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May 20, 2020
Northern States Conservation Center
Collections Caretaker eNewsletter
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Welcome to the Collections Caretaker e-Newsletter from Northern States Conservation Center. The newsletter is designed to bring you timely and helpful content that is pertinent to situations we all encounter in our museum and archives work. Feel free to let us know what topics you would like to see featured in Collections Caretaker or even contribute an article.
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In This Issue
Cleaning Museums is not like cleaning your house!
Featured Courses
Covid-19 Resources
June Courses
July Courses
August Courses
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Cleaning Museums is not like cleaning your house!
By Helen Alten
An Imaginary Case:
While strolling through the gallery, a volunteer notices a layer of dust scattered over the objects in an 18th century decorative arts gallery. She knows everyone is busy and decides to tidy up. It is just a little job, and after all, she knows how to clean house, been doing it for years! When she is done, all is spick and span. She dusts and polishes the furniture. She vacuums the rugs, even damp mops. She polishes the silver, scrubs away some old stains on the carpet. What she doesn't know is that by polishing the furniture she has damaged the finish, the vacuum has sucked up not only dirt, but fragile fibers in the rug as well, the damp mop brushed a sofa leg and caused the original finish to swell and bubble. Polishing the silver removed the original patina and exposed the fresh surface to more severe corrosion than before. And, that nasty stain. Well, it so happened that it was important evidence about the carpet's original use.
Now, I'd like to point out that the preceding anecdote was entirely fictional. I made it up to illustrate just what can happen. Sure, we all know how to clean a house. But cleaning museum collections - even museums themselves - is a different matter. Housecleaning materials and techniques often aren't compatible with museum collections. And it's painfully easy to damage a collection item or scrub away or suck up important information about it.
Most common cleaning methods aim to make a room or object look clean. But when it comes to preservation, the primary goal of cleaning is preventing damage. Museum cleaning must be considered a holistic activity that covers every aspect of the institution. No one person is responsible for all of the tasks. Building operations or maintenance should take care of the building, but they need to know specific information such as whether certain cleaning solutions are damaging the collection and what they should not clean without special training.
Cleaning collections is irreversible.
Cleaning museum collections is not as easy as it might seem. To begin with, you must know what to clean - and what not to clean. Aggressive or improper cleaning causes irreversible damage.
Just to make it more complicated, dust and pollution from the modern environment also cause irreversible damage. Yet the public expects cleanliness. A clean, dust-free, airy gallery is more attractive than a dingy one with an inch of dust on the sculpture and cobwebs hanging from the corners of the paintings.
Museum Cleaning Basics is designed to help you solve this dilemma. The course has a dual purpose.
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Excerpt from the Introductory Lecture in MS217 Museum Cleaning Basics starting August 3, 2020.
For information on cleaning museums and collections in light of the Covid-19 pandemic see the Covid-19 resources links below as this crisis adds a whole new new level of considerations to the subject of cleaning in museums. Example: Covid-19 Basics: Disinfecting Cultural Resources
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Featured Course: Social Media with an Educational Purpose
Optimize your educational outreach to the digital generations or individuals who
cannot travel to your site using several digital platforms. You do not have to be an expert at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, You Tube, your organization's website, or any of the other common digital platforms. The course will explore how to get started and then how to maximize your use and impact of these education outreach venues. Develop a plan for trying live steaming, blogs, short videos and other approaches for your site. Discover how to integrate the formats for even more extended reach.
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Featured Course: Museum Cleaning Basics
Cobwebs in the gallery, dust on the dinosaur skeleton, mice in storage - a dirty
museum results in poor visitor experience and poor collections preservation. In a museum, cleanliness really is next to godliness. Museum Cleaning Basics explores everything you need to know about cleaning your collections. Participants learn when to clean - and when not to clean. They also learn how to make those decisions. Topics range from basic housekeeping to specific techniques for specific objects. You will learn why cleaning is important and how to prevent damage when cleaning. We will look at specific techniques that minimize damage while getting the work done. And we will discuss when to call in a specialist, such as a conservator. Students will create a housekeeping manual for their institution.
Want to learn how to keep your collections, exhibits and storage clean? This is the course for you! Join Elizabeth Burton for MS217 Museum Cleaning Basics beginning August 3, 2020.
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Early Bird Discounts Available for Full Length Courses
An Early Bird Discount is available for anyone who signs up for a full length course from
museumclasses.org
30 days prior to the start of that course.
Sign up for a full length course up to 30 days prior to its start and save $100.00!
To take advantage of this discount, you must enter coupon code EARLYBIRD at checkout at
collectioncare.org
The Early Bird Discount deadline for July Courses is June 6, 2020
The Early Bird Discount deadline for August Courses is July 4, 2020
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June 2020 Courses
June 15 to July 10, 2020
Instructor: Sarah Kapellusch
Description:
In this course we will examine the most significant laws and regulations that affect collections management, including the legal organization of museums, responsibilities of governing boards, collections care, loans and gifts, international regulations, intellectual property, cultural appropriation, and freedom of expression.
July 2020 Courses
July 6 to 31, 2020
Instructor: Laura Elliff Cruz
Description:
Is your collection stacked, packed and stressed?
Museum Storage Techniques has the solution. The course builds on its sister course,
Museum Facilities and Furniture, which looks at the bigger storage environment. The
Museum Storage Techniques course emphasizes the needs of individual objects and collection groupings. Guidelines for specific materials are provided. Participants learn about storage materials and mounts and the most effective use of trays, drawers, shelves and cabinets.
MS 207: Collections Management: Cataloging Your Collection
July 6 to 31, 2020
Instructor: Peggy Schaller
Description:
Cataloging may not be the most exciting museum task, but it is among the most important. Without a clear knowledge of your holdings, you can't protect, care for, research or exhibit them. Without knowledge of an item's history, you can't properly appreciate its value to your museum. Cataloging Your Collection covers all details needed to catalog a collection. Procedures for handling, measuring and describing all types of objects and materials are discussed in detail. Participants receive sample forms and learn the best practices for numbering artifacts, performing inventory and assessing the condition of objects. Participants practice describing everyday objects and cataloging items from their own collections or households.
July 6 to August 14, 2020
Instructor: Christina Cain
Description:
The only thing worse than mice or cockroaches in your kitchen, is finding them in your museum collection. Participants in Integrated Pest Management for Museums, Libraries and Archives learn low-toxicity methods of controlling infestations. IPM is the standard method for treating incoming items and monitoring holdings. Integrated Pest Management for Museums, Libraries and Archives discusses how infestations occur, helps identify risks, provides feasible mitigation strategies, discusses the different techniques of treating infested materials, and helps you complete an IPM plan and monitoring schedule for your institution. The course covers pest identification, insects, rodent, birds, bats, other mammals and mold infestations, as well as other problems raised by participants.
July 6 to 31, 2020
Instructor: Peggy Schaller
Description:
This course will examine the role of ethics in museums and related institutions. Topics addressed will include the differences in ethics, laws, and morals; what ethics are and where they come from; the ethical codes that museum professionals follow; how ethics affect professional practices; why ethics are important; and how ethical standards can help museums and related institutions better serve society. Participants in the course will gain an understanding of the importance of ethics in professional museum practice, how codes of ethics are written and why they are important, and will develop an understanding of the most significant codes of ethics subscribed to by museum professionals.
July 6 to 31, 2020
Instructor: John Veverka
Description:
It's often difficult to teach interpretive techniques and principles to others when you may have not had any formal training in interpretation yourself. The course provides ways
to develop and deliver interpretive training courses and workshops for cultural sites and staff charged with developing interpretive training for their docents, volunteers, seasonal interpretive staff, or full time interpretive staff.
This course includes a copy of our new e-textbook, The Interpretive Trainers Handbook.
July 6 to 31, 2020
Instructor: Karin Hostetter; Co-Taught by Erin Gates.
Description:
Optimize your educational outreach to the digital generations or individuals who cannot travel to your site using several digital platforms. You do not have to be an expert at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, You Tube, your organization's website, or any of the other common digital platforms. The course will explore how to get started and then how to maximize your use and impact of these education outreach venues. Develop a plan for trying live steaming, blogs, short videos and other approaches for your site. Discover how to integrate the formats for even more extended reach.
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August 2020 Courses
August 3 to 28, 2020
Instructor: Elizabeth Burton
Description:
Cobwebs in the gallery, dust on the dinosaur skeleton, mice in storage - a dirty museum results in poor visitor experience and poor collections preservation. In a museum, cleanliness really is next to godliness. Museum Cleaning Basics explores everything you need to know about cleaning your collections. Participants learn when to clean - and when not to clean. They also learn how to make those decisions. Topics range from basic housekeeping to specific techniques for specific objects. You will learn why cleaning is important and how to prevent damage when cleaning. We will look at specific techniques that minimize damage while getting the work done. And we will discuss when to call in a specialist, such as a conservator. Students will create a housekeeping manual for their institution.
August 3 to 28, 2020
Instructor: Karin Hostetter
Description:
The world of museum education is as varied as the imagination. From school field trips to online blogs, from 2-year-olds to senior citizens, and from formal programs to volunteering, it is all part of the educational delivery system of a museum. In Education in Museums, survey the education programs offered at your site. Determine what exhibits and collections need better representation through education. Develop a long term plan of education program development for your site that you can use to improve services to your community.
August 3 to 28, 2020
Instructor: Stefani Pendergast
Description:
Moving collections is a daunting task. Fragile items need special packing and care to be safely transported. Large, heavy or awkward items like dinosaurs and oversized sculptures require special equipment and support from local authorities. How do you design your project to meet the budget and timing demands of your administration? Are your collections over-packed in acidic boxes and does your move includes improving their storage and care? Collections often take up more room when they are stored properly. How do you determine your needed storage space when the collection is decompressed? Moving Collections provides an overview of how to plan and manage a move to avoid the many pitfalls. The course includes: defining your project, developing a Request for Proposal (RFP), developing a work plan, staffing, and packing protocols. Whether you are moving part of the collection within your building or moving the entire collection to another facility, Moving Collections provides a blueprint for you to follow.
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Due to ongoing concerns over the Covid-19 Pandemic many of these Conferences may be cancelled or postponed this year. Check each organization's website to verify dates.
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Conferences and Meetings
American Alliance of Museums
Virtual Meeting #AAMvirtual
May 18 & June 1-4, 2020
Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections, Edinburgh, Scotland
June 7-13, 2020
Association of Academic Museums and Galleries, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
June 17-20, 2020
Association for Living History, Farm and Agricultural Museums, Boston/Sturbridge, MA
June 21-25, 2020
Association of Midwest Museums, Milwaukee, WI
July 22-25, 2020
Society of American Archivists/Council of State Archivists, Chicago, IL
August 2-8, 2020
Native American Museum Studies Institute
University of California, Berkeley, CA
August 17-20, 2020
Mountain-Plains Museums Association, Planning to go Virtual
September, 2020 Exact dates TBD
Oklahoma Museums Association, Enid, OK
September 16-18, 2020
Smithsonian Institution and Office of Protection Services
National Conference on Cultural Property Protection, Los Angeles, CA
September 21-23, 2020
American Association of State and Local History, Las Vegas, NV
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Western Museums Association, Portland, OR
October 8-11, 2020
International Foundation for Cultural Property Protection
October 8-13, Washington, DC
Southeastern Museums Conference, Louisville, KY
October 19-21, 2020
New England Museum Association, Newport, RI
November 18-20, 2020
National Association for Interpretation, Saint Augustine, FL
November 10-14, 2020
Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums, Wilmington, DE Dates TBA
2021
American Alliance of Museums, Chicago, IL
May 9-12, 2021
National Association for Interpretation, Palm Springs, CA
November 3-December 4, 2021
2022
American Alliance of Museums, Boston MA
May 19-22, 2022
National Association for Interpretation, Cleveland, OH
November 29-Decemver 3, 2022
2023
American Alliance of Museums, Denver, CO
May 19-22, 2023
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Submissions and Comments
How to submit an article or upcoming workshops for inclusion in the Newsletter:
If you would like to submit an article, notice of an organizational meeting or upcoming workshop for an upcoming Collections Caretaker Newsletter, send your submission to
peggy@collectioncare.org
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We are always looking for contributions to this newsletter. Submission deadline is the 10th of each month.
Have a comment or suggestion?
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Sincerely,
Helen Alten, Director
Peggy Schaller, Publications Manager
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