Tag: AIC’s 38th Annual Meeting

Theresa Voellinger, Paper and Photograph Conservator, National Park Service

Initial estimate of materials for film base was 15 billion but this could be double. Working with 250 park sites. Approx 100 sites will get individual freezers. Six site will consolidate into cold storage vaults. Logistics is complicated. Uniformity is not easy. Limited on-site team members and fully trained staff.

Develop a training tool. From curators to rangers – the training needs were great.

Check out NSPgov site and search museum and cold storage. Includes short video clips and this site is VERY useful for training of all kinds. Also interactive. And easy to use. Resource tab has many PDFs and links that are hugely important. Basic info focused on various audience. Sarah Wagner served as lead consultant.

Three new Conserve O Grams created.

Decision trees may be of special help identify film base. This information is needed worldwide and must be shared broadly. Translations are needed.

Cold storage vault construction and associated interview of interest. Cost, energy consumption and space may make this more efficient AND cost effective. Acclimation also explained.

The work continues – this has helped to create common ground of understanding.

Questions noted that this was a superb model. Time to create site was significant. The results are impressive. Finding aids for cold storage remain a constant problem. Spanish translation is possible. This is WONDERFUL resource for the field.

Presented by Dr. Bill Wei, Senior Conservation Scientist of Netherlands Institute for Cultural Heritage, and representing work by others cited in the program

Dr. Wei presented primer on electrocleaning and he notes the he stumbled into this project. Part of project on Objects in Context – cleaning and perception.

This project uses case studies over the next four years to find out what is acceptable and what is readable? Dr. Wei has been looking at paintings, photographs and outdoor sculpture.

General philosophy – bring conservators and art historians and scientist together to collaborate.

Electrochemical cleaning – brief summary presented including simplified explanation of reduction and oxidation. Interesting diagram showed PT as the wand rather than Ag. Electrolyte selection and level of conductivity (potential) is key. Potential = Current x Resistance. With daguerreotype one moves the potential but in industry variable is current density. “Pen” can be used. Allows one to control the cleaning rate at a safe potential. Allows one to work locally. Distance is another variable.

Can this (electrolytic cleaning) be controlled? Yes. Note differences between simple metal and daguerreotype are more complex. Gold layer is not continuous. Mixed electrode.

CONCLUSIONS:

Not saying he is “for” this method of cleaning but trying to make it less mysterious.

Examination of silver tarnish – using sterling silver plates that were exposed to barium sulfate. Looked at different cathodic potentials.

Examination on original plate. -1.3volts potential used. PT electrode. (Note these are very expensive.) Change in larger particles under magnification – they are present but broken up. These may be oxide particles. This is simply a proof of concept. Image is more readable and no major change to surface.

Additional research required. Are there copper deposits on the surface? Silver deposits? What is the significance of the degradation of the larger particles under magnification – this research will continue and focus beyond electrochemical and using a variety of techniques.

Ethical question of cleaning not addressed but we must all consider and be well versed in conservation theory as presented during our (excellent) general sessions.

Restoration ethics – perception and readability – all key. Blind perception testing will ensue using different methods for evaluation by conservators.

In terms of future research keep in mind the potential presence of coatings. Dr. Susan Barger examined the micrographs presented in the talk (from an image purchased on EBay) and explained that this is a not-so-good daguerreotype owing to variety of particles that are not well formed. She further noted that etching visible may be from cyanide cleaning. Will further examine vertical and horizontal cleaning.

Debbie Hess-Norris, Henry Francis DuPont Chair of Fine Art ice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education and Chairperson, Art Conservation Department University of Delaware

“Challenge and Strategies in the Preservation of Photographic Collections: Here, There, and Everywhere Across the Universe”

Hess-Norris participated in the Salzburg Global Seminar Connecting to the World’s Collections: Making the Case for the Conservation and Preservation of Our Cultural Heritage, a joint IIC and IMLS presentation in late 2009. This was a continuation of the IMLS Connecting to Collections national initiative, and brought together people from across the globe to talk about the current state of photographic collections and preservation. The Salzburg Declaration was later released. PDF’s of the sessions and more information can be found on the IIC website.

Hess-Norris gave an information rich presentation. My notes are mostly bullet points as I was trying to keep up with her. Hopefully her presentation will be written up somewhere. The main overall themes from the conference were:

–paradigm shift form traditional perception of culture as elitist

–must work to build international connections and include policy makers and the public

–avoid knowledge and storage of knowledge in silos, collaboration is essential

–learn from indigenous peoples to keep their culture alive; teaching must not be impose but requested

–increased use of technology, blogs, social networks, websites

–work top down and bottom up

–cast global challenges as opportunities not barriers, be flexible and allow for compromise

–heritage preservation must be represented in forthcoming climate change treaties

–must balance preservation and access

Hess-Norris covered these themes from the conference and the subsequent conversations that have been happening via email.

–Advocacy and public awareness

–Conservation in developing world

–Indigenous communities, access and cultural rejuvenations

–Emergency preparedness

–Collaboration

–Sustainability

–Keep discussion going

The Salzburg Declaration

–affirmed value of cultural heritage

–urged cultural heritage sector to work together

–integrate cons activities into economic initiatives

–raise public awareness

–strengthen research, education and exchange of knowledge

–responsible conservation strategies

Theresa Anne Voellinger, Paper/Photograph Conservator, NPS Harpers Ferry Center

“National Park Service Service-wide Initiative for the Preservation of Film-based Media: Update and Presentation of Multimedia Training Program”

This is the fourth year of this project which seeks to provide stable cold storage for film based materials and train NPS staff in how to identify, package and store these materials. There is an estimated 30 million items in the NPS system that could benefit from cold storage. They are working with 250 Park sites, about 100 of whom have collections that will get individual freezers. The other sites will get training, including the new web-based training module(also available on videotape from NPS).

The training covers the purpose of cold storate, identification of different media and deterioration characteristics, purchasing a freezer, packaging materials for cold storage, blanket purchasing agreements, etc. The tool combines written and video documentation.

Three Conserve O Grams on Cold Storage for Photograph Collections have also been developed.

An Overview 2009

Using an Individual Freezer Unit

Vapor-Proof Packaging

Dare Great Things: Questions on the Restoration of a Series of Colonial Paintings

The fourth talk, Dare Great Things: Questions on the Restoration of a Series of Colonial Paintings, was presented by Conservation Scientist Federico Eisner-Sagüés and co-authored by Carolina Ossa-Izquierdo, Painting Conservator, Centro Nacional de Conservación y Restauración, Santiago de Chile

Eisner- Sagüés is a scientist who participated in the conservation of 17 large scale colonial paintings from the 17th century known as the Serie Grande de Santa Teresa. Owned by the Monasterio del Carmen de San José in Santiago Chile it is one of the few complete colonial series in Chile based on a previously conserved series of pictures painted by Espinoza de los Monteros. Inspired by Flemish engravings the paintings have been and continue to be very important to the religious mission in Chile. While many religious paintings and sculptures are seen as art today, these paintings still serve to indoctrinate the public when they visit the convent where they are located.

The author discussed the different actors that participated during the course of the major conservation project: owners, financiers, curators, conservators, and historians. The restoration took 20 months with a team of over 20 people with an objective to restore mechanical stability and original aesthetic, as well as to learn more about colonial painting. He briefly discussed his role as a scientist, to provide missing pieces that history could not. Before and after images were striking and the treatment process was observed by many art historians throughout the process.

An exhibition was held from August – September 2009 at the National Fine Arts Museum where the public expressed great interest in the paintings as well as videos displaying stages of the treatment. A book accompanied the exhibition and the press showed great interest in the show.

Today there are 17 colonial paintings in the Mother Teresa Monastery in Santiago, Chile. Before the exhibition three were in private hands, but the group has been united. As a result of the project there is now a new trained group of young conservation professionals in Chile. Those who financed the project received a copy of the publication and additional copies have been disbursed to libraries and institutions in Chile and around the world. One of the nuns at the monastery was somewhat skeptical at the beginning of the project, but now sees the purpose as the faithful enjoy praying in front of the paintings, while history lovers enjoy the imagery and the materials.

Eisner-Sagüés concluded by emphasizing how important the interdisciplinary approach was for this project and for Chile and left us with the words below.

Dare Great Things because often our actions begin with dreams and thoughts.

– Santa Teresa de Jesus

Flexible Thermal Blanket and Low Pressure Envelope System in the Structural Treatment of Paintings on Canvas

Nina Olsson a Conservator in Private Practice from Portland, Oregon presented her paper, co-authored by Thomas Markevicius of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, on the development and use of a Flexible Thermal Blanket and Low-Pressure Envelope System in the Structural Treatment of Paintings on Canvas.

Olsson opened by asking what if you could roll up your device like a blanket and take it to a work site when treating a large format painting? She discussed the history of the hot tables and its use for lining while explaining her search for a 20th century heating device. She stressed that the key issues were minimal intervention when lining and relining and trying to replace existing methods with more selective approaches. There are currently hot tables of various sizes and models, but for the most part they have not changed since the 1980s. They are often so large that they can only be used in a fixed location.

Olsson then introduced the flexible silicone rubber thermal blanket from Instrumentors Supply located in Oregon City, Oregon. She has been using the blanket on paintings owned by her and colleagues since 2003. She explained that it essentially has shorter heating and cooling times and overall uniform heat as compared to hot tables.

She explained that the concept of a heated blanket was not new and showed an advertisement for a conductive rubber heated blanket by the US Electric Co. in 1944. Originally designed for military use the electric blanket was eventually available to the general public and has gone on to be utilized in the aerospace/space craft industry. Its use has included wrapping any number of objects to warm them, such as blood, and can even be found inside laser printers. Electric blankets are not new to conservation and are known to have been used as early as 1959.

The device Olsson was presenting was developed in conjunction with Instrumentors Supply. The blanket is made of silicone on the outside and is resistant to moisture. Internally there are etched wound wire foil heaters that are thin and lightweight with a total thickness of 1.4 mm allowing for great flexibility and the strength of fiberglass. The pads can be purchased at custom sized and shapes. A solid-state relay switch with a thermocouple can be used to operate the pad allowing for precise and steady temperature within .1% accuracy. It can be used at 120V or 240V determined by watt density requirements. The temperature parameters will not exceed a maximum temperature. It can be used with a solid state dimmer but with less accuracy.

Olsson went on to show thermal images to illustrate the overall even heating of the thermal blanket. While the hot table from the 1950s showed fairly stable heating IR thermography of the blanket was definitely more even with minimal fluctuations in temperature. The blanket hits target temperature in 12 minutes, while the table takes 20. She explained that engineers are currently working on advancements to the wound wire elements by laminating them with copper mesh which grounds them for improved safety and will provide for and overall even current.

Additional selling points included that the blanket can be used locally or overall, with suction, vertically, and with an envelope system. Sample treatments were then shown which included on site treatment of two large-scale murals. Olsson concluded by recapping that the blanket is easily transportable, easy to store, and low cost. And in the future there is potential for the elimination of the internal wiring. Scientists in Tokyo are working on an ultrathin, stretchable, transparent mat with a rubber like matrix that can conduct electricity and stretch up to 7%!

The silicone blankets are about $1000.00 for 36″ x 66″. Again custom sizes can be made and the control unit/box is separate but I believe it came in under $1000.00. This blogger thinks that overall this blanket seems like a great alternative for anyone with a small studio, who needs to do work in situ, and/or who can’t afford a more traditional hot table.

The author was distributing contact cards during the Paintings Luncheon so that those interested in the blanket could contact her with questions. She can be reached at ninaolsson@earthlink.net

[Bloggers Note: Prices and product specifications may not be exact. Please contact author for more information]

3rd IIC Roundtable

“The Plus/Minus Dilemma: The Way Forward in Environmental Guidelines”

Thurs., May 13, 2010, 4:30-6:00 p.m.

This panel discussion was blogged live for the IIC News blog. The session’s transcript will be made available through the IIC and AIC website, and video will be made available on the Indianapolis Museum of Art website.

Maxwell Anderson (moderator), the Melvin & Bren Simon Director and CEO of Indianapolis Museum of Art

Anderson started the discussion by asking the question whether the 70F and 50% rH, plus or minus a few degrees/percentage points is reasonable or fully understood. Three areas of discussion are needed, longevity of cultural heritage, financial impact, and the carbon footprint that maintaining this standard requires. Anderson urged candor in describing our environments, flexibility with each other’s communities (engineers, administrators, scientists, conservators, etc.), and the realization that the technical capacity of many museums is not adequate to maintain this standard. Many museums were built at a time when human comfort, not longevity of collections, was primarily important.

Nancy Bell, Head of Conservation Services, National Archives, London, and Principle Investigator of the Environments, Guidelines, Opportunities and Risks (EGOR) Initiative.

Recent regulations for carbon reduction targets prompted the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) sponsored Science and Heritage program Research Cluster, EGOR: Environmental Guidelines Opportunities and Risks initiative. The group reviewed the environmental standards and served as a catalyst for change. The group identified and prioritized research gaps in order to better understand the relationship of damage to the environmental standards. They hope to develop a new, risk-based standard that looks at light, humidity, temperature and pollutants.

Karen Colby Stothart, Deputy Director, Exhibitions and Installations, National Gallery of Canada

Stothart talked on the environmental issues as they pertain to exhibit and lending programs. Her institution has adopted a more flexible approach that balances preservation and use. They have chosen a winter setback to 44% rH plus or minus 3% in winter, which is down from their summer set point of 50% rH. The shift occurs over three months. The temperature is set at a constant 71F plus or minus 2 degrees except in their cold storage areas. Traveling exhibits and loans have shaped their thinking on this issue, they circulate 20-25 exhibits each year and their guidelines contain set points depending on the media being exhibited. She urged that a less rigid standard can give an institution flexibility in what they can exhibit.

Cecily Grzywacz, Conservation Scientist, Chair of ASHRAE committee on museums, galleries, archives and libraries

Grzywacz stated that no true standard exists for temperature and relative humidity and no one set point fits all collections. [blogger’s note: there is an <a target=_blank class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.niso.org/kst/reports/standards/kfile_download?id%3Austring%3Aiso-8859-1=Z39-79-2001.pdf&pt=RkGKiXzW643YeUaYUqZ1BFwDhIG4-24RJbcZBWg8uE4vWdpZsJDs4RjLz0t90_d5_ymGsj_IKVa86hjP37r_hKQ00ioOP35Wl5gNMun0zdCStKIwLCgDUOXaOYMJLIaF

“>ANSI/NISO standard for exhibiting library and archival material, but this was not discussed.] Many people within an institution decide on set points and we must include them all in the discussion and communicate effectively with each other. She also feels that a lending organization should not require more strict environmental control that what they have at their home institution.

Stefan Michalski, Senior Conservation Scientist, Conservation Research, Canadian Conservation Institute

Michalski outlined the four main issues the environment causes, biological (mold, etc), mechanical (cracks, etc.), chemical (rates of decay) and physics (the current model assumes multi-layered materials). The truth is that this model is not representative of all objects, it over estimates damage to some materials, and underestimates damage to others. Environmental damage reports are largely anecdotal and he feels that most collections can handle a wider range of fluctuations in humidity.

Terry Drayman-Weisser, Director of Conservation and Technical Research, Walters Art Museum

Drayman-Weisser asks whether U.S. conservators are stubbornly sticking to outdated standards when some research has shown no damage when wider shifts in rH do not harm materials? She would like to see us re-evaluate our standards for environmental and economic reasons. More research is needed because the empirical evidence does not comport to scientific conclusions. All objects do not need the same environmental controls and should be divided by material type. We need to advocate for judicious use of wider rH parameters and seasonal settings when possible and practical based on reliable and reasonable data.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Wooden Artifacts Morning Session, 8:30am – 10:00am

The 1855 Restoration of a 16th Century French Dressoir

Joseph Godla, Conservator, The Frick Collection

Better late than never. At least that’s what I’m hoping for, as I post this one week after the talks were given. And I was almost 10 minutes late to this first talk of the morning wooden artifacts session on Thursday, May 13. In my defense, a lack of laptop/internet and Milwaukee traffic are to blame, in that order. And perhaps a deficiency of coffee…

But, I digress. The first talk that morning was given by Joseph Godla and was entitled “The 1855 Restoration of a 16th Century French Dressoir.” When I arrived, Mr. Godla was discussing the history of a French Dressoir belonging to the Frick collection. It was clear that the piece was popular as it had been published at least a dozen times in the last hundred years. The dressoir was last owned by Mr. Henry Clay Frick and is now a part of the Frick Collection. An interesting historical side note was that the dealer who sold Mr. Frick the piece actually sold it before the dealer himself had purchased the piece.

An early restoration campaign dated to 1855 is known from documents accompanying the piece. At that time losses were infilled; however, these were kept to a minimum and replacements to the piece were very conservative. Mr. Godla went on to discuss a letter he had received during his research from someone who stated they “had one just like it.” After Mr. Godla went to see this piece he concluded that it was fairly similar in style, but the dimensions were unique in that they were identical. This led Mr. Godla to believe that the maker of this piece had the Frick piece in their possession.

An additional interesting bit of information was presented as Mr. Godla showed an image of an inscription that was found in the dressoir. It is obscured by pressure points and a scuff mark, but it gives a date of 1574 and a yet unidentified signature.

An informative question and answer session followed which gave the audience some insight into how the dressoir was taken apart – including the back, which Mr. Godla stated was digitally removed.

____________________________________________________________________

The Treatment of a Carved and Painted Buffet by Paul Gauguin and Emile Bernard

Julie Simek, Associate Paintings Conservator, Kuniej Berry Associates

As a fan of Paul Gauguin, I was very excited to see the title of this talk and intrigued to find out more about the buffet. I had never previously heard about Gauguin or Bernard creating furniture and I was interested to see if the two-dimensional style they are known for would translate into a furniture piece, or if it would be completely different from anything I’ve seen by them.

The first part of Ms. Simek’s talk covered the history of Bernard and Gauguin’s partnership. It was a well matched pairing as both were interested in broad areas of color and they heavily influenced each other, as is evident in their paintings. Gauguin is credited with teaching Bernard how to carve. Both artists signed and dated the buffet; however, there are questions as to the attribution of individual panels. To help in this identification, panels were compared by Simek to the paintings of each of artist.

The condition of the buffet included lifting paint and losses. The losses allowed an ink underdrawing to show through in some areas. There were also coatings present on the surface; however, it needed to be determined if these were artist applied before any removal could be considered.

Analysis included a cross-section sample, which revealed that there was no ground present beneath the paint. Additionally, FTIR analysis identified the top layer as a wax, which is interesting because it is known that Gauguin preferred wax to varnish on his paintings.

For treatment, solutions and cleaning techniques were adjusted as needed in each area of the buffet to preserve layers original to the artists. A varnish layer was used over the existing paint to protect the layers and as a barrier for further in-painting. This restored continuity and depth to the piece and helped to bring the buffet out from relative obscurity to an important piece in the museum’s exhibit.

_______________________________________________________________________

A Conservation Collaboration: The James Monroe Gilded Ceremonial Armchair

Rick Vogt, Conservator, F.C. Vogt Company

The order of the morning session talks was switched around and Rick Vogt was moved up to the 9:30 time slot. I found Mr. Vogt’s talk to be very engaging and well organized, though I will admit to a slight bias. I was fortunate to have gained my first conservation experiences while working for Mr. Vogt at the F.C. Vogt company a mere five years ago!

The James Monroe gilded ceremonial armchair comes from the James Monroe Law Library and Museum in Fredericksburg, Virginia. When assessing the chair for treatment, Mr. Vogt immediately recognized the need for research and collaboration to successfully address the needs of the piece. He quoted Barbara Applebaum’s text, Conservation Treatment Methodology, in explaining his concerns for the piece: “Unless sufficient attention is paid to the object’s non-material aspects, we may end up preserving the material but not the object’s meaning.”

The collaboration was large in scope, comprising 12 people with varying degrees of involvement. It included conservators from various areas of specialty, White House staff who provided documents about the chair; and curators with information on the Monroe family history. A specific time frame guided the project and required a good amount of organization to get the project done on time and to standard.

The first step of the project was information gathering and two types of data were needed:

. Non-material information –> Style characteristics, Specific history of the object

. Material information –> Visual analysis, Microscopic analysis

After discussing the history of the armchair, Mr. Vogt gave an overview of the condition assessment which included some insect damage, a twisted seat, losses of fabric and other issues affecting the overall stability of the piece. He also noted there were variations in the surface coatings on the wood which indicated multiple gilding and coating campaigns.

To treat the piece, Mr. Vogt created a new seat frame which was fit over the original. Araldite was used to replace toes that were lost on the feet. Insect borings were consolidated during the gilding conservation campaign and the wood was re-gilded and coated at that time. The chair was then sent out for upholstery conservation. Fragments of the original fabric covering were discovered under the existing upholstery, so a fabric was selected that was believed to closely match the original in both color and style.

Throughout his discussion, Mr. Vogt stressed the importance of collaboration to conservators in private practice and smaller institutions. These professionals may not have access to the same resources that those in larger institutions do. Recognizing one’s own capabilities and utilizing others with different abilities and specializations is important for a successful collaboration and helps to ensure every aspect of an object is conserved for future generations.

Mr. Vogt stated at the beginning of the talk that he is willing to share slides and/or text of his research. He can be reached at fcvco@verizon.net.

The Conservator Behind the Curtain

This workshop was presented by Conservators in Private Practice. Because of our diversity and wide range of professional experience, there is always something to be learned from these CIPP workshops. This year’s participants were asked to bring in a “homework assignment” before attending, namely to describe what it is that we do as conservators. Led by Susan Lunas of Many Moons Book Conservation in Eugene, OR, we broke into groups of three to brainstorm about how best to describe ourselves

to a potential new client.

My group included Jill Hari and Matthew Brack, who are both on ten month fellowships at the Straus Center, Harvard Art Museums in Boston, MA. We talked about how to tailor descriptions toward the individual client, and agreed that the first step in contact with new clients is simply listening in order to determine who they are and what they need. Conversely, we can’t just assume the new client knows who we are and what we do.

Five guest speakers gave informal talks on the subject of building a private practice. Scott Haskins and Rick Vogt shared the opinion that marketing through print advertising had been expensive and brought little or no response. Scott is a big advocate for social networking and maintains a blog about conservation projects in his Santa Barbara, CA studio. He also started a website to promote his book, Save Your Stuff.

Rick Vogt, of FC Vogt Co in Richmond, VA, talked about the importance of building company values and local relationships. He stressed presenting ourselves in a

compelling manner, following up after treatment and keeping track of clients. According to Rick, the biggest reason a client leaves is not unhappiness with a treatment, but because the client doesn’t feel “valued.” Rick recommends being sure to complete work on time, have good communication, and remain accessible to our clients.

Jeanne Martinez-Kilgore, a book and paper conservator in New Mexico, shared her experience with volunteerism as both a way to share expertise and to develop a client list. Unfortunately, over time, her volunteer activities escalated to a point where she had to step back and reassess the types of services she could afford to provide at no charge. As noted recently on the CIPP dist list, she recommends presenting short topics to small community groups such as schools or churches as a form of public outreach with a minimal investment of time.

Maria Valentina Sheets shared the story of how her disaster response to an electrical fire at the Biblical Museum in Houston, TX grew into a highly publicised long term angel project for treating the museum’s collection. She eventually created a long range plan for the collection and set up an on site conservation studio which enjoys broad support from the community.

John Crowe calls himself a “successfully recovering conservator.” After a stint in Colonial Williamsburg, he became the Director of the Chipstone Foundation, a private organization in Milwaukee that is dedicated to showing its late founders’ Decorative Arts collection. Under his direction, Chipstone has partnered with the Milwaukee Art Museum in an innovative collaboration. John has also created an online Decorative Arts Library which went digital with 700 visits in 2001 and currently boasts 1.8 million users.

On that note, this technophobe is attempting my first blog…

Daisy Craddock

www.craddockpaintingconservation.com

“13 Years Later: Looking Back at a Bound-Pamphlet Conservation and Cataloging Project”, Chela Metzger, Lecturer, School of Information, The University of Texas at Austin

In 1994 the Huntington Library began a two-year, NEH funded project to review, catalog and conserve 6,000 16th – 18th Century pamphlet titles that were bound into 587 volumes. Metzger participated in this project and was interested to see how the repairs held up over the past thirteen years.

Binding multiple pamphlets of varying subjects and sizes together used to be a common practice in libraries. Policies on reviewing the condition of bound pamphlets and treating damaged volumes differ by institution, as do opinions about what effect on the ‘authenticity’ that binding may have on a publication that was meant to be a single object.

That said, the bound volumes in this project were considered to be important to researchers as objects and therefore were not considered for disbinding. Metzger found that the majority of condition problems were structural and devised a treatment plan that included Japanese tissue hinge repairs and re-backing with leather or cloth. Original sewing and bindings were kept when possible.

Metzger returned to review the materials that were repaired in 1994-1996 during the NEH project. She examined 134 of the treatments and found that 2% (3 volumes) had complete failure of the board attachment. 18% of the paper hinges were lifting at the tail, and there were other problems with lifting of the inner paper hinges. She theorizes that this may be due to error when applying the tissue hinge.

The other issue here is use. Every institution defines “heavy use” in special collections differently. She looked at the use statistics from before the original project. Between 1917-1996 the median use was less than one use per year. Microfilming and duplicate removal projects may have contributed to some of the damage as well. Between 1996-2009 statistics were slightly higher in this collection but not significantly. When I talked with her afterwards, Metzger said she would like to continue checking in on the collection to see how the repairs hold up over time and with more use.

“A Survey of Leather Conservation Practices”, Jennifer Hain Teper, Head, Conservation, University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign, Melissa Straw, Director of Library Preservation, Goucher College Library

The authors developed their survey to supplement a chapter of the AIC Book Conservation Catalog. They not only collected data on the types of treatments that conservators are doing, but they cross compared the treatment data with the demographic data to see if certain types of conservators tend to favor certain treatments.

Some of the preliminary findings include:

Lots of use of tissue hinges and cloth hinges as board attachment methods.

Common materials used for hinge repair and rebacking include Japanese paper, leather, book cloth, linen and linen lined with Japanese paper (solvent set).

A variety of adhesives are being used: PVA, wheat starch paste, methyl cellulose, gelatin, pva/paste mix, pva/methyl cellulose mix, pva/klucel g mix.

Although there is a strong preference for not dying leather, some conservators use aniline, acrylics, and watercolors to do so.

Like dying leather, there is a strong preference for not applying surface treatments. However, when they were used, conservators are using Klucel G, SC6000, and the “red rot cocktail“.

Next steps include more research on the use of cellulose ethers as many people raised concern about these.

Thurs., May 13, 2010, 8:30-10:00 a.m.

ACDG invited several conservators and asked them to share their experiences working in the current economy in a session titled “Working in an Unstable Economy: Experiences and Insight on the Conservation of Paper-based Materials in the Private Sector.” The panelists all work in the private sector either in regional centers or as conservators in private practice.

First to speak was Michael Lee, Director of Conservation, Ethrington Conservation Center. His talk, titled “Operating a Regional Center in the Private Sector During and Economic Downturn,” focused on managing through difficult times. His advice, however, is not just for down times but is solid advice for all conservation managers.

Lee focused on the business aspects of managing, keeping employees happy, avoiding management pitfalls, and defining expectations. The bottom line is that a business must run efficiently and effectively and the decisions are not always easy to make, especially when it comes to managing people, but you must remain flexible.

His basic working principles as a business manager are:

Treat everyone fairly and equally

Fit the skill level with the project

Set the billing rate for the level of skill required

Assure the allocated time is correct for the project

Define and meet your client’s needs

Develop client profile

Provide client value for products and services

Make sure total expenses do not exceed earnings

Properly manage cash flow

Reinvest in your company

Lee also outlined his principles for working with clients:

Maintain your professionalism

Do not compromise on quality

Provide good advice to clients

Give the client options

Let the client make final fiscal decision

Earn their trust

Susan Lunas, owner of Many Moons Book Conservation, presented a talk titled “Bound and Determined” that focused on keeping the business going during down times. She emphasized that conservators where many hats and they must be creative when setting up their workshops and finding customers. She showed pictures of her studio and explained how she used non-standard materials for her set up, such as a shower floor as a washing sink, and the shower door as a light table. She also spoke about marketing and how conservators in private practice need to take it seriously.

Wendy Bennett, owner of Wendy Bennett Fine Art Paper Conservation, presented “Conservator, Sell Thyself” which focused on ways to build a brand for your business. Her advice:

Build a strong online presence and keep it up to date

Develop print materials and use your logo to brand them

Get your name out there, show your portfolio, get into the news

Barter services to keep expenses down

Make yourself visible, teach and attend classes

Join preservation fairs (an “antiques road show” for conservation)

Donate your services for silent auctions/fundraising efforts

Seek out grants

Jim Pines talked about the “Conservation Treatment of the Assembly Collections,” work he did while contracting at the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts (CCAHA). The project was a joint project with CCAHA and the State Library of Pennsylvania and was funded by an IMLS State Libraries grant. CCAHA contributed content for the grant and when it was awarded, they were given the contract to do the conservation work. At the end of his talk he spoke briefly about how CCAHA markets themselves through their website and print materials.

Thurs., May 13, 10:30 a.m. -12:00 p.m.

LLCDG’s session titled “Conservation in the 21st Century: Revisiting Past Practices and Their Evolution in Institutional Settings” had five presentations.

Eliza Gilligan, Conservator for University Library Collections, University of Virginia Library, presented “Shrinking Resources: Invest in the Decision-making Process.” This talk outlined how her department improved the workflow for items that needed bibliographic review prior to a decision to repair or replace. Eliza developed a plan wherein her staff would do the preliminary research for replacements, work that takes time and causes backlogs when the bibliographers don’t keep up with it. Eliza created a review form that was easy to use by both the conservation staff and the librarians, and her staff did the preliminary research. The new process shows cooperation between departments and demonstrates that conservation can be a cost effective alternative to replacement.

Fletcher Durant, Project Conservator, New York Public Library, presented “Digitization-driven Large-scale Conservation Projects.” His talk outlined the conservation he did on the Legge Collection. For this NEH funded grant, five of six titles from the Legge Collection (a total of 71 volumes with 12,000 pages) were chosen for digitization. Durant had to develop the workflow and fully treat these items over an 18 month period. During that time the NYPL conservation lab had to move to its new location, so there were many challenges to getting the project done on time.

Ann Carol Kearney, Collections Conservator, University of Albany, presented her survey findings in a paper titled “The Use of Japanese Paper in the Repair of Leather Volumes in ARL Libraries’ Preservation Departments Survey Results.” She found that board attachment and rebacking are the primary uses of Japanese paper described by survey participants.

Grace Owen and Sarah Reidell, Conservators at New York Public Library, spoke on “Synthetic Leather for Book Repair: Experimenting with Cast Composites.” They have developed a technique that utilizes a silicone-mold kit to create a mold of the texture of leather. A cast is then made from a composite mixture of acrylic gel medium and colorants that are then applied to a substrate. The synthetic leather composite can be used for hinge repairs and fills. It is a low cost, easy-to-use solution that complements current treatment practices.

Gary Frost, Conservator, University of Iowa, and author of the Future of the Book blog, presented “The Continuing Role of the Print Collections in the Context of Digital Delivery: Risks, Responses and Actions.” There is a growing link between the certification of digital reprography and the discard of the original materials. Frost proposes that there is an interdependence between the physical and the digital book collections. This interdependence is between the self-authenticating nature of a physical book and the self-indexing of a digital book.

Reasons for keeping physical books after digitization abound. Unlike the continuing costs for keeping digital collections, a physical book combines both storage and display for a single purchase costs. Preservation is a passive act (sort of) compared to the proactive preservation needs of a digital object over time. A physical book assures the ability to re-read over time without intervention and provides research validity (the physical book is unchanging whereas there are authenticity issues with a digital object over time).

Two upcoming events will tackle some of these issues. The ALA-RBMS/PARS sponsored Strategic Future of Print Collections on June 27, 2010, and the Future of the Book seminars in Iowa, August 31-October 5, 2010. Stay tuned to Gary’s blog for more information on the seminars.