Preserving the Collection: Disaster Planning, Response & Recovery

Sometimes collection items can be hazardous - both to your health and the long-term preservation of other objects. Felted or green-dyed items may contain mercury or arsenic; taxidermy and other organics may absorb pesticides; and old treatments from the early days of conservation often don't stand the test of time. This document from the US Department of the Interior discusses common contaminants, how to detect them, and what to do with the objects: https://www.doi.gov/sites/doi.gov/files/migrated/museum/upload/Contaminated_Collections_FAQs.pdf

  The Registrars Committee Western Region has an excellent series called "Hands On!" on their YouTube page, where each presenter goes through practical steps of dealing with certain artifacts and situations. Check out this video on the Detection and Cleaning of Soot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xr-h8uUhmkg

Glass and ceramics tend to be among the more robust materials in a collection, but some care needs to be taken for normal housekeeping and disaster situations. This video by Gwen Thomas of Museums & Galleries Edinburgh ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBW_PDJEVR4 ) and document by The Henry Ford ( https://www.thehenryford.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/the-henry-ford-glass-amp-ceramics-conservation.pdf?sfvrsn=2 ) have some great tips to care for your glass and ceramics.

We've all cleaned glass in our own homes, but this simple task can be stressful if the glass you're cleaning is from an archaeological or art glass collection - whether to clean of dust from storage or display, or cleaning off mud and debris from a disaster situation. This fantastic video by the Corning Museum of Glass goes over the basics of why and how to clean glass in your collection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAfq7c-cnvU. And if you have a little more time, this second video on glass from a conservator's perspective provides some great background on glass we see in collections: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhleFkq6mak.

The new year is a great time to review the basics. In this video by CERF+ (The Craft Emergency Relief Fund), an art conservator discusses what steps to take to salvage works of art on paper, photos, paintings, and textiles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zKnWUdaYyQ