GENERATION 2

EDUCATIONAL AND SUPPORT MATERIALS

Authors:
Mubiana Luhila (PMDA, Kenya)
and Frédérique Vincent (France)

2003

Programme for
Museum
Development in
Africa
 PREVENTIVE CONSERVATION

TABLE DES MATIERES

Course method ……………………………………………………………… p. 3

Course objectives …………………………………………………………… p. 4

Course map …………………………………………………………………. p. 6

Sequence of activities ……………………………………………………… p. 7

Activity workbook …………………………………………………………… p. 11

Unit 1 ……………………………………………………………… p. 11

Unit 2 ……………………………………………………………… p. 19

Unit 3 ……………………………………………………………… p. 23

Unit 4 ……………………………………………………………… p. 29

Unit 5 ……………………………………………………………… p. 38

Worksheets …………………………………………………………………. p. 47

Information sheets ………………………………………………………….. p. 79

List of bibliographic resources……………………………………………. p. 87

Bibliography …………………………………………………………………. p. 88

Facilitator notes …………………………………………………………….. p. 98

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 PREVENTIVE CONSERVATION

COURSE METHOD
These educational and support materials on Preventive conservation consist of a number of
Units, within each Unit are Modules and within each Module are several Activities.

This course offers a series of individual and group activities, which enable you to assimilate
knowledge and acquire competencies in an active and autonomous way: through practical
exercises, reflection work, experiments, etc.
The teacher is transformed into a facilitator whose role is to guide students all the way through
the different activities. These pedagogical materials were created for both facilitator and
students.

There are three types of documents:

• The first one, the Activity Workbook. This is the core of the course. It introduces you to the
different issues you need to cover in the course, describes what you should do and how, and
indicates when you need to refer to another type of document (information sheet,
worksheet…). The word Watchpoint will highlight a key point or principle relevant to the
Activity.
• The second type of document is the Information Sheet. The information sheet will give you
basic additional information about the topic. Information Sheets are not alternatives to further
bibliographic research and reading.
• The third type of document is a Worksheet. These are documents that guide an activity or
that a student must complete during an activity. It will be indicated when you need to use a
Worksheet.

To help you in your further reading on the topics covered in this course a Bibliography has
been included as well as a list of Online Web sites with resources on Preventive Conservation.

Many of the activities can be completed at your own or your team’s speed and it should become
clear that sometimes when you finish one, you might continue straight on to the next sheet.
There is no competition for who is quickest. Indeed, we would prefer that you were completely
satisfied with your work before you move on to the next one but you will need to complete all the
activities. For many of the Activity Sheets there is no single ‘perfect’ answer. You are
encouraged to ask the facilitators for help at any time; and you are also encouraged (except
when the instructions particularly say otherwise) to discuss things with your group or partner.
Now, if any thing is unclear to this point, please ask for clarification.

It is recommended that this course is run over a period of fifteen (15) days.

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 PREVENTIVE CONSERVATION

COURSE OBJECTIVE
These educational and support materials will enable learners to acquire
knowledge and skills in the preventive conservation of museum
collections and grasp the processes necessary for applying preventive
conservation measures, in order to enhance the capacity of heritage
institutions to manage and conserve museum collections while taking
their own contexts into consideration

The course is composed of 6 Units divided into Modules and Activities:

UNIT 1: PURPOSE:
Module 1: Why preventive conservation?
This module will demonstrate the need for museums to undertake a set of actions to slow down the rate
of deterioration and reduce further risks to the collections (i.e., preventive conservation).
Module 2: What is the sensitivity of the collection?
You will be able to recognize evidence of active deterioration and link them to causal factors (agents of
deterioration), and to determine the sensitivity of the collection.
Module 3: Why preventive conservation is my job?
You will realize that preventive conservation is integrated into your normal work and in the “everyday
care given to the collections by everyone”.

UNIT 2: CONTEXT
Module 1: How a museum works?
You will develop a better appreciation of the museum organization/running. The module will show various
uses of collections, the range of jobs and activities involved and the persons responsible in the museum.
Module 2: How do we review the current situation?
You will be able to systematically study and record in terms of collections, resources, activities and
procedures.

UNIT 3: ANALYSIS
Module 1: What do we mean by analysis?
You will be able to organize, combine and interpret relevant data being collected in order to identify
potential problems (as well as positive aspects).
Module 2: About standards, guidelines and recommendations
Introduces you to the concept of standards, guidelines and recommendations in preventive conservation
and encourage a balanced approach towards their use. You will understand the role/implications of
standards. You will be able to interpret them correctly and apply them intelligently to specific situation.

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UNIT 4: RISK ASSESSMENT – A TOOL FOR PRIORITIZATION
Module 1: What is the relationship between agents, risks and effects?
You will be able to establish relationships between the agents of deterioration, the related specific risks
and the effect on collections.
Module 2: Estimating the various risks
During this module, you will familiarize with the concept of risk assessment scales.
Module 3: Setting priorities
You will be able to establish a scale of problems/risks ranking them from the most to the less
urgent/acute. According to the sensitivity of collections, the potential loss of value and the rate of
deterioration, you will be able to make judgement about the significance of a problem/risk in comparison
with others.

UNIT 5: RESPONSE
Module 1: Identify the ideal responses
You will be able to list all solutions to the problems you encounter.
Module 2: Criteria to select appropriate responses
The aim of this unit is to assist you in determining benefits versus feasibility (cost, required resources) in
order to select the most appropriate responses, i.e. that are financially and practically sustainable.
Module 3: How to use and develop existing and potential resources?
The module will encourage you to make the most of existing resources and to find alternatives resources
which are required to implement the improvements.
Module 4: Establish a budget, and work plan for short term and long-term activities
Using all the results they have found, you will be able to draw up a time work plan in order to improve the
situation or avoid a disaster.

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 PREVENTIVE CONSERVATION

COURSE MAP
Unit 1: PURPOSE
Module 1: Module 2: Module 3:
WHY PREVENTIVE WHAT IS THE SENSITIVITY WHY PREVENTIVE
CONSERVATION? OF THE COLLECTION? CONSERVATION
IS MY JOB?

Unit 2: CONTEXT
Module 1: Module 2:
HOW A MUSEUM HOW DO WE REVIEW
WORKS? THE CURRENT
SITUATION?

Unit 3: ANALYSIS
Module 1: Module 2:
WHAT DO WE ABOUT STANDARDS,
MEAN BY GUIDELINES AND
ANALYSIS? RECOMMENDATIONS

Unit 4: RISK ASSESSMENT – A TOOL FOR PRIORITIZATION

Module 1: Module 2: Module 3:

WHAT IS THE RELATION ESTIMATING SETTING
BETWEEN AGENTS, THE VARIOUS PRIORITIES
RISKS AND EFFECTS? RISKS

Unit 5: RESPONSE
Module 1: Module 2: Module 3: Module 4:
IDENTIFY THE CRITERIA TO HOW TO USE ESTABLISH A BUDGET
IDEAL SELECT AND DEVELOP AND A PLAN OF
RESPONSES APPROPRIATE EXISTING AND ACTION INCLUDING
RESPONSES POTENTIAL SHORT TERM AND
RESOURCES? LONG TERM
ACTIVITIES

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 PREVENTIVE CONSERVATION

SEQUENCE OF ACTIVITIES
Activity 1 30 minutes
Title : What does preventive conservation mean ?
Objective : This activity will demonstrate the knowledge on preventive conservation you start with, and
allow the group to reach a consensus on the meaning of preventive conservation.

Activity 2 45 minutes
Title : What is the object life-span ?
Objective : This activity will point the fact that depending on the building, environment, use or situation,
objects can have different life-span.

Activity 3 30 minutes
Title : What can happen to collections ?
Objective : This activity will familiarize you with the objects’ degradation, and what to observe in order to
understand it.

Activity 4 1 hour
Title : What can cause the deterioration ?
Objective : With this activity, you will be aware of the different causes of deterioration for heritage.

Activity 5 2 hours
Title : What are the types of objects and materials in my collection ?
Objective : With this activity, you will organize your collection in 2 groups : types of objects and materials.

Activity 6 1 hour 30
Title : What to observe ?
Objective : This activity will show the link between what you observe, and the reason why.

Activity 7 1 hour 30
Title : What is a museum ?
Objective : With this activity, you will understand the definition of a museum and you will establish
relationship between role/mission of a museum, main activities, staff categories...

Activity 8 30 minutes
Title : How a museum works
Objective : You will be able to consider your museum in the light of the international definition, identify
commonalities and specificity, and describe how your museum work.

Activity 9 1 hour 30
Title : What data to collect ?
Objective : This activity will identify the data to collect in order to understand the situation of a museum.

Activity 10 45 minutes
Title : How to collect the data identified ?
Objective : This activity will identify the way to collect the data you need, and to illustrate it.

Activity 11 3 hours
Title : Collect the data
Objective : With this activity, you will be able to collect relevant data for the assessment of your museum.
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Activity 12 30 minutes
Title : What does analysis mean ?
Objective : This activity will familiarize you with the concept of analysis.

Activity 13 1 hour 30
Title : Classify the data collected
Objective : You will be able to classify the data collected, in order to use it.

Activity 14.1 3 hours

Title : Interpret the data collected
Objective : You will be able to synthesize your information and give an overview of the situation, showing
good and bad sides.

Activity 14.2 1 hour 30

Title : Explain the data collected
Objective : After this activity, you will be able to analyze a situation.

Activity 15 1 hour
Title : What do standards mean ?
Objective : This activity will introduce you to the concept of standards and its meaning.

Activity 16 2 hours
Title : How to use standards ?
Objective : This activity will sensibilize you to the fact that standards have to be taken carefully and
adapted to your own situation.

Activity 17 1 hour
Title : Link between agents of deterioration, specific risks, and effects on the object
Objective : This activity will show you the relation between agents of deterioration, specific risk and
damage.

Activity 18 45 minutes
Title : How soon ?
Objective : This activity will allow you to look at your collection with the light of probability of damage.

Activity 19 45 minutes
Title : How much damage to each object ?
Objective : You will be able to estimate the probability of a risk occurring in your collection.

Activity 20 1 hour
Title : How much of the collection is affected ?
Objective : With this activity, you will evaluate the part of the collection at risk.

Activity 21.1 30 minutes

Title : Meaning of value - definition
Objective : This activity will help you to define the different meanings of “value”.

Activity 21.2 1 hour

Title : Why is it important to conserve
Objective : With this activity, you will review the different categories of “values” for African collections.

Activity 21.3 45 minutes

Title : How important are the affected objects ?
Objective : With this activity, you will evaluate the value of objects at risk.
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Activity 22 45 minutes
Title : Ranking the risks
Objective : The aim of the activity is to classify the risks to a collection.

Activity 23 30 minutes
Title : Determining priorities
Objective : You will determine what are the 3 top priorities for the museum.

Activity 24 2 hours
Title : Organizing the responses
Objective : This activity will show you how to organize the different solutions in a meaningful way.

Activity 25 30 minutes
Title : Where to look for help ?
Objective : This activity is designed to remind you all the sources of information you can get.

Activity 26 4 hours
Title : Identify all the responses
Objective : This activity will show you what are the different solutions given by different sources to the
same problem.

Activity 27 2 hours
Title : Realistic versus idealistic responses
Objective : This activity aims to remind you that all responses to a problem are not suitable to any
situation.

Activity 28 1 hour
Title : Identify your actual resources and the potential resources
Objective : This activity will point out all the resources you can or could use.

Activity 29 3 hours
Title : How to develop potential resources ?
Objective : This activity will help you to create a strategy in order to develop potential resources for your
institution.

Activity 30 2 hours
Title : What are your needs ?
Objective : This activity aims to point out what are the needs in term of resources for a particular
response.

Activity 31 2 hours
Title : Plan vs luck
Objective : This activity intends to show what are the results when changes are planned or when they are
not.

Activity 32 2 hours
Title : Different types of actions ?
Objective : With this activity, you will realize that some solutions can be undertaken easily, and that
others need more preparation.

Activity 33 2 hours
Title : From simple improvements to major projects
Objective : This activity intends to show that some solutions can be undertaken on a short term, and
others on long term.
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Activity 34 2 hours
Title : How to budget for a project
Objective : This activity intends to enable you produce a budget for a simple project.

Activity 35 2 hours
Title : How to present a work plan
Objective : This activity intends to show you that there are many ways of presenting a work plan, and that
you have to draw your own plan depending of the situation, and yourself.

Activity 36 2 hours 30
Title : Prepare your own work plan
Objective : This activity will allow you to choose the type of work plan you prefer and to draw your own.

Activity 37 30 minutes
Title : What does preventive conservation mean
Objective : This activity will allow you to review your understanding of preventive conservation in the light
of the new knowledge.

Activity 38 2 hours
Title : What does preventive conservation mean to my institution ?
Objective : This activity will allow you to start to use your knowledge in order to convince your colleagues
and director of the importance of preventive conservation for your institution .

Activity 39 1 hour
Title : What does preventive conservation mean to me ?
Objective : This activity will allow you to review the internationally accepted definition of preventive
conservation in the light of your new knowledge.

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 PREVENTIVE CONSERVATION

ACTIVITY WORKBOOK
UNIT 1: PURPOSE
Module 1: Why preventive conservation?
Aim: This module will demonstrate the need for museums to undertake a set of actions to slow
down the rate of deterioration and reduce further risks to the collections (i.e preventive
conservation).

ACTIVITY 1:
WHAT DOES PREVENTIVE CONSERVATION MEAN?
Time: 30 minutes

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Individual / Group exercise Cards, pen Basic This activity will A common
experience in demonstrate understanding
Write on a card what you museum the knowledge (definition) of
understand by preventive practice and on preventive preventive
conservation. preventive conservation conservation.
conservation you start with,
and allow the
A discussion will be launched to group to reach
arrive at a common understanding, a consensus on
with the facilitator help. the meaning of
preventive
conservation.
The cards and statement of
common understanding will be
collected and the exercise done
again at the end of the course.
Then, a comparison will be
possible.

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ACTIVITY 2: WHAT IS THE OBJECT LIFE SPAN?
Time: 45 minutes

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Individual exercise Objects, Basic This activity will A list of
paper, pen, experience in point the fact answers for
There are three (3) objects worksheet I museum that depending each object
presented. For each, write on piece practice and on the building, indicating
of paper how long you expect them preventive environment, expected life
conservation use or situation, span depending
to “survive” : objects can on building,
- in this room, have different environment,
- outdoor, life-spans. use or situation.
- in your house,
- in a museum storage,
- in a museum display,
- in a bank vault,
- in a building on fire?
(10 minutes)

A group discussion will follow

coordinated by the facilitator (20
minutes).

At the end of the exercise, observe

the scheme given in worksheet I,
and answer to the question.
Then, discuss with the class about
what it shows.

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 ACTIVITY 3: WHAT CAN HAPPEN TO COLLECTIONS?
Time: 30 minutes

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Demonstration Objects, Basic This activity will A list of
paper, pen experience in show that some answers for
The facilitator provides five (5) museum degradations each situation
relevant objects / photographs of practice and are reversible, showing that
objects as examples. preventive others some
conservation irreversible, degradations
and that some are reversible,
For each example shown by the degradation others
facilitator, state: could have irreversible,
been avoided and that some
- what is the deterioration, with the degradation
appropriate could have
- if it could have been behaviour, been avoided.
avoided, environment,
- if the object is restorable, etc
- if it can come back to its
original state.

A group discussion will follow

coordinated by the facilitator (20
minutes).

Watch point:
Definition of restoration and reversibility:
Restoration means returning an object as nearly as possible to a known earlier state and is
distinguished by the introduction of materials (new or old) into the structure of the object. The
action is directly on the object. The aim is aesthetical. The action of restoration should always
be reversible, which means that it should always be possible to remove the materials added.

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ACTIVITY 4: WHAT CAN CAUSE THE DETERIORATION?
time: 1 hour

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Group exercise Cards, Working in group, With this A common list of
board, pen, basic experience activity, you will causes of
In Groups, write on cards all the information in museum be aware of the deterioration for
causes of deterioration that can sheet 1. practice and different heritage.
affect a collection (one cause on preventive causes of
conservation deterioration for
one card). heritage.
(20 minutes)

Each group presents the results

to the class, and the facilitator
organizes the results on a board.
(20 minutes)

Compare the class results with

the Gaël de Guichen’s chart
(Information sheet 1), and
discuss the classification.
(20 minutes)

Watchpoint :
DEFINITIONS
Cause : one of the things that make something happen (to an object)
Effect : the change made to the object (of which you hope to see evidence)
Hazard : the latent potential within something for danger. It always stays the same
e.g. there is a constant hazard in a sharp knife.
Risk : the hazard multiplied by the situation and people involved e.g. least if it is
lying on a shelf, more if a butcher is cutting meat with it, and most if a small
child is playing with it.

14
Module 2: What is the sensitivity of the collection?
Aim: You will be able to recognize evidence of active deterioration and link them to causal
factors (agents of deterioration), and to determine the sensitivity of the collection.

ACTIVITY 5: WHAT
ARE THE TYPES OF OBJECTS AND
MATERIALS IN MY COLLECTION?
Time: 2 hours

You will need to study your collection in order to determine the type of degradation you can get.

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Group exercise on site Museum’s Know the With this A list of types
thesaurus if different types of activity, you of objects and
Working in teams, carry out the available (types objects existing, will organize a list of
following 2 research visits in such of objects, know and identify your materials
a way that there is only one team materials), the different collection in 2
inventory of the types of materials groups: types
in each area : museum, existing, or read of objects
collection, information and
Visit 1 – collections on exhibition worksheet II, sheets 5 and 6 if materials.
Visit 2 – collections on storage. information not known.
sheets 4 and 5, Working in group,
pen and paper. on site
Write a list of the different types
of objects you get in your
museum, and the different
materials for each category.

Try to determine the percentage

for the different types of objects;
and the percentage for materials
that make up objects.

For this you can fill the table

given in the worksheet II.

To help you, you can read the information sheets 4 and 5.

15
 ACTIVITY 6: WHAT TO OBSERVE?
Time: 1 hour 30

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Group exercise Paper, pen, Know the This activity A list of agents
board. materials and will show the of deterioration
Referring to the list of causes of the way they link between linked to the
deterioration found in the activity 4, degrade, what you effects on
find for each one of them, and if it is activities 4 and observe, and different
5. the reason materials.
relevant, the effects possible on the why.
different materials that objects are
made of, found in activity 5.

Share the results, with the

facilitator’s help.

Please, now complete:

Deterioration of collections / Module 5 / activities 16 and 17. This will complete your knowledge
about sensitivity of materials to different agents of deterioration.
These activities will take 4 hours 45.

16
Module 3: why preventive conservation is my job?
Aim: You will realize that preventive conservation is integrated into your normal work and in the
“everyday care given to the collections by everyone”.

This module will possibly be done at the end of the course once the students have completed
the activities from 1 to 36 (see sequence of activities).

ACTIVITY 37:
WHAT DOES PREVENTIVE CONSERVATION MEAN?
Time: 30 minutes

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Individual exercise Cards, pen Have gone This activity will A new
through all the allow you to understanding
Write on a card what you course process. review their (definition) of
understand now by preventive understanding of preventive
conservation. preventive conservation.
conservation in
The cards will be collected. the light of the
new knowledge.
A class comparison is done
with the definitions you wrote at
the beginning of the course.

Is your understanding of
preventive conservation
different from the beginning?

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 38: WHAT DOES PREVENTIVE CONSERVATION TO
ACTIVITY
MY INSTITUTION?
Time: 2 hours

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Individual exercise Paper, pen. Have gone This activity will One text by
through all the allow you to start student showing
Using all the skills and course process. to use your the importance
information you gained during knowledge in of preventive
this course, write a short text to order to convince conservation for
your colleagues his / her
your director. This text should and director of institution.
explain what would be the the importance of
importance and benefit of preventive
implementing a preventive conservation for
conservation plan in your your institution.
institution, what could be
improved and your role on this
plan. (1 hour)

Then read your text to your

class colleagues, and convince
them. Each student has around
8 minutes.

ACTIVITY 39:
WHAT DOES PREVENTIVE CONSERVATION MEAN TO ME?
time: 1 hour

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Individual exercise Paper, pen,. Have gone This activity will A final
Bibliographic through all the allow you to discussion on
Read the bibliographic resource resource B course process. review the preventive
B and the definition of and internationally conservation
preventive conservation given worksheet accepted definition,
XV. definition of process and
in worksheet XV. preventive meaning.
conservation in
Do you agree with the the light of your
definition? What would you new knowledge.
change or add?

A final discussion will be

launched on this subject.

18
 PREVENTIVE CONSERVATION

UNIT 2: CONTEXT
Module 1: How a museum works?
Aim: You will develop a better appreciation of how a museum is organized and how it runs. The
module will show various uses of collections, the range of jobs and activities involved and the
persons responsible for different things in the museum.

ACTIVITY 7: WHAT IS A MUSEUM?

Time: 1 hour 30

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Individual exercise Paper, pen, None With this activity, A list establishing
board, you will relationships
Read the ICOM Code of Ethics bibliographic understand the between
for Museums, given in the resource A. definition of a role/mission of a
bibliographic resource A, and museum and museum, main
establish activities, and
identify: relationships staff categories...
- The ICOM definition of a between
museum role/mission of a
- The missions of a museum, main
museum, activities, and
staff categories...
- The different activities,
- The different types of
professionals working in
a museum, and more
particularly the ones that
are in regular in contact
with the collections.
These are the ones who
can take decision
concerning conservation
aspects of collections.
- The different resources
(types of collections,
buildings…).

The results will be written and

organized on the board by the
facilitator and discussed with
the class.

Watch point: The information you collected in this activity is general, and is the common point
of most of the museums in the world. But your own experience in your institution can be slightly
different.

19
ACTIVITY 8: HOW YOUR MUSEUM WORKS?
Time: 30 minutes

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Class discussion Paper, pen, The Activity 7 You will be able A list of what is
ICOM definition of to consider your common /
With reference to the results a museum and a museum in the similar and what
of Activity 7, review how list establishing light of the is different /
your own museum works. relationships international specific between
between definition, the international
Identify what is common / role/mission of a identify definition and
similar and what is different / museum, main commonalities your specific
specific. activities, and and what is situation.
staff categories... specific to them,
(From Activity 7.) and describe
how your
museum works.

20
Module 2: How do we review the current situation?
Aim: You will be able to systematically study and record in terms of collections, resources,
activities and procedures.

ACTIVITY 9: WHAT DATA TO COLLECT?

Time: 1 hour 30 once on site

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Class Group work Paper, pen, Working in This activity will A list of what
worksheet group. identify the data information/ data
III and to collect in to collect.
Read the information sheet 2, information order to
and worksheet III. sheet 2 understand the Worksheet III
situation of a reviewed
Having read information sheet 3 museum.
and worksheet III, in groups,
determine the information / data
you will need to collect in order
to understand the situation of
your own museum.

Present and discuss your

results and compile one list.

At the end of the exercise,

review the guideline given in
worksheet III and amend it to
your own needs.

Watch point: a survey is a snapshot of an institution’s, a building’s, a collection’s, part of a

collection’s situation, at a particular time.
The level of detail will vary depending of what you want to study and why: the details of the
condition of all items in your collection or part of it, what storage or display needs to be
upgraded, what are the priorities in case of disaster, what are the priorities for treatment…
The data collected will help you to decide the actions you will have to undertake in order to solve
the problems you face and reduce the risks.

Recommended reading:
KEENE Suzanne, Managing conservation in museums, London, 1996, p.139-142.

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ACTIVITY 10: HOW TO COLLECT THE DATA IDENTIFIED?
Time: 45 minutes

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Class Group work Paper, Activity 9 This activity A list of ways to
pen will identify the collect information/
For each of information/ data ways to collect data identified
identified in activity 9, in groups, the data you earlier, and to
state the way you will collect it, need, and to illustrate it.
illustrate it.
and the illustrations you need to
find in order to illustrate your
conclusions.

Identify the different ways to

collect the data (observation,
interviews…) and the way to
illustrate it (photos, records…).

Present and discuss your

results and compile one list.

ACTIVITY 11: COLLECT THE DATA

Time: 3 hours once on site

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Group exercise on site Paper, Activities 9 and You will be Three lists of data
pen 10, working in able to collect collected.
Divide the class in 3 groups, groups. relevant data
and go to the site. for the
assessment of
your museum
One group will have to collect
the data on the location of their
museum (outside environment)
and the museum building
(conservation problems, use,
security…); one on the
exhibition and storage fixtures,
the internal environment and
collection (condition, use,
size…); and the third group on
activities, resources and
procedures

22
 PREVENTIVE CONSERVATION

UNIT 3: ANALYSIS

Module 1: What do we mean by analysis?

Aim: You will be able to organize, combine and interpret relevant data being collected in order to
identify potential problems (as well as positive aspects).

ACTIVITY 12: WHAT DOES ANALYSIS MEAN?

Time: 30 minutes

Once you have collected data, you will need to use it in order to understand the actual situation.
For this, you have to analyze what you have collected. But what does analysis mean?
DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION
Group exercise Dictionary, Knowledge of This activity will A definition and a
board use of a familiarize you list of key words
Look for the different meanings dictionary. with the concept about analysis.
of analysis in the dictionary, Working in of analysis.
and discuss with your team to group.
know which is the appropriate
one, relating to the
conservation field.

Then discuss with the class and

agree on the most relevant
keywords.

Note the relevant definition and

key words on the board.

Watch point:
The key words you found are essential, as they introduce you to the idea of organizing,
ordering, and interpreting.

23
 ACTIVITY 13: CLASSIFY THE DATA COLLECTED
Time: 1 hour 30

In order to understand a given situation, you need first to identify relevant data, relating to it,
which will be the basis of your reflection. You need to classify it, in order to give it a sense, and
to be able to use it.

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Group exercise (45 minutes) Pen and Unit 2, module You will be Three tables
paper, 2, “how do we able to classifying
worksheet review the classify the context,
Using the results of activity 11, and IV. current data negative
considering your personal situation? “, collected, in aspects, positive
experience and knowledge, in the working in group order to use aspects,
3 groups for activity 11, classify the it. indicators and
information you collected for: agents for each
of the three
• Location of their museum areas assessed.
(outside environment) and the
museum building;
• Exhibition and storage fixtures,
the internal environment and
collection; and
• Activities, resources and
procedures,
Using worksheet IV,

Illustrate Negative aspects with

the indicators you have collected
and state the associated agent (i.e.
indicator: mould; agent: high
humidity).

Then each group will have 15

minutes to present their results to
their colleagues.

Watch point:
For each category, some data indicate problems or potential problems, and some data indicate
positive aspects. Some of the problems are a priority as they are urgent to solve (because they
can for example destroy the collection, rapidly or extensively). Some of them can be solved later
on (short term, medium term or long term).
It is essential to remember that the data showing the positive aspects is as essential as the one
showing the problems, in order to give a clear idea of the situation.

24
ACTIVITY 14: STUDY THE DATA COLLECTED
Time: 4 hours 30

ACTIVITY 14.1: INTERPRET THE DATA COLLECTED

Time: 3 hours

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Group exercise Results of Activities 11 and You will be A synthesis
Unit 2, pen 13. able to showing the
and paper synthesize situation of the
Mix the groups in order to have one information museum, as it
or two representative of each and give an relates to
previous group in it (building, overview of conservation.
collection, procedures…) and form 3 the situation,
or 4 new groups. showing
positive and
negative
The groups combine the data from sides.
activity 13 into one information list.

They then analyze, compare and

associate information gathered in
the different groups of activity 13 to
arrive at a combined assessment of
areas of excellence of the museum
and the museum’s problem areas,
highlighting causes and effects.

They identify where they don’t have

enough information to make a
decision, what further information
they would need and where they
could get it. (They can cross check
information with staff of the
museum).

Each group’s combined assessment

of areas of excellence of the
museum and the museum’s problem
areas will be shared with the class
in a 20 minutes presentation.

25
ACTIVITY 14.2: EXPLAIN THE DATA COLLECTED
Time: 1 hour 30

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Group exercise Results of Activities 14.1. You will be able Three
activities to give an presentations
14.1, pen overview of the giving an overall
Each group has 20 minutes and paper, situation of the analysis of the
maximum to present its results overhead museum, situation of the
on an overhead projector. projector, showing positive museum.
transparents and negative
This presentation could be seen and sides.
transparency
as a synthesis on the situation pens
to the museum’s director.

A discussion will follow the

presentations.

26
Module 2: About standards, guidelines and recommendations
Aim: Introduces the concept of standards, guidelines and recommendations in preventive
conservation and encourage a balanced approach towards their use.
You will understand the role/implications of standards. You will be able to interpret them
correctly and apply them intelligently to a specific situation.

ACTIVITY 15: WHAT DO “STANDARDS” MEAN?

Time: 1 hour

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Individual exercise (45 Information Working in This activity will Text explaining
minutes) sheet 3, groups. introduce you to what standards,
worksheet V. the concept of guidelines and
standards and recommendations
Read, in the information sheet 3 its meaning. are, and how they
given (“Standards in preventive can be useful for
conservation: meanings and the preservation of
applications”, by Rebeca collections.
Alcantara), the paragraphs 1.1
and 1.2 concerning definition
and development issues.

Then, look at the examples

proposed on the worksheet V,
noting the differences between
the types of standards, the
various concepts and
approaches?

Group exercise (15 minutes)

Write a small text for the use by

your museum, explaining what
standards, guidelines and
recommendations are, and how
they can be useful for the
preservation of collections.

27
 ACTIVITY 16: HOW TO USE STANDARDS?
Time: 2 hours
Some standards, guidelines and recommendations might be a good reference for any type of
museum institution (i.e. handle an object with 2 hands by its strongest part); others may not be
relevant depending on the context (cultural, institutional…), This activity will allow you to be
familiar with some of the standards and to be able to determine which ones are applicable in
your situation.
DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION
Individual exercise (45 minutes) Worksheet Capacity to This activity List of standards
VI. comprehend will sensitize adapted and
Each student reads the standards and be critical you to the fact applicable to
given in worksheet VI, keeping in when reading that standards own situation.
mind: materials. have to be
taken
cautiously and
-Which of the standards, guidelines may need to
and recommendations would be be adapted to
useful for his / her institution, your own
situation.
The standards you will read are
made for Community Museums in
Ontario, Canada, and are:
- Collections standard
- Exhibition standard
- Conservation standard

Group exercise (1 hour 15)

Discuss and agree with your group
on which standards are useful in
your context, which one is not, and
why.

Then discuss and agree on how

you could apply them in your
institution and whether they will
need to be modified?

The Group results will be

presented and discussed with the
class.

Recommended reading
ALCANTARA Rebecca, Standards in preventive conservation: meanings and applications,
ICCROM, 2000

28
 PREVENTIVE CONSERVATION

UNIT 4:
RISK ASSESSMENT - A TOOL FOR PRIORITIZATION
Once we have analyzed the situation in our museum, we must propose and take the necessary
measures, which will reduce further deterioration. As we need to make the best use of the
available resources, it will be essential not to focus on the most obvious or most familiar
problems, but to recognize and attend to the most important risks that might affect our
collections.

Risk assessment is a method to identify these most important risks, and how important they are.
In order to apply this method, you should know:
- What are the agents which can cause deterioration or loss of the collections?
- What are your collections: the various categories of objects, their location, their use, how
sensitive they can be to one or the other agent of deterioration, and also their relative
importance to the mission and role of your museum?

With the risk assessment method, we estimate the importance of each risk, i.e. we attribute a
value (can be a number, a star…), which will allow us to compare it with the other risks and
define priorities.

This unit is an introduction to this complex process. It is aimed at familiarize you with the
method. Later, you will be able to go deeper into methods by reading the recommended
documents.

Watch point:
Definitions: (from Robert Waller – Risk management applied to preventive conservation)
Risk is the chance of an undesirable change occurring.
Risk assessment is the analysis of the magnitude of each and all risks affecting some entity.
Risk management is the application of available resources in a way that minimizes overall
risks.
Definitions: (from J. Ashley–Smith - Risk assessment for object conservation)
Hazard is a material, agent or action that sometimes has an undesirable effect.
Risk is either the probability that a hazard will cause the undesired effect in specified conditions
and within a specified time, or an indication of the probable loss due to hazard in the specified
circumstances.
Risk assessment is an informed judgment about particular risks.
Risk management is the control of exposure to hazards in order to minimize risk.

29
Recommended reading:
KEENE Suzanne, Managing conservation in museums, London, 1996, p.63-78.

From Suzanne Keene - Managing conservation in museum, p. 63-64.

“In order to control and reduce the risks to resources, we must understand the
types of risk and the relationship between their severity and their natural
frequency, systematically identify the sources of risk and measure them, take
decisions on how to handle risk, develop systems of loss control, and finally plan
how to recover from large-scale loss should it occur.
Risk is seen as being made up of four components:
- Threats: the forces that could cause loss.
- Resources: what is at risk (collections)?
- Modifying factors that reduce the probability or the severity of the
Consequences of risk.
- The consequences, if the threat materializes: the effect of the loss on the
operations of the organization.”

30
Module 1: What is the relationship between agents, risks and effects?
Aim: You will be able to establish relationships between the agents of deterioration, the related
specific risks and the effect on collections.

17: LINK BETWEEN AGENTS OF DETERIORATION,

ACTIVITY
SPECIFIC RISKS AND EFFECTS ON THE OBJECT
Time: 1 hour

Watch point:
Agent of deterioration: cause of damage to or loss of collections, parts of collections or
individual objects (e.g. pests,).
Specific risk: The expected danger posed by an agent of deterioration (undesirable change
occurring due to a specific cause (e.g. pests: partial or total loss, due to pests feeding, etc.).
Effect: Resulting damage on the objects; the consequence, if the agent of deterioration is not
controlled (e.g. pests: perforation, soiling, tunneling, staining, etc.).

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Group exercise Worksheet VII, Knowledge on This activity will A table classifying
overhead deterioration show you the agents of
projector. mechanisms, relation between deterioration, the
Fill the empty parts of the activities 13 and agents of specific risks and
worksheet VII, using : 14.1. deterioration, effects (damage),
- The specific risks and specific risk and in 10 categories of
effects found during the effect (damage) agents of
survey on site, (refer to deterioration.
indicators and agents
column in result of activity
13 and 14.1) and your
experience and knowledge.

Share the results of the

different groups on a
common worksheet, under
the facilitator’s coordination.

31
Module 2: Estimating the various risks

Aim: During this module, you will familiarize yourself with the concept of risk assessment scales.
The risk assessment method used in this module has been elaborated by Stefan Michalski
(Canadian Conservation Institute) and Robert Waller (Canadian Museum of Nature).
The process is made through four risk assessment scales. It is important to remember that they
are not a precise science. They are simply a guide to setting priorities in a preventive
conservation survey of a museum, using your experience. It is essential to still use common-
sense and intuition.

ACTIVITY 18: HOW SOON?

Time: 45 minutes

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Group exercise Pen and Activity 17; You will be A list of risks
paper, understand the able to linked to a
According to the results found in worksheet risks concept; estimate the number
activity 17, the facilitator will give a VIII, board. know the cause probability of a (probability).
few different specific risks to each (agent) that can risk occurring
affect a in your
group, in order to cover all the particular collection.
topics. collection.

Using the scale given in work

sheet VIII, estimate for each
specific risk, and depending of its
nature, if it could occur or if all
possible damage could occur in 1,
10, 100 or 1000 years.

Each group presents its results to

the class and justifies them, if there
are any questions. If some
information is missing for them to
answer more precisely, they will
have to identify them.
The facilitator writes the results on
the board.

Watch point:
“Rate or probability of damage is a judgment based on the science of materials, on experience
of artifacts, on history of evidence from the collection itself”. (Stefan Michalski)

32
ACTIVITY 19: HOW MUCH DAMAGE TO EACH OBJECT?
Time: 45 minutes

Aim: You will be able to estimate the proportional loss of value. The activity simply uses two
extremes: total loss of value at one extreme, repairable loss at the other extreme, and places
one more category in the middle.

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Group exercise Pen, paper, Activities 17 and 18; With this A list of risks
worksheet understand the risks activity, you linked to a
The same groups (as in activity IX, board. concept, know the will evaluate number
18) work on the same specific cause (agent) that the amount (percentage of
risks. can affect a of damage loss)
particular collection. that will be
caused if
Using the scale given in work object is
sheet IX, estimate for each affected by
specific risk if there will be a the risk.
total or almost total loss of
object, a significant but limited
damage to each object, or a
moderate or reversible damage
to each object.

Each group presents its results

to the class and justifies them if
there are any questions. If
some information is missing for
them to answer more precisely,
they will have to identify them.
The facilitator writes the results
on the board.

33
ACTIVITY 20:
HOW MUCH OF THE COLLECTION IS AFFECTED?
Time: 1 hour

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Group exercise Pen, paper, Activities 17, 18, With this A list of risks
worksheet 19; understand activity, you linked to a
The same groups (as in activity 18 & X, board. the risks will estimate number.
19) work on the same specific risks. concept; know the fraction (Fraction
the cause (part) of the (part) of the
(agent) that can collection at collection at
Using the scale given in work sheet affect a risk. risk.)
X, estimate for each specific risk if all particular
or most of the collection, a large collection.
fraction of collection, a small fraction
of collection or one object will be
affected.

Each group presents its results to the

class and justifies them if there are
any questions. If some information is
missing for them to answer more
precisely, they will have to identify
them.
The facilitator writes the results on
the board.

34
 ACTIVITY 21: VALUE OF THE AFFECTED OBJECTS?
Time: 2 hours 15
Aim: You will be able to determine the value of a specific collection and quantify the potential
loss of value if deterioration occurs.

ACTIVITY 21.1 : MEANING OF VALUE - DEFINITION

time: 30 minutes

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Group exercise Dictionary, Knowledge of This activity A definition
board. use of a will help you to and a list of
Look for the different meanings of dictionary. define the key words
value in the dictionary, and discuss Working in different about value
with your team to know which is the group. meanings of
“value”.
appropriate one, as relates to the
conservation field.

Then discuss with the class and

agree on the most relevant
keywords.

Note the relevant definition and key

words on the board.

Recommended reading:
ASHLEY-SMITH Jonathan, Risk assessment for object conservation, Oxford : Butterworth-
Heinemann, 1999, p.84-85.

35
ACTIVITY 21.2: WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO CONSERVE?
Time: 1 hour

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Brainstorm Pen and Brainstorming With this activity, A list of the
cardboards, techniques. you will review different values
Considering the objects on the objects, Activity 21.1 the different for African
table and your own experience, production of categories of collections
list the different types of values activity 21.1. “values” for
collections.
you can define for your
collections (why it is important
to conserve them).

Write them on cards and stick

them on the wall.

ACTIVITY 21.3:
HOW IMPORTANT ARE THE AFFECTED OBJECTS?
Time: 45 minutes

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Group exercise Pen, paper, Unit 4, module With this activity, A list of risks
worksheet 2; understand you will evaluate linked to a
The same groups work on the XI, board. the risks the value of number.
same specific risks as in concept; know objects at risk.
preceding activities. the cause that
can affect a
particular
Using the scale given in work collection.
sheet XI, estimate for each Working in
specific risk the value of objects group.
at risk.

Each group presents its results

to the class and justifies them if
there are any questions. If
some information is missing for
them to answer more precisely,
they will have to identify them.
The facilitator writes the results
on the board.

36
Module 3: Setting priorities

Aim: You will be able to establish a scale of problems/risks ranking them from the most to the
less urgent/acute.
According to the sensitivity of collections, the potential loss of value and the rate of deterioration,
you will be able to make judgment about the significance of a problem/risk in comparison with
others.

ACTIVITY 22 : RANKING THE RISKS

time: 45 minutes

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Class exercise Paper and Unit 4, module The aim of the A list of risks
pen, results 2. activity is to classified by
Using the different results found in of last classify the priorities.
the last 4 steps (18, 10, 20 & 21.3), activities, risks to a
add the results of the scales for worksheet collection from
XII. the most to the
each specific risk, and rank them less urgent /
from the bigger score to the smaller. acute.

Using the worksheet XII, determine

the type of priority, from extreme
priority to museum maintenance.

Do you agree, or are you surprised

with the results? You can discuss
with the class.

ACTIVITY 23 : DETERMINING PRIORITIES

Time: 30 minutes

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Brainstorming Results of Activity 22, You will List of 3 top
activity 22. brainstorming determine priorities.
techniques. what the 3 top
Using the results of activity 22, and priorities for
your common sense, experience the museum
etc. identify the 3 areas where the are.
museum should invest funds, staff
and equipment.

37
 PREVENTIVE COSERVATION

Unit 5: RESPONSE

Module 1: identify the ideal responses

Aim: You will be able to list all solutions to the problems you encounter.

ACTIVITY 24 : ORGANIZING THE RESPONSES

Time: 2 hours

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Brainstorming (1 hour) Cards, Brainstorming This activity List of
board, techniques. will show you organized
information how to actions.
After the facilitator’s presentation of sheet 6. organize the
the 5 steps defined in the Canadian different
Conservation Institute’s Framework solutions in a
for preservation of museum’s meaningful
collections, apply it to the example way.
given by the facilitator.

The framework is presented in

information sheet 6.

ACTIVITY 25: WHERE TO LOOK FOR HELP?

time: 30 minutes
Once you know what your problems are, you need to find appropriate responses to those
problems. For this, you can use different resources.
DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION
Brainstorm Board. Brainstorming This activity is List of
techniques designed to resources
remind you all the available.
Identify the sources of information sources of
you can get to solve a problem. information you
can get from
which you can
gather solutions
to problems.

38
ACTIVITY 26 : IDENTIFY ALL THE RESPONSES
Time: 4 hours

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Group exercise (3 groups) Access to Working in You will be List of
library, team, know how able to search solutions for
internet, to use internet, for relevant one or two
Each group has to treat one of the 3 museum communication information problems
top priorities determined in activity staff, etc. skills. from different
23. Information Activities 23 and sources that
sheet 6, 25. will provide
In each group, you have to list all bibliography. them with
different
solutions they can find just by solutions to
sharing their various experiences the same
(45 minutes). problem, and
organize the
Then, they have to list all other solutions in a
meaningful
solutions proposed to the same type way.
of problems, using at least one of
the sources of information defined in
the last activity (2 hours 30).

Each source identified has to be

used by at least one group.

Read the online resources provided

in the bibliography.

Organize the results following the

CCI Framework (information sheet
6), and present the results to the
class. Each group has 15 minutes
for presentation.

39
Module 2: Criteria to select appropriate responses
Aim: The aim of this Unit is to assist you in determining benefits versus feasibility (cost, required
resources) in order to select the most appropriate responses i.e. that are financially and
practically sustainable.

ACTIVITY 27 : REALISTIC VS IDEALISTIC RESPONSES

Time: 2 hours

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Group exercise The list of Activity 26, This activity 2 groups of
solutions working in aims to remind solutions; those
Take the list of solutions of activity from activity group. you that not all you could
26. Choose from the list, the 26, pen and gathered implement in the
solutions you could implement in paper responses to a institution and
problem may those you
the institution with the actual staff, be appropriate couldn’t.
and actual financial resources, and to your
the one you couldn’t. situation.
Explain the reasons why.

Present your results to the other

groups.

40
Module 3: How to use and develop existing and potential resources?
Aim: The unit will encourage you to make the most of existing resources and to find alternatives
resources which are required to implement the improvements

ACTIVITY 28 : IDENTIFY
YOUR ACTUAL RESOURCES AND THE
POTENTIAL RESOURCES
Time: 1 hour
Many institutions have definite and limited resources; human, financial or material. It is,
however, possible to find new resources. You will share their various experiences in order to
identify the resources that they may not have or may not see as resources.

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Brainstorm Board. Brainstorming This activity will List of the
techniques. point out all the actual and
Using your various experiences, identify resources you potential
the actual resources existing in your can or could resources.
institutions, and the potential resources use.
you could develop.

List them in 2 columns on the board.

41
ACTIVITY 29: HOW TO DEVELOP POTENTIAL RESOURCES?
Time: 3 hours

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Group exercise Bibliographic Use of internet, This activity 5 different
resources C working in will help you plans to
Read the articles in the bibliographic to Q, group, has read to create a develop
resources C to Q before starting this internet, bibliographic strategy in potential
activity. library, resources C to order to resources.
board. Q. develop
potential
Create 5 groups. resources for
One of each will have to treat one of your
the 5 following subjects : institution.
- Public funding ;
- Private funding ;
- Volunteers, museums friends
association, public ;
- Cooperation (with other
museums), partnerships,
twinning, network ;
- Lucrative activities (commercial
products, space renting, events
organization…).

For each one, you will develop the

strategy in order to generate
resources: objectives, how you will act,
what you will propose, what you can
offer in exchange, how you will
implement.
You can use articles, internet or any
resource to help you.

The last hour will be devoted to the

presentation of the results to the group.

42
ACTIVITY 30 : WHAT ARE YOUR NEEDS
Time: 2 hours

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Group exercise The list of Activity 27. You will be A list of
solutions Working in able to work resources and
Each group takes its list of from activity group. out the needs a strategy to
“idealistic” responses found in 27, pen and in term of find them.
activity 27 and determines what paper resources for a
specific
resources would be necessary in response
order to implement them.

Then they have to organize a

strategy to find the resources
needed.

Present your results to the other

groups.

43
Module 4:
Establish a budget, and work plan for short term and long-term activities
Aim: Using all the results they have found, you will be able to draw up a budget and a work plan
in order to improve the situation or avoid a disaster.

ACTIVITY 31 : PLAN VS LUCK

Time: 2 hours

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Sketches None Basic idea about This activity Sketches on a
performing in intends to situation,
Form groups of 4 persons. front of an show what the planned or
audience. results are unplanned.
Each group has to find a changing Working in when changes
situation from the daily life (new group. are planned or
baby in the family, house moving…). when they are
Then they have to imagine what not.
happens if the changes are planned
or not and create a short drama
sketch.
Each group presents their sketch (a
few minutes each)
Each sketch is discussed after it is
presented.

Watch point: It is absolutely necessary to plan actions and changes.

ACTIVITY 32: DIFFERENT TYPES OF ACTIONS?

Time: 2 hours

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Individual exercise Results of Activity 26, With this Results in a
activity 26, Working in activity, you common table,
Refer to the list of actions (activity worksheet group. will realize that lists of
26), fill the worksheet XIII. XIII, pen, some solutions prerequisites.
board, can be
overhead undertaken
Group exercise projector. easily, and
Discuss with the group to know if than others
everybody agrees and fill a common need more
table. preparation.

Then for each action, list all the

prerequisites you need to have
before implementing it.

Then, present group results to class.

44
 ACTIVITY 33:
FROM SIMPLE IMPROVEMENT TO MAJOR PROJECTS
Time: 2 hours

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Group exercise Paper, pen Working in This activity 2 groups of
results groups, intends to solutions, on a
Using the actions you found in activity 26. activities 26, 30 show that time scale.
activity 26, and the following results, and 32. some solutions
classify them in 2 groups : can be
undertaken on
a. Simple improvement a short term,
b. Major projects and others on
long terms
Then, rank them chronologically on
a line representing time, from “now”
to in 10 years time.

Watch point:
How to achieve your goal:
- Identify all steps necessary and all equipment necessary, all the people needed for each step.
- Identify gaps in your knowledge or skill that might hold up the process
Key words: Plan, prepare, implement, review, improve, complete, celebrate

ACTIVITY 34: HOW TO BUDGET FOR A PROJECT

Time: 2 hours

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Group exercise Paper, pen Working in This activity Budgets for a
results of group. intends to enable simple projects
Read worksheet XVI on activity 33, you produce a
budgeting and study the worksheet budget for a
example of a budget given XVI. simple project
there.

Each group chooses one of the

Simple improvements identified
in Activity 33.

They identify/list all the required

inputs (resources) needed to
carry out the improvement.

They then add a cost to each

input and produce a budget.

Each group budget is presented

to the class and discussed.

45
ACTIVITY 35: HOW TO PRESENT A WORK PLAN
time: 2 hours

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Individual exercise Worksheet Know what is This activity A better
XIV, pen, the objective of intends to understanding
Read worksheet XIV and study the paper a work plan show you on work plan.
example of work plan provided there. that there are
Compare this work plan with others many ways
of presenting
provided by the facilitator. work plan
and that you
Evaluate which is the most clear and have to draw
usable for you, and why. (1hour) your own
plan
depending of
Class exercise the situation.
Compare the results. Does everybody
agree? A discussion can be
launched with the facilitator’s Help on
the advantages of each type. (1 hour)

ACTIVITY 36 : PREPARE YOUR OWN WORK PLAN

Time: 2 hours 30

DESCRIPTION MATERIAL PRE-REQUISITES OBJECTIVE PRODUCTION

Group exercise Results of Know what a This activity A work plan
activity 34, work plan is, will allow you for each
Same groups as in activity 34 work to pen, paper, and how to apply group.
produce a work plan for their project. overhead present it, knowledge
projector. activities 34 & acquired and
35. draw up your
Each group work plan is presented to Working in own work plan.
the class and discussed. group.

46
 PREVENTIVE CONSERVATION

LIST OF WORKSHEETS
I. Life-span of an object
II. What are the types of objects and materials in the collection
III. What data to collect for your survey
IV. Classify the data collected
V. Compare institutional standards on relative humidity
VI. How to use standards
VII. Link between agents of deterioration, specific risks and effects
VIII. How soon?
IX. How much damage, to each affected object?
X. How much of the collection is affected?

XI. How important are the affected objects?

XII. Priorities

XIII. Different types of actions?

XIV. Work scheduling and examples of work plans

XV. Definition of preventive conservation

XVI. Budgeting for a project

47
Worksheet
I. LIFE-SPAN OF AN OBJECT
Put two marks on the graph indicating the start and end of your working life - how long?
Worksheet
II. WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF OBJECTS AND MATERIALS
IN THE COLLECTION

Objects Percentage Materials

Worksheet
III. WHAT DATA TO COLLECT FOR YOUR SURVEY page 1

In order to understand the situation in your museum, you need to set up a method :
1. Define clearly the objectives of the survey ;
2. Gather the general information (plan, documents…) you need ;
3. Define what to look for ;
4. Define where to look for ;
5. Define who you will interview, what you will ask and make appointments ;
6. Gather specific documents if needed.

Depending of your objectives, you will use part or all information presented in this sheet, or other specific
information that you will determine yourself.
This document is not exhaustive, but it gives you a framework for your survey.

Documents generally needed :

- Plans of the location
- Plans of the museum
- Gazette, ownership documents, publications on history…
- Documentation of the collection
- Records, reports (environment, climate, earthquake, former infestations, former fires,
thefts…)
- Budgets

The different data can be located on the plans or note down on sheet prepared in advance.
I. Location and building
Geographic location of the museum (city centre, ocean coast…)
Immediate surroundings ( vegetation, sand, roads, highway…)
Type of climate
Possible disasters (earthquakes, infestations…)
Number of museum buildings
Roof :
- type of construction and materials,
- general condition,
- are gutters clean and sound,
- are drains clean and sound,
- are there leaks
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III. WHAT DATA TO COLLECT FOR YOUR SURVEY page 2

Exterior walls :
- type of construction and materials,
- general condition,
- are gutters far from the walls, are they clean and sound,
- is there a god drainage away from walls,
- are there leaks, cracks, stains, evidence of moisture,
- is vegetation against walls or close form walls,
- percentage of windows-doors

II. Inside of the building (has to be done for all parts of the museum)
Layout (street-level, floors…)
Number of rooms
Windows and doors :
- number,
- type,
- condition
Environment :
- is there instruments to measure temperature and/or relative humidity,
- are they checked regularly,
- is there an air conditioning system,
- is it working 24 hours a day,
- does it control both temperature and humidity
- are fans available if needed
- are evidence of moisture, stains, mould visible and where,
Infestation :
- are evidence of infestation visible (nest, holes, frass, dead insects…)
- what type of pests : insects, rats, bats…
- are new acquisition examined before placed in the collection
- is there a quarantine area
- is there an inspection plan
- history of former infestations

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III. WHAT DATA TO COLLECT FOR YOUR SURVEY page 3

Lighting :
- type of lighting in the different areas
- are objects kept in front of windows
- are filters, curtains, shutters used to reduce light levels
- are lights turn off when not needed
Dust :
- are some objects dusty visible
- is there some dust on the floor, in the corners, under the furniture
- are protection against dust at windows or doors (sealed, airtight…)
Fire security :
- are there fire extinguishers, if yes are they reachable, are they checked regularly
- is there a fire detection system, if yes is it in good condition
- are there water pipes reachable, and in good condition
- is the electrical system in good condition
Theft / Vandalism security :
- is it easy to break in (presence of good locks, strong doors or windows, shutters, bars…)
- are there guards during the day, at night outside of the museum
- is there a security alarm
- are the keys reachable by anybody in the institution
- are the objects in showcases, if yes are the showcases locked
- are the objects outside showcases easily reachable by the public
- are there attendant in the rooms or guides during the visits
Water disaster
- is the plumbing system in good condition
III. Collections

Identification
- number of objects
- number of inventoried objects
- types of objects and percentage
- types of materials (% organic, % inorganic, % heterogeneous)
- localisation in the museum

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III. WHAT DATA TO COLLECT FOR YOUR SURVEY page 4

Types of degradation and percentage - do they look old (passive) or do they look active
- mechanical : cracks, breaks, distortions, abrasions, flakes…
- chemical : corrosion of metals, discoloration of textiles or paintings, shrinkage of leather,
signs of salts on ceramics, signs of pollution…
- biological : frass, exit holes, live or dead insects, droppings, eated objects ; mould (white,
greenish or greyish spots or cotton like materials on the surface)
- dust : on the floor, on the corners, on the objects

Conservation conditions in storage

- storage fixtures : are there enough shelving, are they in good condition, stable, adequate
in term of type and materials…
- are objects accessible in shelving
- are objects resting on the floor
- are objects on top of each other
- are objects kept in appropriate contenants
- are there supports, mounts…, if yes, are they appropriate
- are instable objects wedged
Conservation conditions in storage
- are objects in showcases, if yes, are they appropriate, stable
- are objects reachable by the public
- are objects resting on the floor
- are there supports, mounts…, if yes, are they appropriate
- are instable objects wedged
- are objects presented in front of windows

IV. Collection management

State of the documentation
- number of objects inventoried
- computerization of documentation
- are files in order

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III. WHAT DATA TO COLLECT FOR YOUR SURVEY page 5

Planning
- is there a disaster preparedness plan, if yes is it updated and appropriate
- is there a maintenance plan, if yes is it appropriate and followed
- are there regular inspections of the collections, if yes what for
- is there environment control system (thermo hygrographs, (de)humidifiers, air conditioning
system…), if yes are they in good condition, are they checked regularly,
- are there records on environment, if yes are they filed properly, are they used to review
the climate…
Staff
- what are the responsibilities of the staff
- who is in charge of the collection
- who has access to the collection
- who takes the decisions

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Worksheet
IV. CLASSIFY THE DATA COLLECTED
Sheet : Building / Collections / Activities, resources, procedures

Context Positive aspects Negative aspects

General information

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Worksheet
V. COMPARE INSTITUTIONAL STANDARDS ON RELATIVE
HUMIDITY
Type 1 : Thomson G., The museum environment, 2nd edition, Butterworths, 1986.
50 or 55 +/- 5% RH

Type 2 : Smithsonian Institution – Standards for Managing Museum Property

a. Monitor and record relative humidity levels ;
b. Maintain relative humidity within an acceptable range and avoid extreme levels and wide
fluctuations ;
c. Establish acceptable ranges and limits of relative humidity for each unit, based on the local
climate, the nature and condition constituting the collection, the RH levels to which the materials
have been acclimatized, the structure housing museum property, and other relevant factor ;
ideally, fluctuations should not exceed 3% RH per month ;
d. Maintain relative humidity levels below 65% RH to reduce the potential for mould growth ;
e. Maintain relative humidity levels above 35% RH to prevent desiccating and shrinking of organic
materials ; and
f. Record data continuously for one year, and evaluate the data before establishing acceptable
ranges and limits.

Type 3 : Standards for Saskatchewan Museums, 1991

- Essential standards
one person responsible for monitoring and recording environmental levels and making recommendations
for improvements or changes
- Basic standards
Optimum = 47-53%RH +/- 2%RH daily
Range = 38-55%RH +/- 2%RH daily, 5% RH monthly
- Advance standards
Relative humidity automatically monitored and adjusted to meet published CCI specifications by air
conditioning system

Type 4 : Environmental Standards for Exhibiting Library and Archival materials (draft 1995)
Set point between 35 to 50 % RH, inclusive
- Max daily variation +/- 5% RH in 24 hours
- Max. total variation +/- 5% RH
- Sensitive materials will require stricter controls e.g.+/- 2% RH

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Worksheet
VI. HOW TO USE STANDARDS ? page 1

Standards for Community Museums in Ontario

COLLECTIONS STANDARD
Objective of the Collections Standard
The artifacts in the museum's collection are a tangible representation of the community's
heritage, and to retain their informational and historical value they must be properly cared for
and documented. The museum will demonstrate its stewardship and facilitate access to
collections and the information they hold by maintaining a well organized, managed and
documented collection.
Requirements
1. The museum has a written collection development policy stating that it will:
a. Ensure that the scope of collection is consistent with the museum's statement of
purpose
b. Establish priorities for collection development
c. Demonstrate a commitment to ethical behaviour in collection development (e.g.
repatriation, human remains)
d. Meet municipal, provincial and federal legislative requirements that have an impact
on collecting activities (e.g. illicit materials)
2. The museum has a written collections management policy stating that it will:
a. Ensure appropriate procedures and documentation for the acquisition, use and
deaccessioning of artifacts in the collection
b. Ensure appropriate procedures and documentation for incoming and outgoing
loans
c. Ensure appropriate procedures for the management of collections records
d. Demonstrate a commitment to conservation standards in the labelling, care and
handling of artifacts
e. Distinguish between artifacts in a research (or study) collection and artifacts in an
education (or hands-on) collection
f. Meet municipal, provincial and federal legislative requirements that have an impact
on collections management and documentation (e.g. firearms, hazardous
materials).
3. The museum assigns the duties of a registrar to an appropriately trained staff member
and provides adequate time, workspace and funding for collections management
activities.
4. The museum uses an effective collection documentation system, which may be paper-
based, electronic, or a combination. The system will include a standardized numbering
system, an accession register, a master catalogue file, and signed donor and loan forms.
5. The museum keeps a periodically updated paper or electronic copy of the collection
records off-site in a secure location.
6. The museum's collection records are current.

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Worksheet
VI. HOW TO USE STANDARDS ? page 2

EXHIBITION STANDARD
Objective of the Exhibition Standard
The museum's exhibits provide an important link between the community and its heritage. In the
planning and presentation of exhibitions, the museum will strive for accuracy of information,
relevance to the community, effective communication, opportunities for learning, and the safe
display of artifacts.
Requirements
1. The museum has a written exhibition policy stating that it will:
a. Ensure that the themes and number of exhibits are consistent with the museum's
statement of purpose and the needs and interests of the communities it serves
b. Demonstrate a commitment to accuracy and objectivity in exhibit presentation
c. Demonstrate a commitment to ethical behaviour in exhibit presentation
d. Meet conservation standards in exhibit design, materials and use of artifacts
e. Meet municipal, provincial and federal legislative requirements that have an impact
on exhibit presentation (e.g. safety codes, copyright, disability legislation).
2. All exhibits are consistent with the museum's exhibition policy.
3. The museum has an exhibition schedule comprising a mix of permanent and temporary
exhibits.
4. The museum ensures the relevance, accuracy and effective communication of each
exhibit by:
a. Establishing clearly defined objectives and evaluating exhibits against their
objectives
b. Using appropriate expertise, including staff, volunteers, community groups, or
consultants
c. Carrying out sufficient research.
5. The museum ensures that all staff (including volunteers) involved in the planning,
preparation and installation of exhibits have the necessary skills and training.
6. The museum ensures that exhibits are safe for visitors and staff by:
a. Placing hazardous materials in display cases
b. Adequately supporting, securing or providing barriers against heavy objects or
moving parts that could cause injury
c. Training staff in the safe operation of exhibits (e.g. machinery)
d. Meeting legislated requirements in the handling and display of firearms.
7. The museum endeavours to ensure that exhibits are accessible and capable of being
used and enjoyed by visitors of all ages and abilities.
8. The museum ensures that exhibits effectively promote learning and enjoyment through:
a. Providing a variety of interpretation methods to meet a range of visitor needs
b. Regularly replacing artifacts in permanent exhibits with other examples from
storage, to refresh the exhibits for the community's enjoyment as well as for
conservation purposes.
9. A portion of the museum's budget is allocated annually for exhibit development, design,
construction, maintenance and evaluation expenses.
10. The museum ensures that exhibit preparation activities that are harmful to artifacts are
carried out in a workshop that is isolated from collection areas (i.e. display and storage).
Such activities would include those that produce dust, excessive heat or vibrations, and
those that involve the use of aerosols and solvents (e.g. paints and varnishes).

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VI. HOW TO USE STANDARDS ? page 3

CONSERVATION STANDARD
Objective of the Conservation Standard
The museum has a responsibility to protect and preserve the collection entrusted to its care, so
that future generations will have the opportunity to enjoy and learn from it. The museum will
demonstrate its stewardship of the collection by following procedures that ensure the long-term
preservation of the collection.
Requirements
1. The museum has a written conservation policy that sets out how it will:
a. Demonstrate its understanding of the distinction between preventive care and
conservation treatment
b. Demonstrate its commitment to the preventive conservation of the collection
c. Establish priorities for making decisions regarding conservation treatment
d. Ensure that responsibility for collections care is delegated to appropriately trained
staff
e. Demonstrate a commitment to consult with and be guided by the advice of
qualified experts in conservation
f. Demonstrate a commitment to ethical behaviour in the care of collections
g. Meet municipal, provincial and federal legislative requirements that have an impact
on the conservation of collections.
2. The museum demonstrates a commitment to protecting the collection through proper
care and handling by:
a. Implementing a program of staff instruction in the safe handling of artifacts
b. Ensuring that artifacts are durable enough to withstand their proposed use (for
example, displays, interpretation, loans, hands-on activities)
c. Implementing safe packing, unpacking, and transportation procedures.
3. The museum provides one or more separate spaces for the storage of the collection.
These areas will be:
a. Used for collection storage only
b. Large enough to store existing artifacts without crowding and to accommodate
projected future acquisitions
c. Organized by type of object or material (for example, textiles, metals, wood)
d. Kept clean through the implementation of a regular housekeeping schedule
performed by staff or volunteers with the necessary training
e. Kept dark except when staff are present
f. Restricted to access only by curator or designate(s)
g. Equipped with suitable and safe shelves, cabinets and artifact supports.
4. The museum maintains the safety and preservation of artifacts on exhibit by:
a. Ensuring that cases and floor spaces are large enough to hold artifacts without
crowding or distortion
b. Ensuring that artifacts on display are adequately supported with safe materials
c. Using display materials (such as case materials, backgrounds, adhesives, labels)
that are not harmful to artifacts
d. Ensuring that exhibits are kept clean and maintained by staff trained in the
handling of artifacts
e. Ensuring that light-sensitive artifacts are displayed only for short periods of time

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Worksheet
VI. HOW TO USE STANDARDS ? page 4

f. Implementing a program of regular inspections of artifacts on exhibit to check for

losses and damage.
5. The museum ensures the security of the collection by the following measures:
a. Protecting artifacts from water damage
b. Protecting artifacts from theft and vandalism, including restricting access to
artifacts
c. The establishment of written standard procedures to deal with emergencies and
disasters, and training of all staff in these procedures.
6. The museum provides an appropriate environment for artifacts in all storage and exhibit
areas by:
a. Reducing visible light levels to accepted standards3
b. Removing all ultraviolet radiation
c. Maintaining relative humidity and temperature levels within an appropriate range
for museum artifacts4
d. Reducing dust and pollution through a combination of physical plant (e.g. use of
vestibule, appropriate air filtration) and preventive procedures (e.g. use of door
mats, no smoking rules)
e. Implementing a regular cleaning and maintenance schedule performed by staff or
volunteers with the necessary training
f. Implementing preventive pest management procedures, including regular
inspections for pests in the museum and inspection of all incoming collection and
non-collection material
g. Implementing a program of regular checking and recording of environmental
conditions, with follow up procedures to correct deficiencies.
7. The museum ensures that conservation treatment procedures will not damage artifacts
and are carried out in accordance with professional standards of practice by:
a. Ensuring that individuals treating artifacts have an appropriate level of training in
conservation
b. Ensuring that all conservation treatments are properly documented and the
documentation is retained on file
c. Ensuring that conservation treatment carried out in the museum takes place in a
separate space that is appropriately equipped and ventilated according to health
and safety standards.

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Worksheet
VII. LINK BETWEEN AGENTS OF DETERIORATION,
SPECIFIC RISKS AND EFFECTS
From Waller R. , Assessing and managing risks to cultural property page 1

Agents of deterioration Specific risks Resulting damage on the objects

Crushed by shelves collapsed Distortion from poor support,

Physical forces during an earthquake ; abrasion from constant vibration,
Breakage from dropping of drawers breakage from dropping objects,
or of objects ; puncture or scratching while placing
Distorsion from poor support objects…

Whole building destroy by fire ; Complete consumption, scorching,

Fire 1 Fire compartment destroyed ; soot, smoke and water damage.
1 square metre is destroyed by each
fire incident.

Dissolved or decomposed by flood Tide marks, dissolution,

Water water ; efflorescence, corrosion, swelling,
Tide marks from being wetted ; shrinking, warping, cockling,
Mold growth or corrosion from rising delamination, tenting, buckling from
damp. wetting.

Loss through a professional theft ; Disappearance of part or complete

Criminals Loss from isolated instances of theft objects or collections through theft,
or vandalism ; or disfiguring through vandalism.
Loss through pilfering.

Partial or total loss due to pests Perforation, grazing or chewing

Pests feeding. marks, soiling, tunneling, etching,
staining, weakening by insects, birds
or rodents.

Contamination due to fallout from Disintegration, corrosion, staining,

Contaminants nearby industrial or transportation discoloring, soiling, etching, by dust,
accident… ; organic vapors…
Contamination by use of a corrosive
cleaner, or soiling by dust during
construction ;
Reaction with gases and vapors
from storage hardware, or dissolved
by acidity in fluids

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Worksheet
VII. LINK BETWEEN AGENTS OF DETERIORATION,
SPECIFIC RISKS AND EFFECTS
From Waller R. ; Assessing and managing risks to cultural property page 2

Agents of deterioration Specific risks Resulting damage on the objects

Faded by light and UV radiation Fading, disintegration, darkening,

Light and UV radiation from windows, display lighting. yellowing, structural damage,
embrittlement… through light and
UV exposure.

Melted or distorted by exposure to Melting or increased chemical

Incorrect temperature higher than a critical temperature ; reaction from too low temperature ;
Chemical deterioration due to too embrittlement from too low
high temperature. temperature ; (rarely) fracture,
disintegration from drastic
temperature change.

Distortion or splitting due to Mould staining and weakening,

Incorrect relative humidity exposure to a higher or lower than hydration, corrosion, swelling,
critical relative humidity threshold ; crushing from too high RH ;
Chemical deterioration due to high shrinking, splitting, fracturing, and
relative humidity dehydratation from too low RH ;
(sometimes) fracture, checking from
too drastic a change in RH.
Loss through collection Inaccessibility, « irretrievability »,
Loss abandonment ; loss of objects, loss object data,
Loss of objects or object data, form misplacing…
through misplacing of objects, or
dissociation of objects from their
data… ;
Loss of ownership through failure to
ensure title, loss of access by
misplacement

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Worksheet
VIII . HOW SOON?
From Michalski S. and Waller R.
ICCROM-CCI course on preventive conservation : from current issues to common strategies, June 2003, CCI

Rate or probability of damage

RISKS THAT OCCUR AS DISTINCT EVENTS RISKS THAT ACCUMULATE GRADUALLY

3 Occurs about once in 1 year All the possible damage occurs in about once in
1 year
2 Occurs about once in 10 years All the possible damage occurs in about once in
10 years
1 Occurs about once in 100 years All the possible damage occurs in about once in
100 years
0 Occurs about once in 1000 years All the possible damage occurs in about once in
1000 years

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Worksheet
IX. HOW MUCH DAMAGE, TO EACH AFFECTED OBJECT ?
From Michalski S. and Waller R.
ICCROM-CCI course on preventive conservation : from current issues to common strategies, June 2003, CCI

Proportional loss of value

3 Total or almost total loss of object (100 %)

2 Significant but limited damage to each object (10%)

1 Moderate or reversible damage to each object (1%)

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Worksheet
X. HOW MUCH OF THE COLLECTION IS AFFECTED ?
From Michalski S. and Waller R.
ICCROM-CCI course on preventive conservation : from current issues to common strategies, June 2003, CCI

Fraction of collection at risk

3 All or most of the collection (100 %)

2 A large fraction of the collection (10%)

1 A small fraction of the collection (1%)

0 One object (0,1% or less)

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Worksheet
XI. HOW IMPORTANT ARE THE AFFECTED OBJECTS ?
From Michalski S. and Waller R.
ICCROM-CCI course on preventive conservation : from current issues to common strategies, June 2003, CCI

Value of objects at risk

3 Much higher than average significance (100 times the average value)

2 Higher than average significance (10 times the average value)

1 Average significance for this collection

0 Lower than average value for this collection (1/10 the average value)

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Worksheet
XII. PRIORITIES
From Michalski S. and Waller R.
ICCROM-CCI course on preventive conservation : from current issues to common strategies, June 2003, CCI

The scores from each of the four scales are added together. This total score is the Magnitude of
risk due to that specific risk. Overall, this simple system suggests the following categories of
priority :

9-10 Extreme priority.

Total collection loss is possible in a few years or less. These scores arise typically from very
high fire or flood probabilities, and fortunately, are rare.

6-8 Urgent priority.

Significant damage or loss to a significant portion of the collection is possible in a few years.
These scores typically arise from security problems, or very high rates of significant
deterioration from bright light, UB or damp.

4-5 Moderate priority.

Moderate damage to some objects is possible in a few years, or significant damage or loss is
possible after many decades. These scores are common in museums where preventive
conservation has not been a priority.

1-3 Museum maintenance.

Moderate damage or moderate risks of loss over many decades. These scores apply to the
ongoing improvements even conscientious museums must make after addressing all of the
higher risk issue.

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Worksheet
XIII. DIFFERENT TYPES OF ACTIONS ?

Action Alone Not With After With With other

alone actual training of actual budget
staff the staff resources

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Worksheet
XIV. WORK SCHEDULING AND EXAMPLES OF WORK
PLANS

• ESTABLISHING A WORK PLAN

A work plan is a document, which guides the efficient and timely execution of the project:
A work plan shows:
• The planned starting and completion dates for each activity (task)
• The sequence or logical order in which activities will be carried out
• The persons (s), Organization (s) and or institution(s) responsible for carrying out the
work

• PURPOSE OF WORK PLAN

• GUIDES project implementation

• Provides basis for PROGRESS REVIEWS and SELF EVALUATION
• Facilitates ACCOUNTABILITY
• Serves as a project SUMMARY information sheet
• Provides a TIMETABLE for project implementation

Producing a work plan:

• State the output(s) / Results
• State activities:-
- Group them (before, during, after)
- Group them by themes
- Establish how much time each task requires to be carried out
- Establish their start and ending times
- Place them on a big chart
- Ensure that they do not clash
- Add the name of the responsible person(s)/ institution(s)

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EXAMPLE 1.
From Managing conservation in Museums, 2nd edition – Suzanne Keene – Butterworth Heineman, 2002

70
EXAMPLE 2. Results from a former workshop

71
EXAMPLE 3. From a workshop of Africa 2009

72
73
EXAMPLE 4.
From Managing conservation in Museums, 2nd edition – Suzanne Keene – Butterworth Heineman, 2002

74
EXAMPLE 5.
From Managing conservation in Museums, 2nd edition – Suzanne Keene – Butterworth Heineman, 2002

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Worksheet
XV. DEFINITION OF PREVENTIVE CONSERVATION
FROM GAËL DE GUICHEN

Definition of terms

Conservation
Remedial (Curative) Conservation
Preventive Conservation

To ensure that cultural heritage (movable or immovable) is preserved, i.e. maintained in a state
where the barest minimum damage occurs, a number of actions need to be taken, as the
situation demands.

In other words, to increase the life expectancy of an object, actions would have to be taken
either:
• Directly on an element of the heritage, e.g. consolidation, repair, etc. Or
• Indirectly, i.e. around the object, e.g. good supports, safe lighting, etc.

We refer to direct actions on an object as remedial (curative) conservation and to indirect

actions ones as preventive conservation.

By remedial or curative conservation therefore we mean all direct actions aimed at increasing
the life expectancy of an object, and

By preventive conservation, we shall mean all indirect actions aimed at increasing the life
expectancy of an object.

By conservation, we shall mean all actions; direct or indirect aimed at increasing the life
expectancy of an element of the heritage.

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Worksheet
XVI. BUDGETING FOR A PROJECT
Why do you need a budget?

1. Before implementation:

- to prepare a fundraising strategy

- to understand how much you need to raise
- to demonstrate the scale of a project
- to enable you to be concrete
- to show that all inputs required are budgeted for
- to show that only inputs and activities needed for the project are budgeted
- to demonstrate credibility

2. During implementation:

- to guide spending
- to control spending

3. After implementation:

- to build credibility
- to report to sponsors

REMEMBER:
1. Only inputs in the budget
2. Don’t “pad” the budget
3. Use average size of partners’ grant as gauge (check what he / she has given before)
4. Minimize travel expenses
5. Avoid requesting equipment by brand name
6. Use conservative estimates for donated services, facilities and equipment (Your own)
7. Keep contingency, the unexpected costs to roughly 5%
8. If there are overheads, keep them down
9. Keep budget in line with annual budget and general capabilities of institution. (You may not
handle what you have not handled before)

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 EXAMPLE:
Programmme for Museum Development in Africa
2 weeks workshop

ACTIVITY RATE TOTAL

(In US$)
EXPENDITURE ESTIMATE
A. Resource Persons
Two (2)
1. Travel (x 1) @850 850
2.Accommodation ($ 28 x 15 days) @ $28/night (Bed & Breakfast) 420

3. Allowance: $ 20 x 15 days 20 / night 300

4. Appreciation $450 x2 weeks x 2 1,800

Local resource persons (Travel, accommodation, 550

allowance, appreciation)
5. Medical costs (x 1) $50 /Resource Person 50
B. Participants
6. Travel to/from Mombasa x 12 @850 / participant 10,200
7. Accommodation (x12 x 15 nights) $28 / night x 12 x 15 (Bed & 5,040
Breakfast)
8. Allowance (20 x 12 x 15 nights) 20/ Night x 12 x 15 3,600

9. Medical Costs (x 12) $ 50 each 600

C. Other Expenses
10. Equipment/materials/Communication ----- 1,000
11. Local transportation $20/day 320
12. Promotion, Study Visits and Social activities ----- 1,500
13. Report (Production & Distribution) ----- 300
14. PMDA Coordination costs 0.53 of a month $5,000
Sub Total 31,530
15. 3% Contingency 945
TOTAL: 32,475

INCOME
Generation2 - ICCROM 32,475

78
 PREVENTIVE CONSERVATION

LIST OF INFORMATION SHEETS

1. Agents of deterioration – from Gaël de Guichen

2. Different types of surveys – from Suzanne Keene, Managing

conservation in Museums, 2nd edition, Butterworth Heineman, 2002

3. Extracts of Standards in preventive conservation : meanings and

applications – by R. Alcantara

4. Classification of materials

5. Classification of objects

6. The 5 steps of CCI

79
Information sheet
1. AGENTS OF DETERIORATION
FROM GAËL DE GUICHEN

80
Information sheet
2. DIFFERENT TYPES OF SURVEYS
From Suzanne Keene, Managing conservation in Museums, 2nd edition Butterworth Heineman,
2002.

“In order to diagnose and eliminate the causes of deterioration, the preservation environment needs to
be assessed in the broadest sense, covering institutional policies, procedures, available staff and skills,
the history of the collections and space and physical resources for their preservation”.

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Information sheet
3. EXTRACTS OF STANDARDS IN PREVENTIVE
CONSERVATION : MEANINGS AND APPLICATIONS
by R. Alcantara

1.1 What is generally meant by standards?

The word standard has several definitions in the dictionary, and means different things to different
people. This can lead to a surprising degree of confusion, even at high levels. The participants in a
seminar on Conservation Standards in South Asia organised by the ICCROM, for instance, had some
difficulty in discussing the subject at hand until the dictionary entry was read aloud and the relevant
definition was specified. 1 Even when the word is used in a very concrete sense, its multiple nuances may
influence its comprehension. It is therefore important to be familiar with its full range of meanings, and,
as far as possible, to try to avoid blurring them.

Various definitions of the noun standard (a flag; an upright support; and others) are clearly irrelevant in
the present context. For our purposes, a more germane meaning of standard is “the authorised exemplar
of a unit of measure or weight”. The standard for a metre, for example, used to be a bar of platinum kept
in Paris, whose length all other metres were required to match. At the time, scientists agreed that this
would be the unit of reference for all further measurement. This concrete meaning is the basis for the
broader sense of the word: “a recognised example or principle to which others conform or should
conform or by which the accuracy or quality of others is judged.” A standard can thus signify a criterion, a
model, or even a rule. 2 Notice the range of nuances encompassed by one word: a criterion does not
imply forcible compliance, whereas a rule does.

In recent times, a standard has come to mean “a document embodying an official statement of a rule or
rules” as well as “a document specifying nationally or internationally agreed principles for manufactured
goods, procedures, etc.” 3 Thus, a museum’s rules for allowing access to its collections could be
considered a standard, as could the specifications for the manufacture of a CD. Again, in the first case,
enforceability is a fundamental issue, while in the second (much closer to the example of the platinum
metre) the chief concern is practicality.

To further complicate matters, the word standard is frequently synonymous with “a required or specified
level of excellence, attainment, wealth, etc.” This usage appears in expressions such as “The
conservation workshop should be up to standard.” Unfortunately, the connotation of excellence often
clings to the term even when it is used to label a procedure established quite arbitrarily, to manufacture
hairpins or whatnot.

Used as an adjective, “standard” usually means “of prescribed characteristics” or “commonly used,
customary”. It may also designate the most correct form of language, which is interesting in view of the
fact that one of the fundamental steps of standardisation is the definition of a common terminology.

SPAFA-ICCROM Seminar on Conservation Standards in South Asia: Final Report, Seameo Regional Centre for
1

Archaeology and Fine Arts (SPAFA) - ICCROM, Bangkok, 1989, pp. 3-8.
2
The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, Vol. 2, Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1993, p. 3028.
3
Ibid.
82
Finally, “standard” has specific meanings for industry that have permeated the use of the term in other
fields. In industry and engineering, a standard is “that which has been selected as a model to which
objects or actions may be compared.” Standards can be physical models; devices used to regulate
product attributes such as size, weight, or colour; or lists, formulas, or drawings which describe a
product’s features or certain procedures. 4 The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO)
currently defines standards as “documented agreements containing technical specifications or other
precise criteria to be used consistently as rules, guidelines, or definitions of characteristics, to ensure that
materials, products, processes and services are fit for their purpose.” 5

1.2 How did the industrial concept of standards develop?

It could be argued that standards have been used all over the world since ancient times, especially for
construction. Hammurabi set out accepted building practices; artisans in New Spain wrote down guild
specifications for the construction of altarpieces; English shipyards followed set guidelines. Early
standards helped people to communicate their ideas as well as to ensure the continuity of methods that
had proven their effectiveness at a local level. However, it was not until the Industrial Revolution that the
use of standards was raised to an unprecedented level. 6

As machines took over production, strict standards were needed to ensure compatibility between one
(interchangeable) part and another. At the same time, the standardisation of weights and measures
became more rigorous. Governmental offices, trade associations, and technical organisations began to
make their own efforts at standardisation. As commerce increased, export industries began to look for
ways to streamline international trade. ISO was founded in 1946 “to promote the development of
standards in the world, with a view to facilitating the international exchange of goods and sources, and to
developing mutual co-operation in the spheres of intellectual, scientific, technological and economic
activity.” 7

Standards in this context respond primarily to the need for greater compatibility, ease in communication,
and efficiency, in order to lower costs and increase profits. Of course, on a wider scale, the benefits of
standardisation go far beyond monetary gain, but one should remember that the basic incentive that has
driven most proposals for standardisation is economic, not an idealistic impulse to improve quality. For
instance, the standards governing voltage are different in Europe than in America. Neither is necessarily
better than the other; both facilitate the sale and use of machinery and electric appliances over a wide
region. It is not surprising that most international standards are produced for fields such as information
processing and communications, distribution of goods, energy production and utilization, shipbuilding, or
banking and financial services, and that adherence is entirely voluntary. If a standard succeeds in
proving its usefulness, it is embraced by industrial and service sectors.

ISO, like its national counterparts (for example, the American National Standards Institute, ANSI, the
British Standards Institution, BSI, and the Association Française de Normalisation, AFNOR), relies on the
work of technical committees to draft standards in particular fields. This appears to be more difficult at an
international level, as a wider variety of sometimes-conflicting viewpoints must be reconciled. Since
standards often have an arbitrary origin, countries may be reluctant to exchange their own standards for
others’, especially when this entails expense. For example, British automobiles still put the driver on the
right, and American thermometers still measure temperature in Fahrenheit.

4
The New Encyclopaedia Britannica, Vol. 11 (Micropaedia), 15th Edition, Chicago, 1987, p. 209.
5
http://www.iso.org/iso/en/aboutiso/introduction/index.html
6
KELLEY, Stephen J. (ed.), Standards for Preservation and Rehabilitation, ASTM, West Conshohocken, 1996, p.
1.
7
CROCKER, A. E., “International Standards”, in Dex HARRISON (ed.), Specification 1978: Building Methods and
Products, Vol. 5, The Architectural Press, London, 1978, pp. 190-1.
83
Information sheet
4. CLASSIFICATION OF MATERIALS
All materials can be identified by their origin or source.
1. Vegetal
2. Animal
3. Mineral

These again can be classified into organic & inorganic

Characteristics of organic materials:

Vegetal and Animal materials are all organic and they have similar characteristics.
™ Their chemical composition is based on carbon chain
™ They burn if ignited at room temperature
™ They are sensitive to light
™ They are subject to insect infestation
™ They are subject to micro organisms
™ They exchange vapor with atmosphere

Examples of some organic materials are : wood, raphia, rubber, wax, tortoise shell, vegetal
fibers, calebash, resin…
Examples of some of the objects made of organic materials are : clothes, basketry, leather
objects and wooden objects.

Characteristics of inorganic materials:

™ Their chemical composition is not based on carbon chains

™ They are not sensitive to light
™ They do not burn at ambient temperature
™ They are not subject to insect attack or microorganisms
™ They do not exchange water with atmosphere

Examples of some inorganic materials are : metals (iron, coper…), stones (limestone, lava…),
glass, plaster, synthetic materials, clay, cement…
Examples of some of the objects made of inorganic materials are : metal wires, stone artifacts,
coins etc.

The colour of various corrosion products on metal object act as good indicators of the metals in
question. E.g. iron will have reddish- brownish corrosion products and copper will have waxy
gray-white or light green powder, etc.

Note:
It is not always very easy to identify materials because:

™ Material could be superimposed one on top of the other e.g. wood veneer
™ Surface treatments may have altered the colour or the look of the material
™ Museum objects rarely come new. Usage or exposure may cause difference in colour,
texture, weight or rigidity.

84
Information sheet
5. CLASSIFICATION OF OBJECTS
There are different levels of analysis of a collection. It is possible to look at it in the point of view
of the form or function, or by technique.
The object categories by technique are probably the most adapted in order to understand the
sensitivity of the collection.
The following classification is the one proposed by Africom in “Handbook of standards”. Of
course, if the museum has its own classification, or if you want to you build your own
classification, feel free.

Object category by technique

- basketry
- binding
- cabinetwork
- carpentry
- ceramic
- embroidery
- flint knapping
- graphic arts (drawing, painting, engraving, calligraphy)
- glasswork
- masonry
- metallurgy
- mosaics (pavements)
- photography
- printing works (printed books, bills, wall paper…)
- rope work (and macramé, plaiding, knotted making…)
- sculpture (modelling, cutting)
- sewing
- silverwork and goldwork
- skin dressing (leather work, shoemaking, fancy leather)
- watch making
- weaving (material, thread)

85
Information sheet
6. FRAMEWORK FOR PRESERVATION OF MUSEUMS
COLLECTIONS
Canadian Conservation Institute

A. AVOID
Each agent of deterioration has the potential to harm museum objects. Therefore, sources and
attractants of each agents must be avoided. It is always preferable, but not always possible, to
avoid the agent rather than having to deal with the consequences by other means of control.

B. BLOCK
“Block” is frequently the most practical stage of control. If an agent cannot be avoided, then it
should be prevented from reaching or affecting artefacts. For example, fire walls and
compartments block fire, exclusion methods can be used to block pests, and vapour barriers
block moisture and contaminants.
Enclosures have special significance for museums. The building enclosure can be designed in
such a way that it not only blocks fire, criminals and water, but also pests, contaminants, UV
and incorrect relative humidity. Portable enclosures such as cases, cabinets, crates, boxes,
bags and bottles, are just as important as building features for blocking agents from reaching
individuals artefacts.

D. DETECT
If an agent of deterioration has not been avoided or blocked, then its presence will have to be
detected within the collection, either directly or by its effects. For example, one can detect either
the source of direct physical forces or the new damage caused by them.
Regular inspection of the collection is necessary to detect new damage early. The frequency of
inspections depends of the rate and risk of each agent. For example, constant monitoring is
required to detect fire and criminals as soon as they are present because they act quickly and
are major risks to the collection. However, only periodic monitoring is necessary to detect slower
agents, such as pests, contaminants, or agents that do not present as great a risk, such as
smaller water leaks.

R. RESPOND
Once the agent’s presence has been detected, action must be taken. Establish response
strategies in advance. Appropriate response time depends on the rate and risk of the agent.
Minutes count when responding to fire or criminals, but museum staff may have a day or more
before having to respond to damage by water, pests or damp. Continue response activities until
the agent is eliminated.

R.T. RECOVER / TREAT

If all attempts at controlling damage from an agent of deterioration fail, then steps must be taken
to recover from this damage by treating the affected artefacts. Usually, this involves cleaning,
consolidation and repair. However, much damage is impossible to undo. Some museum
collections include the building. When damaged, newer buildings and facilities may be repaired
or rebuilt, but rebuilding is a less acceptable or feasible option with historic buildings. In all
cases, it is better to establish control strategies so that this stage is never reached.

86
 PREVENTIVE CONSERVATION

BIBLIOGRAPHIC RESOURCES
A. ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums, January 2003 (www.icom.museum)

B. GUICHEN Gaël de, Preventive conservation : a mere fad or far-reaching change?,

Museum International, UNESCO, Paris, n°201, Vol.51, N°1, 1999.

C. ABUNGU George H.O., Museum : Arenas for dialogue or confrontation, ICOM News,
Special Issue, 2001.

D. SCHARER Martin R., Who will guard collective memory ?, ICOM News, n°2, 2002, p.3.

E. PINNA Giovanni, The real cost of turning museums into business, ICOM News, n°2,
2002, p.4.

F. IGARASHI Koichi, Developments in museum management in Japan, ICOM News, n°2,

2002, p.4.

G. TOLSTOY Vladimir, The growth of museum associations in Russia, ICOM News, n°2,
2002, p.5.

H. PIASECKI Jane, Museums in America, ICOM News, n°2, 2002, p.5.

I. BOSSI-COMELLI Carla, Friends of museums, ICOM News, n°4, 2002, p.3.

J. SERVENTY Carol, Who are friends ?, ICOM News, n°4, 2002, p.4.

K. PARTHOGH Lana der, Volunteering for educational programmes, ICOM News, n°4,
2002, p.5.

L. ANDRESEN Marianne, The social role of friends of museums, ICOM News, n°4, 2002,
p.5.

M. WALDEN David A., The taxing aspect of donations, ICOM News, n°3, 2002, p.3.

N. FRONTANILLA Oscar Centurion, Funding culture in Paraguay, ICOM News, n°3, 2002,
p.4.

O. CSERI Miklos, Support for culture and the Hungarian tax system, ICOM News, n°3,
2002, p.5.

P. DYER Vicky, Tax incentives for museums and galleries in the U.K., ICOM News, n°3,
2002, p.5.

Q. ICOM News, N°3, 1994: 6 articles on Fundraising

87
 PREVENTIVE CONSERVATION

BIBLIOGRAPHY
UNIT 1: PURPOSE (why PC? Why PC is my job)

Conservation Concerns : a guide for collectors and curators, Washington: The Smithsonian
institute, 1992.
Basic concepts of preservation and conservation to everyone caring for collections.

COSTAIN Charles H., Framework for preservation on preventive conservation, CCI Newsletter,
n. 14, 1994, p. 1-4.
Identifies 9 agents of deterioration...

La conservation préventive, ARAAFU, 3e colloque international, Paris, 1992, 326 p.

McCORD Margaret E. A, Preventive conservation : a holistic approach, La conservation

préventive, Paris: ARAAFU, 1992, p. 101.

Museum International : Preventive conservation, n°201, Vol.51, N°1, UNESCO, 1999.

PUTT Neal & MENEGAZZI Cristina, ICCROM preventive conservation experiences in Europe,
12th Triennial Meeting, ICOM Committee for Conservation, Lyon 29 August-3 September 1999,
London, 1999, p. 93-99.
Indicates collaborative approach to preventive conservation.

Preventive conservation practice, theory and research: preprints of the contributions to the
Ottawa congress, 12-16 September 1994, London: IIC, 1994.

Recollections: caring for collections across Australia, Canberra: Heritage Collections Council,
1998.

WARD Philip, The nature of conservation, a rage against time, The Getty conservation institute,
Marina Del Rey, 1986.

UNIT 2 : CONTEXT (museum, current situation, deterioration)

BAER Norbert S. & BANKS Paul N., Indoor air pollution : effects on cultural and historical
materials, The International Journal of museum management and curatorship, vol. 4, n. 1, 1985,
p. 9-20.

BLADES Nigel, Measuring pollution in the museum environment, V&A conservation journal, n.
14, 1995, p. 9-11.
BLADES Nigel, Gaseous pollution in the museum environment: the uses and abuses of
monitoring campaigns, The conservator, n. 22, 1998, p. 44-48.
Limitations of pollution monitoring (e.g., incomplete state of present knowledge) and difficulties
in interpretation that this causes are explored.

BLADES Nigel, CASSAR May, ORESZCZYN Tadj & CROXFORD Ben, Preventive conservation
strategies for sustainable urban pollution control in museums, Tradition and innovation:
advances in conservation. Contributions to the IIC Melbourne congress, 10-14 October 2000,
London: IIC, 2000, p. 24-28.
Reviews strategies for minimizing impact of urban pollution on museum collections.

BLADES Nigel, ORESZCZYN Tadj, BORDASS Bill & CASSAR May, Guidelines on pollution
control in museum buildings, Museum practice, Supplement n. 15, 200, p. 1-7.

BRADLEY Susan, Do objects have a finite lifetime?, Managing conservation, The United
Kingdom Institute for Conservation, England, 1990, p.24-27.

BRADLEY Susan & THICKETT David, The pollution problem in perspective, 12th Triennial
Meeting, ICOM Committee for Conservation, Lyon 29 August-3 September 1999, London, 1999,
p. 8-13.

BRIMBLECOMBE Peter, A theoretical approach to the pollution of air volumes within museums,
The conservator, n. 13, 1989.

CASSAR May, Preventive conservation and building maintenance, Museum management and
curatorship, vol. 13, n.1, 1994, p. 39-47.

CASSAR May, BLADES Nigel & ORESZCZYN Tadj, Air pollution levels in air-conditioned and
naturally ventilated museums: a pilot study, 12th Triennial Meeting, ICOM Committee for
Conservation, Lyon 29 August-3 September 1999, London, 1999, p. 31-37.

COOTE Karen, Care of collections, Conservation for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Keeping places and cultural places, Australian Museum, Sydney, 1998,
189 p.

ERHARDT David & MECKLENBURG Marion F., Art in transit: material considerations, Art in
transit: studies in the transport of paintings, Washington, 1991, p. 25-36.

ERHART David & MECKLENBURG Marion, Relative humidity re-examined, Preventive

conservation practice, theory and research: preprints of the contributions to the Ottawa
congress, 12-16 September 1994, London: IIC, 1994, p.32-38.

FLORIAN Mary-Lou, The freezing process : effects on insects and artifacts materials, Leather
conservation news, vol. 3, 1986, p. 1-17.
Effects of freezing on a range of organic materials likely to be found in artifacts.
Recommendations on procedures to be followed.

FLORIAN Mary-Lou, The effect on artifact materials of the fumigant ethylene oxide and freezing
used in insect control, 8th Triennial Meeting, ICOM Committee for Conservation, Sydney 6 - 11
September 1987, p. 199-208.
89
FLORIAN Mary-Lou, Heritage eaters: insects and fungi in heritage collections, London: James &
James, 1997, 164 p.

FLORIAN Mary-Lou, Assessment of insect pest problems in museum buildings: methodology

and recommendations. A case history, IIC-CG GC 13th annual conference, Ottawa, 1987, p. 25-
26.
Survey at the British Columbia museum. Analysis of the charts led to an assessment of the
insect problem. As a result, a integrated insect pest control program was implemented with the
goal of an insect-free museum building through preventive measures.

GILBERG Mark, Inert atmosphere fumigation of museum objects, Studies in Conservation, vol.
34, n. 2, 1989, p. 5.

Guide pour l’éclairage des musées, des collections particulières et des galeries d’art, Paris,
1991.
Information and guidance to help in choosing suitable and safe lighting system. Examines
nature and type of lighting, deterioration of objects by light and protection, maintenance of
lighting installations.

GRZYWACZ Cecily M. & TENNENT Norman H., Pollution monitoring in storage and display
cabinets: carbony pollutant levels in relation to artifact deterioration, Preventive conservation
practice, theory and research: preprints of the contributions to the Ottawa congress, 12-16
September 1994, London: IIC, 1994, p. 164-170.

KING Steve & PEARSON Colin, Environmental control for cultural institutions, La conservation
préventive, Paris: ARAAFU, 1992, p. 63-73
Promotes passive climate control in cultural institutions

Lighting in museums galleries and historic houses. Papers of the conference, Bristol, 9-10 April
1987, London: The Museums Association, 1987, 122 p.
18 papers discussing problems related to lighting in museums, damage control options and
solutions for optimal presentation of the exhibits.

MARTIN Graham, PRETZEL Boris & UMNEY Nick, Preventive conservation in practice, V&A
conservation journal, n. 6, 1993, p. 15-18.
Lighting ???

Michalski Stefan, Damage to museum objects by visible radiation (light) and ultraviolet radiation
(UV), Lighting in museums galleries and historic houses. Papers of the conference, Bristol, 9-10
April 1987, London: The Museums Association, 1987, p. 3-6.

Michalski Stefan, Preventive conservation : a wall chart, IIC-CG GC 13th Annual Conference
Abstracts, Ottawa, 1987, p. 53-54.

MICHALSKI Stefan, Relative humidity and temperature guidelines : what is happening ?, CCI
Newsletter, n. 14, 1994, p. 6-8.

90
ODDY William A., An unsuspected danger in display, Museums journal, vol. 73, n. 1, 1973, p.
27-28.
Describes simple tests to carry out before choosing showcases’ materials.

PADFIELD Tim, The role of standards and guidelines: are they a substitute for understanding a
problem or a protection against consequences of ignorance?, Durability and change: the
science, responsibility and cost of sustaining cultural heritage. Report of the Dahlem workshop,
Chichester, 1994, p. 192- 199.
Sensible approach to temperature and relative humidity debate.

PADFIELD Tim, Low-energy climate control in museum stores: a postscript, 11th Triennial
Meeting, ICOM Committee for Conservation, Edinburgh, 1-6 September 1996, London, 1996, p.
68-71.

PINNIGER D. B., Insect pests in museums, London, 1989, 45 p.

A booklet on damage caused by insects in museums with details on individual insects. Line
drawings of insects.

PINNIGER David & WINSOR Peter, Integrated Pest Management: practical, safe and cost-
effective advice on the prevention and control of pests in museums, London: Museum and
Galleries Commission, 1998, 31 p.

ROSE William, Effects of climate control on the museum building envelope, Journal of the
American Institute for Conservation, vol 33, n. 2, 1994, p. 199-210.

SAUNDERS David & KIRBY Jo, Light-induced damage: investing the reciprocity principle, 11th
Triennial Meeting, ICOM Committee for Conservation, Edinburgh, 1-6 September 1996, London,
1996, p. 87-90.

SHAEFFER Terry T., Effect of light on materials in collections in hot and humid climates: a
report prepared for the collections in hot and humid environments. Project of the Getty
Conservation Institute, s.l., 1999, 43 p.

STRANG Tom, A brief guide to thermal and controlled atmosphere treatments for insect
eradication, Preventive conservation, n.1, 1995, p.4-5.

STRANG Tom, Reducing the risk to collections pests, CCI Newsletter, n. 14, 1994, p. 8-11.

STRANG Thomas J. K., DAWSON John E., Controlling vertebrate pests in museums, Canadian
Conservation Institute Technical bulletin, n. 13, 1991, p. 1-9.

TETREAULT Jean, Matériaux de construction – matériaux de destruction, La conservation

préventive, Paris: ARAAFU, 1992, p. 163-176.

TETREAULT Jean, Display materials : the good, the bad and the ugly, Exhibitions and
conservation: preprints of the SSCR conference held in Edinburgh 21-22 April 1994, Edinburgh:
SSCR, 1994, p. 79-87.
Describes an approach to select appropriate materials and control their noxious compounds in
order to reach compatibility between display materials and exhibits.

91
TETREAULT Jean, Coatings for display and storage in museums, Canadian Conservation
Institute technical bulletin, n. 21, 1999, p. 1-46.

TUMOSA Charles S., MECKLENBURG Marion F., ERHARDT David, McCORMICK-

GOODHART Mark H., A discussion research on the effects of temperature and relative
humidity, WAAC Newsletter, vol. 18, n. 3, 1996., p.19-20.

UNIT 3 : ANALYSIS (how do we analyse? standards)

ALCANTARA Rebecca, Standards in preventive conservation : meanings and applications,

ICCROM, 2000

ANTOMARCHI Catherine & McCORD Margaret E. A., A preventive conservation calendar for
the smaller museum, Rome: ICCROM, 1996.
Provides forms for recording findings about present situation of the buildings, the collection and
the ways they are used. Deals with 4 key areas: state of documentation, manner in which
collections are kept, frequency and quality of movement, external influences.

BAYNES-COPE Arthur David, British standards for Conservation: problems and possibilities,
Recent advances in the conservation and analysis of artifacts. London 6-10 July 1987, London,
1987, p. 341-342.

CASSAR May, UK museums: a strategic approach to environmental environment, La

conservation préventive, Paris: ARAAFU, 1992, p. 85.
Appendices contain: environmental audit checklist, diagram for strategic approach to
environmental management.

CASSAR May, Environmental management: guidelines for museums and galleries, London,
1994, 208 p.
Stresses the role of the building as the 1st line of defense against environmental instability.
Introduces principles and ideas on which to base decisions about creating the right environment.
Datasheets: 2 record forms – spot readings of light and UV radiation, of RH and temperature.

DERBYSHIRE Alan & ASHLEY-SMITH Jonathan, A proposed practical lighting policy for works
of art on paper at the V&A, 12th Triennial Meeting, ICOM Committee for Conservation, Lyon 29
August-3 September 1999, London, 1999, p. 39-41.
Looks at the introduction of a light policy at the V&A Museum to protect the more light-sensitive
objects.

HOLMERG Jan G. & JOHANSSON Lars-Uno, Preventive conservation in Swedish museums:

technical museum storage room survey 1994-1995, 11th Triennial Meeting, ICOM Committee for
Conservation, Edinburgh, 1-6 September 1996, London, 1996, p. 41-47.

NARDI Roberto, The first step in preventive conservation: the analysis of the problem,
Conservation, protection, presentation, International Committee for the conservation of mosaics,
1994, p. 185-195.
Presents two examples of analysis of problems concerning two different Roman mosaics, both
in situ and not restored.

92
Standards for Saskatchewan museums 1991, Regina, Saskatchewan: Museums Association,
1991, 40p.
Standards were developed to provide Saskatchewan museums with a consistent set of
operations goals that would help them. They are models of “achievable excellence” covering al
areas of museum operation, and can be utilized by all museums...

Standards for Manitoba Museums, Winnipeg: Association of Manitoba Museums, 1995.

Covers administration as well as collections management and conservation. Sets 2 leves of
standards: basic and specialized.

SHYLLON Folarin, International standards for cultural heritage : an African perspective, Art
antiquity and law, vol.5, Issue 2, June 2000, p. 159-175.

STOLOW Nathan, Procedures and conservation standards for museum collections in transit and
on exhibition, Paris, 1981, 56p.

STANIFORTH Sarah, Preventive conservation in National Trust houses, International

symposium on the conservation and restoration of cultural property: cultural property and its
environment, 11-13 October 1993, Tokyo, 1995, p. 145-165.
Description of methods for the monitoring and control of light, temperature and relative humidity
in historic houses. Attention is drawn to the problems of trying to achieve museum conservation
standards when the houses are displayed as they are still lived in by people. Demonstration of
the importance of thinking about emergency procedures in advance of a disaster (example).

THOMSON Gary, The museum environment, London: Butterworths, 1987, 2nd ed.
Provides standards and specifications for the environment and for the collections.

UNIT 4 : PRIORITIZATION (risk assessment)

ASHLEY-SMITH Jonathan, Risk assessment for object conservation, Oxford, 1999, 358 p.
The principles outlined and information provided form a foundation for cost-benefit analysis of
conservation proposals...

Michalski Stefan et al., A systematic approach to the conservation (care) of museum

collections : with technical appendices, Ottawa: CCI, 1992, 79 p.
Proposes a conceptual /management analysis (basic equations of damage rate). Appendices
contain a survey format and technical details (pest management, temperature and RH,
environmental monitoring, materials for exhibit, storage and packing)

Michalski Stefan, A systematic approach to preservation: description and integration with other
museum activities, Preventive conservation practice, theory and research: preprints of the
contributions to the Ottawa congress, 12-16 September 1994, London: IIC, 1994, p.8-11.

WALLER Robert, Conservation risk assessment: a strategy for managing resources for
preventive conservation, Preventive conservation practice, theory and research: preprints of the
contributions to the Ottawa congress, 12-16 September 1994, London: IIC, 1994, p. 12-16.

93
WALLER Robert, Internal pollutants, risk assessment and conservation priorities, 12th Triennial
Meeting, ICOM Committee for Conservation, Lyon 29 August-3 September 1999, London, 1999,
p. 113-118.
Demonstration of the application of a risk assessment framework, using the parameters fraction
Susceptible, Loss of Value, Probability and Extent, to interpret the significance of internal
pollutant concentration distribution in a systematic mineral collection. This interpretation
facilitates the application of conservation research findings to setting collection care priorities
and strategically identifies the highest priorities for further conservation research.

UNIT 5 : RESPONSE (cost-benefit, planning)

Conservation assessment : a tool for planning, implementing, and fundraising, WOLF Sara
[ed.], Getty Conservation Institute, 1990, 51 p.

CASSAR May, A cost/benefit appraisal method for collection care, La conservation : une
science en évolution. Bilan et perspectives. Actes des troisièmes journées internationales
d’études de l’ARSAG, Paris 21-25 avril 1997, Paris : ARSAG, 1997, p. 321-323.

CASSAR May, A cost/benefit appraisal method for collection care: a practical guide, London,
1998.
Demonstrates how museums can move away from decisions based solely on cost, towards a
more balanced assessment of benefits of different decisions. 2 case-studies demonstrate the
use of cost/benefit appraisals in conservation and collection care decisions (useful photocopy
masters).

GAWLINSKI George & GRAESSLE Lois, Planning together, the art of effective teamwork,
Redwood Books, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, 1988, reprinted in 1999.
About planning, objectives, values…

KEENE Suzanne, Managing conservation in museums, London, 1996, 265 p.

Shows that professional management can be useful to conservators and other professionals in
museums. Reviews management techniques regarding strategic planning decision-making and
priority setting, data analysis, risk and cost-benefit analysis, etc. Not easy.

Managing conservation, London: UKIC, 1990, 32p.

Several papers that tackle a number of management issues that are fundamental to
conservation: using standards, measurement of deterioration and benefits.

MOORE Barbara P., The conservation assessment survey as a long-range planning tool: a case
study at the Peabody Museum, 11th Triennial Meeting, ICOM Committee for Conservation,
Edinburgh, 1-6 September 1996, London, 1996, p. 784-789.
Provides a useful model of long-range conservation planning based on a conservation
assessment study. The conservation assessment, which evaluated the condition of the
collections and the conditions under which they were housed and exhibited, helped the museum
to clarify and redefine its mission and goals to include a strong commitment to the preservation
of the collections.

94
NARDI Robert, Planning as a means of preventive conservation, La conservation préventive,
Paris: ARAAFU, 1992, p. 105.
Demonstrates how planning can become a tool for preventive conservation. 3 examples of
planning applied to restoration projects.

OGDEN Sherelyn, Preservation planning: guidelines for writing a long-range plan, Anvover,
1997.

STANIFORTH Sarah, Benefits versus costs in environmental control, Managing conservation,

The United Kingdom Institute for Conservation, England, 1990, p. 28-30.

WOLF Sara, Conservation assessments and long-range planning, Simposio internacional y

primer congreso mundial sobre preservacion y conservacion de colecciones de historia natural,
Madrid, 1993, p. 289-307.
Goal is to enable the museum staff to develop an overall collections care programme, and to
establish conservation as an integral part of the museum’s mission and long-range plan.

Others

FROST Murray, Working with design professionals: preventive conservators as problem solvers,
not problem creators, Preventive conservation practice, theory and research: preprints of the
contributions to the Ottawa congress, 12-16 September 1994, London: IIC, 1994, p. 21-23.

RAPHAEL Toby & CUMBERLAND Barbara, Preventive conservation recommendations for

ethnographic objects, The ethnographic conservation newsletter, n. 10, 1992, p. 3-5.

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ONLINE RESOURCES ON PREVENTIVE CONSERVATION
February 2002

Australian Museums and Galleries Online

amol.org.au
Offers a publication online “reCollections: Caring for Collections Across Australia “, which provides practical advice
and guidance for the preventive care of cultural items. Includes:
* information sheets (e.g., collection survey, graphic reporting on condition, etc.)
* bibliographic references
* self-evaluation quiz (and answers)

Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts

www.ccaha.org
Guidelines for planning efficient recovery from a disaster affecting works of art on paper

Conservation Online
palimpsest.stanford.edu
Provides preservation information and links to preservation Web sites. Contains materials for training/educational
purposes (e.g.., PowerPoint presentations “Facilities and Library Preservation: Common sense to Approaches to
Protecting Collections from Disaster), bibliographic references on environmental monitoring and control, online
resources on disaster preparedness and response).

Library of Congress – Preservation Directorate

lcweb.loc.gov/preserv/
Provides leaflets on Collections Care and Conservation (e.g., Care Handling and Storage of Books).

National Archives and Records Administration - Archives and Preservation Resources

www.nara.gov/arch
This Web site provides technical information on the archival management and preservation and some useful online
resources for archives (e.g., resources on disaster preparedness and response, guide to documents handling and
holdings maintenance, cold storage handling guidelines for photograph).

National Museet – Conservation Department

www.natmus.dk/cons/
Technical leaflets by Tim Padfield “ The physics of the museum environment” (e.g., The response of wood
to changing RH)

Northeast Document Conservation Center

www.nedcc.org
Site provides technical leaflets on emergency response and includes a Internet course on paper preservation at
www.nedcc.org/p101cs/p101wel.htm (8 lessons with online resources, bibliographic references, glossary, self-
testing questions).

Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education

www.si.edu/scmre/
Provides guidelines and strategies for artifact and collections care, including care of specific types of museum
collections. See also SCMRE’ s Research, Libraries and Archives Conservation Task Force at
www.si.edu/scmre/relact.html, for online preventive care course material: short information sheets (e.g., light,
temperature, integrated pest management, storage, etc.), guidelines (e.g., for light levels for display), graphic
illustrations, articles, links to preservation training, etc.

SOLINET (The Southeastern Library Network) Preservation Services

www.solinet.net/presvtn/preshome.htm
Offers full-text leaflets (e.g., environmental specifications for the storage of library and archival materials) and
articles on preservation, as well as current bibliographies.

State Library of Victoria – Preservation and Storage Division

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http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/slv/conservation
Leaflets covering environmental monitoring, pest control, disaster preparedness, storage of works on paper.

The Upper Midwest Conservation Association

www.preserveart.org/technicalleaflets/
Guidelines for storing textiles.

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 PREVENTIVE CONSERVATION

FACILITATOR NOTES
Recommendation
It will be essential to be sure that each student will have presented at least one text, one
synthesis… at the end of the course. Preventive conservation is also about communication, and
students have to be confident to express themselves and to present conclusions to their
colleagues.

Introduction
Using the disk given with this course, you can organize a slide show on heritage deterioration.
This can be seen as an introduction to the course (during the introductory session for example),
or as a summary of the Unit 1. The slides, taken by Gaël de Guichen during his carrier, all
around the world, show many different examples of degradation (effects on heritage) linked to
the agent of deterioration.

Activity 1
It is essential to know the level of knowledge of the participants before the beginning of the
course, in order to insist on different key issues or slow down on some activities. The
comparison with the definition at the end of the course will be a first evaluation of the course
results.
The common understanding can be reached by asking a small group of volunteers to write a
common definition at the end of the activity and to ask the students to discuss and agree on it.
The key words could be :
- Future / posterity
- Maintenance
- Program of activities
- Prevent undesirable changes
- Reduce deterioration
- Avoid future damage
- Increase life expectancy
- Measures, practices to reduce deterioration
- Preserve value
- Action on the environment
- Not directly on the object
- Planning
- Teamwork
- Long term action
- Barrier between the object and the environment…
Activity 2
Different objects, organic and inorganic, can be chosen. The idea is for the students to realize
that :
- if an object is kept in the right place, it will last longer ;
- dangers are different depending of the location, attention, use… ;
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 - storage is different than use ;
- museums can guarantee better protection (at least most of the time…) ;
- life-span is different depending on the environment and the building ;
- life-span is different depending on the materials, the use.
Concerning the life-span evaluation in the case the objects are kept at the student’s place, it is
important that the student decides himself how objects are « treated at home » depending of its
life-style, the care and attention he gives to them.
It is also important to insist on the fact that there is not ONE answer, but many, depending on
their experience, their museums…
Concerning the exercise given in the worksheet I, the students have to realize that a museum
object is supposed to survive more than 2 to 3 generations of museum professionals, that it will
get older whatever happens, and that the museum’s activities or the environment can affect its
state or even its survival.

Activity 3
You can present 3 to 5 deteriorated objects like : a dusty ceramic, a faded textile, an object
eaten by insects, abraded, folded … You can even break a ceramic (for example) in front of
them. This will underline the fact that an accident can happen really easily.
It is important to insist on the deterioration itself, as many persons can walk pass dirty or
deteriorated objects and don’t realize it because they have always seen them like this.
The idea is also for them to realize that some degradations are irreversible, that is why
preventive conservation is so essential.

Activity 4
When the students give back their cards, the facilitator can pin them in an organized way, (ie
natural/slow, natural/speed, human/slow, human/speed), without explicitly showing the title of
each group. During the discussion, participants can identify themselves that a whole group has
similar characteristics. They even can continue to fill the groups with similar types of damage.

Activity 5
You can use the museum’s thesaurus for the definition of types of objects and materials, and/or
the information sheets 4 and 5.
This activity allows the students to examine a collection and identify the groups of objects and
types of materials present in the collection.

Activity 6
This activity familiarizes the students with the concept of groups of sensitivity. They determine
the links between groups of objects and types of materials with the causes of deterioration.
They are then ready to complete two activities from the course “Deterioration of collections”
before starting Unit 2, in order to link deterioration and agent. The activities are the number 16
and 17, module 5. The students will be concerned with the overall theory of sensitivity of
materials to different agents of deterioration and how this needs to be refined when it is applied
to specific objects under changing conditions.

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 Activities 7 and 8
They can be done together.
As the range of professionals is wide in a museum, it will be important to focus on the one
directly in contact with the collections (maintenance staff, guides, keepers…), or the one who
have power to take decision concerning the collection‘s future (director, curators,
conservators…).

Activity 9
The worksheet III gives a framework in order to collect data for a survey. It is not exhaustive
and, depending of the type of survey you will carry and your experience, you may add other
information to be collected.
During the visit on site, you can choose to ask some students to focus on security, others on
climate, others on pest… but the group would always keep together. This way all the students
will have access to all the information.
This is a preparation for activity 11, and the data collected here won’t be used, so the students
don’t need to be exhaustive or to take notes. But, it is very important to prepare them well to the
real collect of data, to look and what to look for, whereas it will determine the rest of the course
results.
You can also look for examples of reports, tables, and other illustrations of documentation
methods. It is recommended to make reference of the future use of theses documents and
records, as they can be used as references, and tell us changes and progress in time. This will
underline again that preventive conservation is a long term process.

Activity 10
This is an example of the data that can be collected and the way it can be collected. Of course,
depending of the context and the participants, you will have different results.

Building
- Ownership / Gazettement – Curator interview, gazett…
- Environment (climate), site, location – Observation, meteo department interview, recordings…
- Construction material – Observation, curator interview, publications, monuments and sites departments
interviews, drawings…
- Age, use and history – Books, publications, historian interviews…
- Building parts (signs of problems) – Observation, former surveys, library, previous studies, architect
interview…
- Service systems (plumbing, power…) – Observation, staff interview…
- Maintenance practices – Staff interview, observation…
- Protection for the collections (suitability) – Observation and study on site

Collections
- Use of space
- Suitability of the space (environment) – Recordings, observation…
- Type of collections / materials – Curator interview, documentation of the collection (register, inventory…),
observation…
- Size of collection - Curator interview, documentation of the collection (register, inventory…)
- Size of objects - Curator interview, documentation of the collection (register, inventory…), observation…
- Condition of objects - Observation
- Documentation - Curator interview, observation
- Fixtures (materials, condition, protection given) : storage and exhibition - Observation
- Accessibility (crowded ?) - Observation
- Value - Curator interview, documentation of the collection (register, inventory…)

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Resources
- Quality of personal – Director’s interview, job’s description, reports…
- Is equipment adequate ? – Staff interview, observation.
- Budget (in relation to programs) - Director’s interview, records.
- Research references – Staff interviews
- Partners - Director’s interview

Procedures and activities – Documents written and interviews

- plans : maintenance, cleaning, security, disaster preparedness
- policies
- practices (actual vs desired)

It is recommended to insist on the fact that the data collected will be a source of reference for
the future. The reports and documents will tell the changes, and progress in time. That’s why
surveys are an essential activity as preventive conservation is a long term process.

Activity 11
The activities 9 and 10 have been developed in order to prepare the students to the activity 11.
You should ensure that the students have the necessary skills to collect appropriate data and
document it.
The data collected will then be the base of the whole course development.
The museum and its collections chosen for this activity should be large enough to allow the
students to face different problems. You should visit the place before the course, discuss with
the staff, and know what you can expect from it. You may note the important information the
students could forget later on. You should also prepare the staff for the future interviews, the
participants’ questions and the results of the evaluation as they that won’t necessarily be what
they expected (i.e. could be too critical for example).
It would be good to ask one of the curator, for example, to come to the class to help the
students at some points of the course.

Activity 12
Some key points you should end up with are : intellectual, decompose, essential elements,
understand the links and give a schema of the whole, proportions, order. They will introduce the
participants to the concept of organizing, ordering and interpreting.

Activity 13
The analysis stage should not include proposals for improvement, but just descriptions of the
good and the bad parts, and the identification of major areas of weaknesses. It is only at a
further stage that the students will make proposals to improve the situation. Insist also on the
fact that only the data linked to the conservation and the collection management is important,
and that they shouldn’t get lost in many details.

Activity 14
This activity is directly linked to the activity 13. It allows the students to conceive a synthesis of
the museum’s situation. It is interesting to write it as a presentation to the museum’s director, as
this is what they should do once they go back to their institution, after surveying their collections
and institution. They have to be able to give a clear picture of the museum’s strong and weak
parts, after having chosen and analyzed the data collected.
You could organize the course in order to have one working evening between the activities 14.1
and 14.2, to allow the students to have time to write their presentation.
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 Activity 15
The meanings of standards we are using are : norms, guidelines, procedures,
recommendations, policies, rules. The students will familiarize with the definition and
development issues.
The comparison between different standards is interesting to show the different degrees of
precision, the different ways of presentation. The values of the numbers are not so much
important for this activity. It is essential that the students read the standards with a critical mind.
They can be used as references, in order to assess the situation, but are not always a model in
any situation.

Activity 16
You will find interesting and updated Canadian standards, easy to use for this activity on :
www.culture.gov.on.ca/english/culdiv/heritage.mustand.htm
If you can’t reach it directly, you have to type :
www.culture.gov.on.ca
english
Heritage
Community Museums and Provincial Heritage Organizations
Standards for Community Museums
Of course, other museum standards can be found on the web (American museums for
example), and you can choose the one you feel comfortable to work with.
Example : Smithsonian Institution : http://museums.doi.gov/index.html

Activity 17
You can use the worksheet VII to prepare the exercise. The table presents different examples of
agents of deterioration, specific risks and effects on the objects. You can cut one or two
columns on each line, and ask the students to fill them, using their knowledge, and the results
they found during the survey. By searching either the agents, the risks or the effects, they will
demonstrate the link between them.

Activities 18, 19, 20 and 21.3

The use of the four scales is a complex process to estimate the importance of each risk. The
objective of this part of the course is to familiarize the students with the approach of studying the
museum’s situation in regards of the potential risks to collections.
For each activity, each group treat only a few specific risks, as to treat the whole group of
specific risks would be a much too long process.
It will be essential to answer to the questions and launched discussions to arrive to a consensus
in order to be sure that the students understand the way to organize their survey and use the
scales.

Activities 21.1 and 21.2

During this activity, a curator or a person in charge of a collection could come and discuss with
the students about the different types of value for museum objects.
This activity is essential for the students as it reinforces that the value of an object, a collection,
is not only financial, but can be its good state of conservation, rarity, history, importance for or
used by the community, sacred role… in short why is it important to conserve?.

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 Activity 22
After ranking the risks, it will be important to discuss if the results are what the students
expected during the survey, or if they expected other results. In fact, it is essential that they use
the results but review them to considering their experience, feeling and common sense.

Activity 23
This activity shouldn’t take longer than 30 minutes, and could be even shorter.

Activity 24
You can prepare and present a simple situation, in order to familiarize the students with the 5
steps of CCI. For this, you can also go on the CCI Web site ( www.cci-icc.gc.ca ), where you
can have access to the framework and find many examples. The aim is for the student to
understand how it works and how they can organize their different solutions to a problem in a
constructive way.

Activity 25
The expected answers are at least: library, internet, resource persons (staff,
professionals, specialists..).

Activity 26
Before this activity, organize the students’ access to Internet, to a library with conservation
books, to the museum’s staff or to museums’ professionals. Ensure that they will get enough
information to be able to find as many appropriate solutions as possible.
This activity needs time as research in libraries or on Internet can be long. But it is an essential
activity, as it is sometimes rare for museum’s professionals to have enough time to spend on
documentation. It shouldn’t be shorten.

Activity 27
Here you ask the students to make the link between their professional situation and the course.
They will probably find at the beginning that not much can be done without resources. It is
important for them to express why they couldn’t implement some solutions, as the debate and
the fact that they share their experience could highlight that some solutions are possible to
implement with little resources. Sharing experience is absolutely essential for this activity.

Activity 28
You may have to insist on the fact that resources are not only budget and money. The review of
the different types of resources of a museum should end up with other key words like: team,
skills, building, community, city, state, partners, etc.

Activity 29

Key words: public funding, private funding, volunteers, museum’s friends, public, cooperation,
partnerships, twinning, lucrative activities…
The aim of this activity is for the students to develop a strategy to generate new resources. They
should list what they can expect, and how they will manage to get them. It is important for them

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to follow the proposed process : objectives, how they will act, what they will propose, what they
can offer in exchange and how they will implement their project. You don’t ask them to make a
budget, or propose a very detailed project.
You could ask them to read the articles the night before this activity.

Activity 30
This activity links the results of activity 28 and 29 together.

Activity 31
This activity is not compulsory. It can be done only if you have time.

Activity 32
You can print the worksheet XIII on a transparent in order to present it on the overhead
projector. After the individual exercise, fill it with the results found by the participants in order to
obtain a common table.

Activity 33
The same groups as for activity 26 are reconstructed. The actions they identified will be ranked
on a “time-line” depending on their priority level, and their feasibility (resources, staff…). It is the
first step in the constitution of the action plan that they will have to build in the activity 35.

Activity 35
The examples of action plans given in the worksheet are not exhaustive. You or the students
can propose other types or improve the ones given (i.e. add another type of information…).
It is really important to do and finish this activity as it is the end of the process and as the
students are not always involved in action plan making in their professional life.

Activity 37
It is hoped that the definitions will be slightly different from the beginning of the course, and that
you will get at least some of the key words expected at the beginning :
- Future / posterity
- Maintenance
- Program of activities
- Prevent undesirable changes
- Reduce deterioration
- Avoid future damage
- Increase life expectancy
- Measures, practices to reduce deterioration
- Preserve value
- Action on the environment
- Not directly on the object
- Planning
- Teamwork
- Long term action
- Barrier between the object and the environment…
The comparison with the first definitions will show if there is a change in the minds, and will be
used as a first evaluation to the course.
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 Activity 38
This activity will allow the students to prepare their way back to their institution and to evaluate
what they gained during the course. By preparing a text for their director, they will have to
communicate the results of their work, and to analyze once again the process they have been
through.

Activity 39
A text from Gaël de Guichen is presented here in order to give common definition and
summarize the course. It will allow the student to have a final debate on preventive
conservation, its importance for their institution, and the processes and strategies it implies.

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