Mullen, Katie

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Digital Repository @ Iowa State University (ISU)

16     MAC Newsletter  •  April 2012Preservation Essentials—sarah Holmes, Assistant Editor, NARAMACers interested in writing a column for “Preservation Essentials” are encouraged to  contact Sara Holmes at sara.holmes@nara.gov.Five Preservation Resources Every Archivist NeedsKatie Mullen, Wisconsin Historical SocietyA recent survey of professionals working in collecting institutions demonstrated that the vast majority turn first to their direct colleagues for preservation and conservation information, rather than to reliable sources of preservation expertise.1 While it makes sense to look to the most con-venient resources at hand for answers, as more resources become freely available on-line, a wealth of direct preserva-tion expertise is available. The key becomes tapping into concise, reliable sources of preservation information. Here are five of the best:Electronic LeafletsThe Canadian Conservation Institute produces an excellent line of leaflets called CCI Notes, which cover not only the care and handling of the entire gamut of cultural heritage objects, but also offer concise answers to some surprisingly common questions, such as, “Can I use regular glass cleaner on my exhibition vitrine?” or “How do I prepare / dig up a time capsule?” “Cleaning Glass and Acrylic Exhibition Cases” and “Time Capsules” are among the 75 or so CCI Notes that have only recently been offered, at no cost, on-line.2 CCI Notes can be found at http://www .cci-icc.gc.ca/publications/notes/index-eng.aspx.The Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) focuses its series of leaflets on archival materials. This col-lection of 50 leaflets, available at http://www.nedcc.org/resources/leaflets.list.php, covers preservation decision and policymaking for institutions, special considerations for photographic material, and paper conservation techniques for the information professional or home collector. Some examples are “Repairing Paper Artifacts” and “Low Cost/No Cost Improvements in Climate Control.”3The National Parks Service also publishes leaflets, called Conserve-O-Grams, http://www.nps.gov/history/museum/publications/conserveogram/cons_toc.html, which paral-lel the NEDCC series, but focus more specifically on museum materials. These leaflets also provide much of interest to archivists, such as, “How to Preserve Acidic Wood Pulp Paper” and “Understanding Bit Depth.”4Regional Nonprofit Conservation CentersHaven’t had any luck searching through leaflets, or too pressed for time? Talk to a person! There are nonprofit conservation centers throughout the United States that offer services to members and non-members alike. Mem-bership fees are usually based on a sliding scale, relative to an institution’s budget. Benefits of membership often include free consultations about conservation treatment, answers to preservation questions, grant writing assistance, a discount on conservation and preservation workshops, and disaster planning and response assistance for your in-stitution. Many services are also available to non-members at a prorated charge. In the Midwest, these regional centers include the Midwestern Art Conservation Center (Minneapolis, http://www.preserveart.org/), the Inter-museum Conservation Association (Ohio, http://www .ica-artconservation.org/), and the Gerald R. Ford Con-servation Center (Nebraska, http://www.nebraskahistory .org/sites/ford/). These Midwestern centers and their sister organizations are all members of the Regional Alliance for Preservation, http://www.rap-arcc.org.specialized ListservsCan’t use one of the regional centers? Then try asking a question on a specialized listserv. Or look through their archives first, which do not require membership to access them.The Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) hosts an active listserv for questions relating to film and video, AMIA-L. Join or browse the archives through a Web portal at http://www.amianet.org/participate/listserv .php. The Association of Recorded Sound Collec-tors (ARSC) hosts ARSClist. It is on-line at http://www .arsc-audio .org/arsclist.html. The Pestlist, courtesy of the Integrated Pest Management Working Group (IPM-WG), is an independent group that “aims to make IPM achievable by all collecting institutions.” This listserv has a practical bent and is very active—nearly every day there is a new photo being shared of a pest that needs identification and eradication. Their Web site, through which the list is accessible, concisely outlines steps to manage infestations. Find it at http://www.museumpests.net.Conservation Online (CoOL)CoOL is a clearinghouse for preservation-related informa-tion. CoOL was recently taken over by the Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation, after Stanford MAC Newsletter  •  April 2012     17 PREsERVATION EssENTIALs—Continued sarah Holmes, Assistant Editorgenerously hosted it for many years. The range of topics covered is vast. CoOL also links to directories of practicing conservators. Access it at http://cool .conservation-us.org.And last, but not least, your colleagues...society of American Archivists (sAA) Preservation sectionBuilt by archives and preservation experts for an archivist’s preservation needs, and currently under-going redesign after a Section member survey, this portion of the SAA’s Web site is meant to provide a brief list of reliable preservation resources helpful to an archivist. It is available at http://www.archivists .org/saagroups/preserv.Notes1. Wisconsin Connecting to Collections Statewide Planning Grant Survey Data, “Slide 32: Resources Used to Answer Conservation/Preservation Questions,” lkd. Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction Connecting to Collections Surveys and Data, 2011, http://dpi.wi.gov/rll/svc_connectcollections_data.html (12 February 2012).2. “N1/2 Cleaning Glass and Acrylic Display Cases,” and “N1/6 Time Capsules” lkd. CCI Notes, 1996, http://www.cci.icc-gc.ca/publications/notes/index-eng.aspx (12 February 2012).3. “7.3 Repairing Paper Artifacts” and “2.6 Low Cost/No Cost Improvements in Climate Con-trol,” lkd. NEDCC Preservation Leaflets, 2007, http://www.nedcc.org/resources/leaflets.list .php (12 February 2012).4. “19/24 How to Preserve Acidic Wood Pulp Paper (2001)” and “22/1 Understanding Bit Depth,” lkd. NPS Conserve-O-Grams, n.d., http://www .nps .gov/museum/publications/conserveogram/cons_toc.html (12 February 2012).

Five Preservation Resources Every Archivist Needs

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Five Preservation Resources Every Archivist Needs

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