Collections Care

 

The following organizations have information rich websites that deliver a broad range of collection care advice, as well as, in depth information about specific topics.


American Alliance of Museums (AAM) [formerly called the American Association of Museums]
AAM Members have access to an extensive library of Professional Resources


American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC)  Here are just a few of AIC's helpful resources:


Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI)

  • CCI produces fee-based technical bulletins on a variety of conservation issues
  • CCI Notes advice on care, handling, and storage of collections; more than 100 PDFs
  • Environmental Guidelines for Museums by David Grattan and Stefan Michalski

Center for History
Archival Advice for your family heirlooms, photos, and documents


Conservation OnLine (CoOL)  searchable database of its extensive library of documents


Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts (CCAHA)
Specializes in paper: art, artifacts, books, documents, maps, photographs, wallpaper, etc.
Preservation Resources many downloadable PDFs


Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR)
Library Preservation and Conservation Tutorial
by CLIR and Cornell University


Heritage Preservation


Illinois Collections Preservation Network (ICPN)
Check out the ICPN webinars


Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS)
Connecting to Collections Guide to Online Resources for "Manage a Collection"
  prepared by Heritage Preservation


Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) in partnership with other organizations (Heritage Preservation, the Getty Foundation, the Henry Luce Foundation, and the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH)
Connecting to Collections Bookshelf, served on the AASLH website, provides a multitude of useful resources that teach you how to care for your collections.  Resources include texts, webinars, online resources, and others.  Topics address a variety of issues ranging from general collections care, to care of paper objects, to care of digital media, to grants, to the legalities of collection management.


The Iron Gall Ink Website hosted by the Cultural Heritage Agency of the Netherlands (RCE).  Everything you would want to know about ink corrosion, including treatment methods for your documents.


Library of Congress
Preservation Resources


Midwest Art Conservation Center (MACC)
Resources MACC provides consultation and conservation treatments of objects, runs workshops, loans equipment and books, and has a list of available technical leaflets


Minnesota Historical Society
Artifact and Rare Book Handling: To Glove or Not to Glove


National Park Service, Museum Management Program


Nebraska Educational Telecommunications (NET), Nebraska's PBS and NPR Stations
Saving Your Treasures LOADS of information, which is expecially accessible through this website's many videos and printable files


Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC)

NEDCC also offers fee-based webinars and workshops.


Northern States Conservation Center provides collection care, preservation and conservation treatment services to collectors and collecting institutions.  Emphasizing practical solutions to common collection care problems, it believes conservation treatment is part of a process that preserves our cultural heritage.  Northern States Conservation Center offers training, consultation on museum expansion and new construction, support in grant writing and editing, and regular updates on developments in collection care.
How to label or tag your objects


Regional Alliance for Preservation (RAP)
RAP is a national network of nonprofit organizations whose members "present training programs, provide conservation and preservation services, create publications to assist institutions in caring for their collections, and provide free technical advice to collecting institutions across the country."


Smithsonian
Museum Conservation Institute


Wheaton Historic Preservation Council
see Center for History, above