchers, and prevented the loss that would have otherwise been inevitable as the tape deteriorated. Thank you to Mr. Campbell for a fascinating and well-presented paper!

42nd Annual Meeting – Research and Technical Studies Session, May 31st, "X-ray Micro Tomography Analysis of Western Red Cedar Secondary Phloem by Peter McElhinney"

What factors contribute to the deterioration mechanisms for cedar bark? Peter McElhinney’s presentation on work completed as an Andrew W. Mellon fellow in object conservation at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington D.C. addressed this question. His project was inspired by encountering labels on storage boxes for objects in the collection with the words “Inherently Fragile: Will Have Continued Loss.” Peter set out to better understand why cedar bark deteriorates so rapidly and dramatically.
Objects made from cedar bark come from Western Red Cedar trees that grow in the North West coast region of North America. Native groups in that region harvest and weave cedar bark to make baskets, hats, mats and other objects. Cedar trees can grow to between 65-70 m tall and 3-4 m in diameter. One of the unusual features of these trees is the way that the bark is made and the type of cells present on the exterior of the bark. Peter focused on four aspects of cedar bark that play a major role in the way it deteriorates: the disruption of the cells on the exterior bark, calcium oxalate crystals, dehydration of pectin, and phenols.
Peter demonstrated the changes to the bark’s cellular structure using diagrams and CT scans. Cedar bark, called phloem, is made up of sieve cells, parenchyma cells and fibers.  Cross sections of bark examined with a Skyskan 1172 micro CT scanner from Micro Photonics Inc. enabled the differentiation of inner and outer phloem. The cells in inner phloem, the section of the bark closest to the tree, are orderly, more rectilinear, and less disrupted. As the cells are pushed towards the outside of the tree, they become outer phloem, and develop a more disordered, compressed, less rectilinear appearance. The fibers in outer phloem have stronger cell walls, whereas the parenchyma and sieve cells tend to be crushed or squished. These changes in the phloem relate directly to the shedding characteristic of objects made from cedar bark.
The CT scan also revealed the presence of a large bio-mineral crystal in the bark sample. These bio-minerals form as part of the normal function of cedar trees based on minerals absorbed from the soil. Scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy identified small, shard-like crystals as calcium oxalate and the large particle as a silica aluminum crystal. The small shard-like crystals were most abundant in the cell walls in the middle and outer phloem. This corresponds with literature that cedar trees have 10-20 times as many calcium oxalate crystals as other trees. These crystals may cause cell wall abrasion during manipulation of the cedar bark, which could contribute to the bark’s rapid deterioration.
The dehydration of the pectin and phenols also affect the cells. Cedar bark used for objects loses moisture over time, which can cause the dehydration of the pectin in the bark. Dehydrated pectin may reduce the ability of cells to adhere together.  Significantly higher numbers of phenols are present in the outer phloem than in the inner phloem. The phenols protect the bark from ultraviolet radiation damage. This characteristic could influence lighting requirements for objects made from cedar bark if we can determine whether they are made from inner or outer bark.
Conservation applications of these findings help to improve understanding of how cedar bark deteriorates. The cells in outer bark are already structurally compromised, which can contribute to the shedding associated with cedar bark objects. Calcium oxalate crystals can further damage cells during handling of the object. Dehydrated pectin reduces cell adhesion within the bark. Finally, phenols present in high quantities in the outer bark may project the material from damage due to Ultraviolet radiation. Overall, this talk applied complex information about cellular biology to develop a better understanding of cedar bark deterioration mechanisms. This information is essential for developing better preventive care handling procedures for these fragile objects. I’m looking forward to reading the post prints for this talk and studying the figures and images in more detail.

42nd Annual Meeting – Electronic Media Session, May 31st, “Establishing Time Based Media Conservation at the National Galleries of Scotland; Creating More in Times of Less" presented by Kirsten Dunne, paper conservator at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh, Scotland

I really enjoyed Kirsten’s Dunne’s talk because she addressed a challenge that all conservators face regardless of their specialty. That is developing economically viable and sustainable solutions for collections management which are flexible enough to anticipate and adapt to a future that includes an increasing amount of time-based media and other conceptual or intangible works of art. Ms. Dunne, a trained paper conservator, has nobly volunteered to take on this challenge in addition to her regular duties because, as in many institutions facing cuts and austerity measures, there is no budget for a full time, time-based media conservator at the GMA. So, how is she faring and what advice does she have for the rest of us?
The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art currently has around 20 time-based media works. The first challenge that Ms. Dunne faced was to locate each one and manipulate Mimsey, the GMA’s CMS, to make sure that each was properly characterized and documented. She stressed the importance of an artist questionnaire or interview at the time that each piece is acquired. This is the best way to insure that the information gathered is accurate and also an appropriate time to make a record of any contemporary technology that may be required to display the work (such as a VHS or laser disk player, projectors, or sound equipment). This information is especially important if your institution has purchased a master copy for loan and repeat display, as opposed to an exhibition copy that must be disposed of after a single showing. The legal implications of this had never occurred to me, nor the fact that proper and complete erasure of an artwork can be an issue. This was part of the underlying theme of Ms. Dunne’s talk which cast the conservator as ethicist. It became her job to answer legal and moral questions about the work such as ‘How many copies can be displayed simultaneously?’ and “Who should have access to the digital files?” She said that she was compelled to question who she was as a professional and that the exercise ultimately reinforced her confidence in her own knowledge base and the ethical principles which she cultivated during her training.
Ms. Dunne went on to say that one excellent source of guidance was “Matters in Media Art,” a collaboration between MoMA, SFMoMA, the New Art Trust (NAT), and Tate, which has an established time-based media lab. The project, which can be found here, is “designed to provide guidelines for care of time-based media works of art.” The templates provided her with a list of questions which assissted her research and shaped her approach to documentation. Gradually, she said that she began to “close the knowledge gap,” and to implement some quick organizational strategies. These included:
1. Physically consolidating time-based media works in storage and documenting their new locations
2. Entering new information fields and consistent keywords in the museum’s CMS in order to describe and track pieces and
3. Drafting a preservation management plan for electronic and time-based media, which included an “Equipment Asset Register” to track on site audio visual equipment and which could be programed to send an alert when that equipment was in danger of expiring
Ms. Dunne offered some excellent advise for any conservator who is faced with unfamiliar materials and formats, namely:
1. Trust Your Instincts because the broader principles of conservation will hold true and
2. Embrace the Chaos! because the best way to learn is by doing.
She also talked about the value of involving your colleagues such as curators, registrars, and IT staff. Sometimes it can be a challenge just to get others to recognize that a conservator should be involved from the beginning regarding decisions about display and storage, even if there is nothing currently “wrong” with the piece. Often, a general lack of experience with new media pieces leads to fear, and consequently, neglect. She explained that she was able to barter her time and expertise with time-based media conservators at other institutions whose experience proved to be invaluable. In fact, interinstitutional sharing can extend to those ancillary components like betamax machines or tape decks, and she suggested partnering with other institutions to create a repository of such devices. This approach can cultivate good will and also form a visible, public partnership.
In summary, Ms. Dunne found that while establishing her museum’s nascent draft of core guidelines for conserving and exhibiting time-based media was challenging, it was a rewarding experience. She reported that she made allies in the field, added to personal and institutional knowledge of the collection, and came to regard herself as “a conservator” rather than “a paper conservator” who was prepared for the challenges posed by an evolving artistic landscape. Her concluding words to institutions were these: “ If there is someone on your staff who wants to take on a similar project or responsibility for your time-based media collection, give them that freedom! You will benefit tremendously.” And to educators and conservation professionals: “Continue to act as mentors. I’ve been lucky to have the support of those in the field.”

42nd Annual Meeting, RATS session, May 29th, “Free fatty acid profiles in water sensitive oil paints: a comparison of modern and 15th century oil paints,” presented by Joy Mazurek, Assistant Scientist, Getty Conservation Institute.

A standard method in many conservation science labs is the use of Meth-Prep II (a methanolic solution of trifluoromethylphenyl trimethyl ammonium hydroxide) for the transesterification of triglycerides to methyl esters and esterification of free fatty acids (FAs). However, this method gives you the total fatty acid content of the sample, including free fatty acids, their oxidation products, fatty acids bound in metal soaps, and intact triglycerides. If you want to assess the extent of hydrolysis of an oil paint film, which might be related to water sensitivity, you need to use another method. What Joy has chosen to do is to modify the Meth-Prep II solution to prevent transesterification. She takes 400 μL of Meth-Prep II, evaporates it at 50 oC under nitrogen to remove the methanol, rinses it with toluene, and then adds 500 μL of toluene and 100 μL of t-butanol. T-butanol does not permit transesterification, but the methylation of free alcohol groups can still occur. So a sample can be analyzed with this modified solution- only the free fatty acids and fatty acids in metal soaps (non-glycerides or NG) will be methylated, and thus only they will quantified by GC-MS. Then the same sample can be re-treated with the normal Meth-Prep II solution to determine the fatty acids in triglycerides.
As with any quantitative GC-MS method there are potential issues. The sample needs to be well homogenized to ensure extraction and reaction. The efficacy in methylation of fatty acids soaps is not known, and so those species may not react fully and be underrepresented in the chromatograms. She also sees partial evaporation of her internal reference when the sample is retreated with unmodified Meth-Prep II and so that must be accounted for.
With all of these caveats in mind, they began to look at reference paints, including Bellini tube paints and handmade paints in cold-pressed linseed oil. For the new handmade paints the fatty acid profiles of the NG and the total FAs look similar. But pigments do make a difference- for yellow ochre and red iron oxide paints, the NG accounted for 50-57% of the total FAs, but for malachite and lead white paints the NG fraction was much lower, approximately 12%. This might be due to the formation of metal soaps and poor extraction of fatty acids from those complexes.
For water sensitive Winsor and Newton oils she found 17-37% NGs, although the high levels of palmitate present in cadmium paints may indicate the addition of palmitate soaps. However, there was nothing obvious about the fatty acid profiles that seemed to relate to the water sensitivity. Likewise, a water sensitive cadmium paint in a 1961 Jack Youngerman painting, while also having elevated palmitate levels suggesting palmitate soap addition, had nothing else unusual about the binder. To address this issue cadmium yellow and a chrome yellow paint were mixed with linseed oil, applied onto canvas and glass and artificially aged. The resulting cadmium yellow paint film was very water sensitive, while the chrome yellow film was not. However, there was no major difference between the NG ratios of the two films, and so something else must be rendering the paint sensitive. Furthermore, that sensitivity is not related to the palmitate soaps found in the commercial paints. So there’s more work to be done to determine what is going on, but in the meantime beware cadmium paints!
She had the opportunity to analyze a sample from MOMA’s Water Lilies by Monet, which has a very water sensitive surface. The total FA content of the samples were very low, indicating a very medium poor paint, consistent with Monet’s working method of removing media from his paints. The NG content depended strongly on the sample location and pigments present. The pink-orange paint contained no stearate or palmitate, while other samples contained very high palmitate in the NG fraction. Again, the origin of these differences cannot be explained at this time- but might be due to soap formation and incomplete methylation.
Additional objects tested with this methodology included a variety of Italian paintings ranging from 1595-1758 in date, a Byzantine painting, a Fayum portrait, and a Jackson Pollock painting. The Italian paintings had higher NG fractions than was observed for the tube paints and modern paintings, 22-66% of the total fatty acids, but the NG fraction did not correlate with the age of the material- so extent of hydrolysis cannot be used to determine the age of an object. One possible explanation for this is that paintings this old have likely been cleaned several times and this may have impacted the amount of free fatty acids. The Byzantine painting had a higher NG content of 40-90% and the high palmitate and stearate amounts suggested the formation of metal soaps. Joy found that the modified Meth-Prep method simplified the analysis of beeswax and resulted in less overlapped and confusing chromatograms. In 19th century beeswax she found palmitate and stearate, but in a sample of unpigmented wax from a Roman tomb, she detected neither of those species, implying that they had all evaporated with time. However, in the pigmented Fayum portrait both species were seen, which might be due to the formation of metal soaps, which would help preserve those species, or to the modification of the wax- a contentious subject in the art history field. The white sample from the Pollock painting contained no fatty acids at all, so they evaporated the Meth-Prep solution and reanalyzed it using a method developed for proteins and determined that it was actually a casein paint.
So this seems to be a promising method, and one that could fit easily into a laboratories work flow. Obviously there is more work to be done- particularly on determining efficacy of extraction of fatty acids from soaps and trying to determine how certain pigments create water sensitive films without altering the fatty acid ratios…
 
 
 

42nd Annual Meeting, Objects and RATS joint session, May 30th, “Animation Cels: Conservation and Storage Issues,” presented by Kristen McCormick, Manager of Art Collections and Exhibitions, Walt Disney Animation Research Library.

“Darling, forever is a long, long time, and time has a way of changing things.”
—Big Mama, The Fox and the Hound.
Kristen chose that quote to begin her talk, and indeed it is true of all objects in cultural heritage institutions. Her particular institution, the Walt Disney Animation Research Library is home to over 60 million objects, including animation drawings, pencil story sketches, watercolors, maquettes, and animation cels, the latter of which make up approximately 10% of the collection. Animation cells are transparent sheets of material, usually celluloid (nitrocellulose), cellulose acetate, or polyester that have been inked on one side, and then painted with gum based media on the other. These materials, particularly cellulose nitrate and cellulose acetate, are highly prone to degradation, so the library partnered with the Getty Conservation Institute to investigate the material nature of the cels and determine if the environmental conditions in the library (62-65 oF, 50% RH) and the microclimate packaging used were sufficient to protect these objects.
Phase one of the project involved investigation of the material nature of the animation cels, addressing the questions: what is the base polymer of the cel, what plasticizers are present and in what quantity?  They initially used a portable FTIR and non-destructively analyzed 200 cells dating from 1937-2003, and then chose 80 of those items to do more in-depth, microdestructive GC-MS analysis on. In their initial survey they found cellulose nitrate, cellulose diacetate, cellulose triacetate, and polyester as the base support material. Surprisingly, the material used for a single production would not necessarily be the same; it seemed that the artists used whatever was at hand. Due to the limits of the talk time, Kristen chose to focus on the acetate films for the rest of her talk.
The cellulose acetate cels were found to contain 11 different plasticizers, 6 different types in the diacetate and 5 in the triacetate. These included triphenyl phosphate and a variety of phthalates including dimethyl phthalate (DMP) and bis(2-methoxyethyl) phthalate (DMEP). The plasticizers accounted for 12-19% by weight of the diacetate films and 8-14% by weight of the triacetate films. The diacetate films had an acetyl content of 35-41%, while that of the triacetate films was 43-45%. They are not sure if the range is due to partial hydrolysis or variability in manufacturing. There was no correlation between acetyl content and production year. However, it did appear as if the older films might be a bit more yellow, but more work needs to be done to determine if this is a viable observation.
Phase two was assessing the environmental conditions, or as Kristen said quoting Mufasa from The Lion King, “Everything you see exists together in a delicate balance.” Since this portion was focusing on cellulose acetate cels, Kristen referenced Image Permanence Institute guide for the storage of acetate film (https://www.imagepermanenceinstitute.org/webfm_send/299) and pointed out that the library’s storage conditions were outside of the optimal range recommended by the IPI (50 oF or lower, 20-50% RH). However, the cels are composite materials and it is unknown how the gum based paints would react to lower temperatures and what kind of mechanical stresses might be induced by those conditions, so they feel that the chosen conditions are a good compromise. However, belief isn’t the same thing as actual data, so they performed a survey using AD strips, looking at four vaults and 8 different locations. The strips were assessed after 8 and 96 hours and only one location, next to the Bambi collection, was off-gassing acid. They are planning on investigating that collection further to zero in on the problem.
The library also stores and exhibits the cels in passé-partout packages that include a window mat, the cel (usually hinged with Japanese paper and methyl cellulose), matboard, and a sheet of Artsorb conditioned to 50% RH. They include a RH strip to be able to easily determine if the Artsorb is working. This was supposed to be best working practice but after an exhibition of cels at the Grand Palais, they noticed microcracks and paint delamination and became worried that the package was concentrating off-gassed materials and accelerating the decay of the cels. To try and determine what was happening they extracted gas from a sealed package and analyzed the entrapped air by GC-MS. No acetate (at least above 800 ppb) was detected, suggesting that hydrolysis of the cellulose acetate was not occurring.  AD strips were also inserted into packages and no color change noted. Thus they decided that neither the package, nor the exhibition conditions was causing hydrolysis of the acetate groups. They did find adsorbed camphor in a package containing cellulose nitrate, so scavenging of plasticizers might be an issue. Thus, they think that their environmental conditions are generally good and that the passé-partout packages are not the issue. They are not sure what caused the observed deterioration; whether it was mechanical damage caused by temperature changes, vibration during shipping, etc. and are continuing to look into this. They are also planning to begin looking at the ink and paints to better understand the complete nature of the cels.
For more information on this project see the Getty Newsletter:
http://www.getty.edu/conservation/publications_resources/newsletters/29_1/animation.html
 

42nd Annual Meeting, Textiles Session, May 29th: A Case Study Using Multi-band and Hyperspectral Imaging for the Identification and Characterization of Materials on Archaeological Andean Painted Textiles by Rebecca Summerour and E. Keats Webb

The paper began by acknowledging a third author who was inadvertently left off the program and abstract booklet, but will appear as a third author in the TSG Postprints.  The paper was presented by E. Keats Webb, the digital imaging specialist for the Conservation Institute at the Smithsonian.  She showed how by combining a lower resolution spectral camera (Surface Optics Corp SOC710) with a modified DSLR with bandpass filters, the resulting images could be used to identify certain pigments on a painted textile.  The project began with four textiles being described as plain weave with color (a limited color palette of browns and blue/blacks) delivered in a paste form without an organic binder, the color remaining on one side – this is important, keep this in the back of your thoughts as you continue, dear Reader!
I live in Silicon Valley, but I am not tech savvy.  I am also several years out of school and realize that I my not have the vocabulary to give a precise recall of the methods and analysis described. Having said that, I feel I did learn about a (relatively) low cost technique that would be helpful in characterizing pigments on textiles.  Essentially, the technique required several images to be taken at various bandwidths along the visible to near infra-red spectrum.  Knowing the reflectance spectra for a given pigment allows the researcher to target the images for analysis.  The targeted images are overlayed to get the difference which results in areas that appear to fluoresce for a positive identification.
It was found that indigo was readily identified, whether it was used alone or as a component of other colors.  Reds and browns proved a bit more problematic.  The success of this technique seems to have been that there was a small color palette, as well as the textiles in question were of known provenance, so they already had an idea of the pigments to look for.  Also, the pigments were on one side and in good quantity.  They did not achieve good results with dyes or small samples due to background noise interference.  Though it was brought up in the question/answer portion that HPLC gives definitive “fingerprint” spectra for positive identification, the imaging technique presented does not require sample-taking (important to the National Museum of the American Indian) as well as allows for the entire textile to be mapped, keeping the pigment identification within context.
I could see this technique as a very useful first step in pigment identification or potentially in identifying areas of restoration and the pigments used.   I look forward to reading the paper in the Postprints.

LCCDG 2014: Options for Sustainable Practice in Conservation

**Updated Time & Location: Saturday, May 31st @ 2:30-4:00 in Pacific H-O**
This year LCCDG will put a practical spin on the conference’s theme of sustainability. Join us to hear real-life stories of the benefits and frustrations of making a greener conservation lab.
Brian Baird of Bridgeport National Bindery will discuss the brass tacks of recycling truths and myths.
Danielle Creech of ECS Conservation – Midwest will share her facility’s experience with establishing a comprehensive recycling program.
Marieka Kay of the University of Michigan Libraries will share the impact her university’s sustainability initiatives had on their conservation lab.
Julie Newton of Emory University will talk about the creative efforts they employed in her lab to reduce paper waste.
A detailed list of the talks you’ll enjoy follows. We look forward to seeing you there, and hope you’ll share your questions and experiences as well!
“Recycling Might be Good, but Conservation is Always Great!”
Brian Baird
Vice President of Library Services
Bridgeport National Bindery
brianb<-at->bnbindery<.>com
“Everything but the Kitchen Sink: A Case Study in Bindery Recycling”
Danielle Creech
Associate Conservator and Operations Manager
ECS Conservation – Midwest
dcreech><-at->hfgroup<.>com
“Sustainability Initiatives of the University of Michigan Library Green Team”
Marieka Kaye
Conservation Librarian and Book Conservator
University of Michigan Libraries
marieka<-at->umich<.>edu
“The Mixed Paper Project: Recycling, Waste Reduction, and Creative Scrap Reuse at Emory University’s Preservation Office”
Julie Newton
Collections Conservation
Emory University
jnewt01<-at->emory<.>edu

Interested in Storage Solutions? Attend the STASH Flash session at AIC's Annual Meeting

STASH_logoSafe 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. Collecting institutions report damage from handling and improper storage or enclosures as significant preservation problems, supported by the Heritage Health Index finding that only 11% of all institutions had adequate storage facilities. There are few established venues for sharing information about the fabrication of supports, containers or systems that provide options for storage and support solutions.
A successful storage solution is the result of numerous choices regarding materials, techniques, time and skill. STASH (Storage Techniques for Art, Science and History collections), a new web based resource housed on Cool, sponsored by FAIC and funded by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation is based on the understanding that the best ideas for safe and sustainable storage and support come from collaborative solutions. This project was precipitated by the need to find a new way to disseminate the older but highly valuable text, Storage of Natural History Collections: Ideas and Practical Solutions, originally published by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC), and is designed to gather, organize and solicit new storage ideas. The 42nd annual AIC Meeting on sustainable choices in collections care provides a forum for continued discussion about these topics.
The session will utilize a lightening round or “Tips” session format as well as guided, audience participatory discussion. Carefully selected short presentations will be given in a format that closely aligns with web site entries. These will be followed by small group discussions where individuals from different specialties have the opportunity to talk about the presentations, modifications, materials choice as well as creative ways to carry out these projects. The objective is to help make these solutions more sustainable by evaluating project organization, materials and construction. Members of AIC have experience with a wide range of collections, collectors and institutions, and combining short presentations with shared discussion about storage solution projects within the context of the STASH website will provide the attendees with the opportunity to truly engage in the kind of interdisciplinary conversation that often results in sustainable and conscientious choices.
READ ON for abstracts of the selected presentations:
Solutions for Individual Items
Simple Box Construction
T. Ashley McGrew, Independent Consultant/PACCIN Publications Chair
In this presentation, a custom lidded storage box will be fabricated from heritage board in less than four minutes. This simple and efficient method for mass production of storage trays and lidded boxes was utilized recently during the re-housing of a medium sized archeological collection and is made possible with the use of a “homemade” creaser that can be constructed inexpensively with materials found in any home improvement center by someone with an intermediate level of proficiency in wood and metal working in just a couple hours time.
The Elephantine in the Stacks; Housing an Oversize Serial
Jamie Roberts, Conservation Technician, Library of Congress
The project describes custom housing for an elephantine newspaper (approx. 36” by 51” inches, closed) that allows for both safe storage and quick display. This relatively simple housing is easy to fabricate and the elements of the storage portfolio can be rearranged to provide an easel to show the newspaper.
If the Shoe Doesn’t Fit
Laura Mina and Lisa Stockebrand, Costume and Textiles Conservation, Philadelphia Museum of Art
Shoes with unusual materials and designs require custom mounts to provide appropriate support during storage and transportation. This presentation will detail two case studies from the Philadelphia Museum of Art where new materials and custom solutions support the idiosyncratic needs of diverse collections.
 
Solutions for Groups of Items
From Heel to Toe: The Costume Institute Shoe Rehousing Project
Rebecca Bacheller and Lauren Helliwell, Research Assistants for Collections, Costume Institute, Metropolitan Museum of Art
This presentation details the Costume Institute’s efforts to create internal and external storage supports for a large, varied shoe collection, with examples from the sixteenth century through the present. The basic model involves creating Ethafoam heel and toe supports to pressure-fit the shoe to an archival cardboard handling tray. Without ties or tissue covering, the support system allows for greater visual and tactile accessibility to the object with minimal handling. This technique uses common archival materials but adaptations to the basic storage model have been developed to address conservation, material, and structural concerns which arise in such a varied collection.
A Vertical Storage System for Flat Plaque Baskets
Crista Pack, Kress Post-Graduate Fellow
Dr. Nancy Odegaard, Conservator and Head of the Preservation Division
The Arizona State Museum (ASM) recently developed a storage solution for 200 flat plaque baskets to address the needs for efficient space usage, cost effectiveness, preservation, and facilitated access. The plaque baskets are round, flat, rigid and mostly coil and wicker weave. ASM conservators determined that many could be safely stored vertically if sufficiently padded and supported. A tray with dividers, foam, and pillows which can house up to 25 plaque baskets upright was devised for these purposes. Four trays (approximately 100 baskets) can be placed on a rolling wire shelf unit. This solution not only saves space, but allows researchers to easily find, view, and access individual baskets. This presentation covers the design, construction, advantages and disadvantages of these storage trays.
Ziplock Bag File Box
Angela Yvarra McGrew, Contract Conservator, Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University,
This presentation describes the design and construction of a box designed to hold small artifacts stored in polyethylene “Ziplock” bags upright to maximize space. The boxes can be customized to allow for wider spacing needed for objects that are more 3-dimensional. The container box has a ledge so that more of the bag is visible once the lid is off.
A Housing for the Horizontal Storage of Cracked Phonograph Discs
Rayan Ghazal, Preservation Officer and Brandon Burke, Archivist for Recorded Sound Collections, Hoover Institution Library and Archives, Stanford University
There is little if any debate that the preferred storage orientation for phonograph discs is in the vertical attitude. However discs in poor condition, particularly cracked glass-based discs, and discs of any substrate exhibiting advanced delamination, cannot be stored vertically without exacerbating damage. This presentation demonstrates the functionality of a housing that was custom-designed by conservators and archivists at the Hoover Institution Library and Archives for the horizontal storage of cracked, broken, and/or delaminating phonograph discs.
LBJ’s White House Photograhs;Roll-Film Negative Storage Problems and Solutions
Margaret Harman, Audiovisual Archives Specialist, Lyndon B. Johnson Library & Museum
For decades the original negatives (ca. 30,000 film rolls) in the LBJ Library’s White House Photo Collection remained in 1960s era acidic paper “wallet” enclosures stored inside rusty metal file cabinets. After 50 years of active use, many of the wallets showed considerable wear and negatives needed rehousing to prevent damage. Finding ready-made negative enclosures that meet institutional requirements has been difficult in this increasingly digital age. Hopefully sharing our experiences and exchanging ideas will result in potential solutions.
Discussion Points
The safe and effective storage for negatives is a problem that faces many collections care individuals in an array of institutions. We have heard several presentations where effective solutions were proposed for the storage of multiple like items. Based on these, and past experience, what solutions might your group consider for the problems presented by storage of negative films?
 
Sustainable Solutions
Compactor Storage
Cathleen Zaret, Mellon Fellow in Textile Conservation and Emily Kaplan, Conservator, Smithsonian Institution – National Museum of the American Indian
This presentation highlights some examples of a variety of storage solutions that were developed at the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution by collections management staff in collaboration with conservators during and after a five year project to move and re-house 800,000 ethnographic and archaeological objects. Challenges included protection of collections from lateral and vertical movement as they were housed in nine foot high electronic compactor storage units and shelved with mechanical warehouse lifts, while maintaining accessibility and visibility of the objects and taking future handling into consideration.
Evaluating Shipping Containers as Storage
Geneva J. Griswold, 3rd year students in the UCLA/Getty Program on the Conservation of Archaeological and Ethnographic Objects, Walters Art Museum, Division of Conservation & Technical Research
Ayesha Fuentes, 3rd year students in the UCLA/Getty Program on the Conservation of Archaeological and Ethnographic Objects,
Metal shipping containers are often used for short and long-term storage of cultural materials and archives in post-disaster remediation, as well as in areas with limited permanent storage solutions. While shipping containers are widely available and inexpensive, their lack of climate control may catalyze deterioration unless modified. Research is currently underway to develop guidelines for the preparation, installation, and maintenance of metal shipping containers to be used as storage facilities. Feedback and suggestions for further study are sought from the AIC community at large.
Defending the Use of (Recycled) Materials
Christian Hernandez, Contributing writer, Plinth Magazine
Materials used in the long-term storage of museum objects usually are not made from recycled materials since these are traditionally considered of a lesser quality. This presentation relates research to find sustainable museum quality materials by comparing conventionally used materials to sustainable alternatives that have the same working qualities. Tests of several foams and boards demonstrate there are materials made from recycled material that can pass an Oddy Test, which is the most commonly used benchmark of all museum-quality materials.
 
Discussion Points
In most institutions, housings are designed to fit the pre-determined needs of the space, staff or available equipment and cost. As collections care professionals become more cognizant of and concerned about sustainable choices, the range of acceptable choices can become broader. What materials, solutions and choices would / could you suggest that would highlight sustainability as a goal in creating an effective storage solution?