AIC's 53rd Annual Meeting

In this presentation, an archivist and a conservator will share their experiences working and learning together over the past decade, as well as their research on a persistent communication gap between their professions. This gap often leads to missed opportunities for collaboration that could benefit archivists and conservation, as well as the collections and the communities they serve. The gap widened in the wake of the seminal archival management article “More Product, Less Process,” published by Mark Greene and Dennis Meissner in 2005, which advocated for more efficient practices to reduce backlogs and make collections more accessible. In this article, conservation activities were portrayed as excessive and unnecessary. As a result, many archivists became dismissive of conservation, leading to tensions and a sense of misrepresentation within the conservation community.

The presentation will introduce a model for integrating preventive conservation into a holistic collection management program. When building new workflows for archival accessioning and processing, the presenters worked together to proactively develop local standards for collection management. These standards address known legacy issues and improve collections care work going forward. 

This model emphasizes the importance of archivists and conservators learning each other's professional ethics, standards, and training to improve communication and foster more effective collaboration, while embracing humility, curiosity, and mutual respect. This learning occurs through committee work, reading groups, collection planning meetings, after action reviews, and events. Open discussion of our different priorities and perspectives pave the way for creating institutional programs that promote ethical, sustainable collection stewardship and have the potential for improving work experiences. The presenters will tell the stories of successes and challenges faced in their collaborations.

This presentation will discuss the work conducted at the Archivo de la Memoria Trans Argentina (AMT) regarding the design and creation of custom storage systems for photographic materials.

A unique aspect of the AMT is its management and operation by the trans community. Individuals over 50 years old, trained from the ground up, work with their own materials, handling both the digitization and conservation of the archive’s photographs and documents. This approach ensures that the preservation process is deeply connected to and reflective of the community.

The AMT preserves a diverse range of photographic formats and materials, including silver gelatin prints (DOP), chromogenic prints, dye diffusion transfers, and negatives and slides on flexible plastic supports like triacetate and polyester.

Given the challenges of obtaining conservation supplies in Argentina, we have developed bespoke storage systems tailored to the specific needs of our collection. These systems are carefully designed to address the preservation requirements of our photographs and documents.

Before developing these storage systems, we ensured that the collection was properly organized, conservation conditions were assessed, photographic processes were identified, and an appropriate storage environment was established. The primary purpose of our storage design is to act as a physical barrier against environmental contaminants, fluctuations in relative humidity (RH) and temperature, particle deposition, abrasion, and improper handling.

Since our archive does not yet have permanent environmental controls, we decided to create multiple levels of storage and avoid using adhesives or plastics. Instead, all storage systems are crafted from cellulose-based materials that meet the following criteria: smooth and soft surface, dimensional stability, flexibility, white with no dyes or pigments that could migrate, long-term durability and performance, acid-free, free of peroxides and sulfur compounds, lignin-free, and devoid of plasticizers, resins, or waxes.

Locally available materials meeting archival permanence standards were selected for our storage systems. In Argentina, medical-grade paper is commonly used for photographic materials due to its technical specifications, which confirm its suitability for archival preservation.

The design of our storage systems was informed by the working methodology and the way materials are accessed and consulted. Consequently, we have developed paper envelope models, machine-sewn without adhesives, and designed folded models for folders and boxes to house individual items and photo albums. To standardize our processes and train new team members, we have created instructional documents and templates for the production of these storage systems.

Additionally, we have been monitoring internal and external environmental conditions using a data logger to assess how these multiple layers of storage serve as buffers against external environmental fluctuations. This presentation will include preliminary results from this ongoing monitoring, providing insights into the effectiveness of our storage solutions in mitigating environmental impacts.

“Understanding the Problem and Defining the Goal: Environmental Assessments in Historic Buildings and Collections in the NPS, Region 1”

 

Historically within Region 1 in the NPS, environmental problems within historic house museums were dealt with by either complete replacement of their HVAC systems or by the installation of new, sometimes invasive systems that could fix the perceived problem.   However, this problem was often not fully identified, or not well defined from what was originally perceived as the initial issue such as a mold outbreak, high or low humidity, or too high or low temperatures.  Additionally, the condition of the collections was not examined for evidence of environmental damage.  Now, the Historic Architecture, Conservation, and Engineering Center (HACE) in Region 1, has developed Environmental Assessments that, often with the assistance of contracted professionals, assess the historic building envelope, collect environmental data, and examine the condition of the collections contained therein, to determine any problems and to define the goal of the interior environment before a solution is implemented.

Too often, condition problems in historic house museums are viewed as solvable by the implementation of controlled HVAC systems.  Mold outbreaks or uncomfortable summer or winter conditions are the impetus for system upgrades.  However, without examining the current condition of the buildings and exhibited collections in greater detail, as well as the behavior of the building to the ever-changing exterior environment, we cannot know how to effectively solve any system problem.  These Assessments use targeted systems-wide evaluations of the building envelope and building systems to fully understand the current environment.  Evaluations such as envelope condition assessments, differential pressure testing, scoping of ductwork and chimneys, thermal imaging, pollution monitoring, temperature and humidity data analysis, moisture monitoring, and other data collection that might inform decisions and shed light on observed conditions.  

The objective of these assessments is to propose what environmental parameters can reasonably be maintained in the Region’s uninsulated historic exhibition buildings. This can be achieved by thoroughly understanding the building design, and the current quality of environment the building has been able to achieve.  This approach has been taken with numerous historic buildings in Region 1 of the National Park Service over the past five years, such as Lindenwald, the home of Martin Van Burren; the Vanderbilt Mansion in Hyde Park, New York; and the Rockefeller Mansion in Woodstock, Vermont.   The projects are supplied with specific funding for the purpose of determining the best possible outcome of system replacement for these historic buildings.  Smaller condition assessments of collections have also been implemented as requirements for changes or upgrades to building systems of any kind to ensure that the interests of the collections and building fabric are considered during system design.  It is the hope of the author that these Environmental Assessments be viewed as baseline documents for any historic building, just as Historic Structure Reports (HSRs), Historic Property Project Documentation (HPPD), or Historic Furnishing Plans (HFPs).

Planning one storeroom with integrated preventive conservation controls is admittedly a complex endeavor. But how do large organizations undertake comprehensive storage planning, especially when they have fifty storage areas of 250,000sf in three historic Manhattan research centers (plus a giant high-bay storage facility in New Jersey)? How does an organization begin to steer planning to meaningfully incorporate climate action methodology and build resilience systems? What coaching, education, and facilitation are needed to redirect a storied institution from localized episodic planning to a powerful and pervasive strategy to protect collections?

The Research Libraries for the New York Public Library (NYPL) is building a foundation for dynamic storage planning for a changing world. Large institutions need to focus on global, values-based thinking when building or renovating collections storage to equitably incorporate sustainability and preservation concepts. With support from the Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections (SCHC) program of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), NYPL designed a collaborative pre-planning exercise to inform long-range collection storage planning. A project team of NYPL stakeholders and experts in cultural heritage architecture, preservation environment, and sustainability collaborated to establish a path toward a more responsive and ongoing storage planning model. The project included a week-long walkthrough of all storerooms, followed by several months of distillation of these observations. The project established in its report foundational planning tasks, maintenance tasks, and capacity concepts for exploration in future storage planning.

This talk will discuss building a unified momentum through sustained institutional messaging, risk-taking, and taking advantage of key moments. A specific area of focus will include relationship-building between collection management, facilities, capital planning, energy, health and safety, and curatorial staff to build trust and create space for planning. Discussion of the pre-planning exercise will highlight conditions NYPL is attempting to address, concepts the pre-planning team used for structuring their observations, and logistical practicalities of planning this type of onsite assessment. 

Building on the success of the pre-planning grant, NYPL received a second NEH SCHC grant in August 2024 to develop the Collection Space Construction Design Standard. NYPL will convene experts in architecture, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, fire protection, security, and sustainability, to create construction design standards for reading rooms, storage, and collection workspaces that will be made available to other institutions. This presentation will also include an update on this project, as well as collection storage’s high-level inclusion in NYPL’s new strategic plan.

The onset of Russia's war against Ukraine on February 24, 2022, demonstrated the country's government unprepared to protect its cultural heritage from destruction. And yet, in the early days of the invasion, members of the non-governmental Society for the Protection of Historical Monuments in Lviv rose to this existential challenge. They organized the city populace and, at their own expense, procured protective materials and implemented strategies to safeguard vulnerable cultural heritage sites. This grass roots effort then became a role model for other communities, quickly spreading throughout the country. International organizations also became involved, providing risk assessment strategies, additional materials, and sophisticated instrumentation to document war damage and implement a preventive conservation program. My talk will shed light on this evolutionary process, the role of conservators in it, and outline pathways for the future.

This presentation explores the challenges associated with loaning objects from institutions that stipulate stricter environmental controls than those typically maintained by the borrowing institution, particularly in the context of increasing sustainability efforts.  The Postal Museum (TPM) in London, is aiming to achieve net zero emissions by 2040, part of this is by becoming more flexible in its approach in controlling conditions, however doing this has highlighted the difficulties of balancing the needs of the collections, the desire to borrow objects and the desire to become more sustainable.

TPM, being a medium sized museum, has the ability to make decisions readily within a small Collections team.  Currently it has been trialling the reduction of plant use to control environmental conditions and has altered its temperature and humidity parameters allowing more flexibility, but without compromising care of the objects it looks after.  We are aware that larger institutions may not have the ability to make changes quite so freely.  Sustainability and reducing energy consumption is not new within the conservation sector and it seems to be the general consensus that changes should be made, however, how much of this is actually becoming a reality?

We will discuss recent case studies in which both the borrowing and lending institutions' requirement specifications varied.  TPM aims to be as flexible as possible when lending items, looking at several measures to off-set both risks to the objects as well as helping to reduce costs and energy use.  This includes minimal use of couriers, especially when the borrowing institution have qualified collection care staff on hand, to the re-use of mounts and being practical about the conditions.  Obviously, each loan is different, and measures will be determined on a case by case basis.

We would like to generate a discussion about how museums can work together better to mitigate these issues by employing alternative conservation strategies, as well as ways to get everyone working to the same standards.  The audience will be encouraged to discuss similar situations they have encountered, any negotiations held and solutions reached.  In our experience, it has been the larger institutions that have been less flexible in their requirements.  Discussions will be raised regarding how the size of the institution affects the process; are larger institutions being hampered by the organisation structure and decision-making process? Do larger institutions want to change their criteria? Or is it that Conservators working in larger institutions are less flexible due to focusing on their own area?

Obviously, there are caveats and specific examples can be found where strict controls are absolutely necessary, but in today's world it is interesting to explore what more can be done to mitigate this.

This presentation aims to contribute to the broader conversations within the museum community about how the museum sector can evolve to meet the dual goals of conservation and sustainability, ensuring the loaning of objects continues to be a viable practice.

This study presents a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach to conserving and displaying the high-quality linen Shroud of Thutmose III, which bears a rare section of the Book of the Dead. Traditionally, these texts were written on papyrus, but in this case, they were written on fine linen fabric, dating back to 1450 BC. The shroud will be displayed for the first time at the Grand Egyptian Museum-Conservation Center (GEM-CC) collection, which requires an innovative conservation approach in preparation for its first public display since its discovery. Upon arrival at the GEM-CC, the conservation team faced several challenges. It was attached to old, acidic cardboard, and its large size (4.5 m) made it difficult for conservation and display efforts. These challenges necessitated the development of a conservation strategy for the shroud using the principle of least invasive treatments, drawing on multidisciplinary expertise in conservation and scientific research. Using non-destructive techniques such as multispectral imaging, optical microscopy, X-ray fluorescence, and FTIR, the team could comprehensively assess the properties of the fabric, pigments, and overall condition of the shroud. The results revealed that the manufacturer used yellow Orpiment and Egyptian blue pigments in the upper decorative frame for the writing, and carbon black ink was used for the inscriptions. The analyses also revealed that the old cardboard backing and adhesive used had caused damage to the fabric, resulting in discolouration and darkening of the fabric. These scientific analyses informed key decisions in the conservation process, ensuring the careful removal of the acid support and reinforcement of fragile parts. The conservation team also designed a customized and secure textile mount for the shroud’s large dimensions. The innovative use of non-invasive techniques, combined with specially designed and multidisciplinary solutions, ensures the long-term preservation of this unique artefact and its proper display and beauty in the exhibition at the Grand Egyptian Museum. The study highlights the combination of scientific progress and expertise in the field of heritage conservation, demonstrating the power of collaboration in overcoming the complex challenges of studying, conserving, and exhibiting ancient textiles.