Care of Collections

by Knell,Simon; Knell,Simon

• ISBN13: 9780415112857
• ISBN10: 0415112850
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 1994-11-16
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Often overlooked by the public, the central interests of museums are collections and their conservation and use. It is this relationship with collections which separates museums from other educational and heritage institutions. Care of Collectionsbrings together the most important articles and extracts examining aspects of collections management and care, in particular preventative conservation. The contributors cover a wide range of issues from the ethical questions that surround exhibits to the more practical considerations of creating microenvironments and designing disaster plans. The book is divided into sections covering conservation practice, the monitoring and control of light, relative humidity and atmospheric pollution, storage and access to collections and biological infestation and disaster planning.

Table of Contents

List of figures
List of tables
Series preface
Preface to this volume
Acknowledgements
Introduction: the context of collection's care	p. 1
The ethics of conservation	p. 11
Cleaning and meaning: The Ravished Image reviewed	p. 21
Solvent abuse	p. 30
Working exhibits and the destruction of evidence in the Science Museum	p. 35
The role of the scholar-curator in conservation	p. 47
Do objects have a finite lifetime?	p. 51
Audits of care: a framework for collections condition surveys	p. 60
Preventive conservation	p. 83
Paintings: the (show) case for passive climate control	p. 88
Silica gel and related RH buffering materials, conditioning and regeneration techniques	p. 93
Conservation in the computer age	p. 101
Museums tune in to radio	p. 105
Fresh-air climate conditioning at the Arthur M. Sackler Museum	p. 107
Light and environmental measurement and control in National Trust houses	p. 117
The Clore Gallery for the Turner collection at the Tate Gallery: lighting strategy and practice	p. 123
Construction materials for storage and exhibition	p. 129
Indoor air pollution: effects on cultural and historic materials	p. 135
Managing museum space	p. 147
Museum collections storage	p. 155
Here's what to consider in selecting high-density storage	p. 176
A policy for collections access	p. 179
Visible storage for the small museum	p. 187
Curators' closet	p. 197
Rules for handling works of art	p. 202
Rentokil bubble: results of test	p. 212
Carpet beetle: a pilot study in detection and control	p. 217
Pest control in museums: the use of chemicals and associated health problems	p. 234
Experiencing loss	p. 240
Museum disaster preparedness planning	p. 246
Emergency treatment of materials	p. 262
Protecting museums from threat of fire	p. 276
Further reading	p. 280
Index	p. 281
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.