David Ryan wrote:
>Dear Wanda,
>Whenever I'm training new staff or volunteers in artifact handling I start
>with a little philosophical discussion about what an artifact is. I tell
>them that once an item is accessioned and becomes part of the museum's
>collection it is no longer what it once was. If it is a table, we no
>longer use it as such; if it is a chair we no longer sit in it. If it is
>a record player, we no longer play records on it; if it is a clock, we no
>longer wind it and it no longer tells time.
>The reasoning behind this is that every time you handle something, you use
>it up a little. Every time you use it, you use it up some more. We have
>a public trust responsibility to make artifacts last forever. Although
>the laws of physics prevent this, we do everything in our power to make
>them last as long as possible. We want these things to be around in
>virtually the same condition 100 years down the road (I personally can
>envision 100 years more than "forever"). There is no way we can fulfill
>that obligation if we continue to use these things.
>
I would argue that there are some items in collections that are better
preserved by use, rather than lack of use.
But functioning mechanical items of almost any kind may better preserved
through careful operation on a limited schedule that keeps their works
and various mechanical operations functioning. Through lack of operation
parts lose lubrication, rust and seize.
For example, a record machine or victrola in good working condition
should be run every once in a while just to keep the moving parts
moving. (The platters or cylinders are a completely different story.)
A well preserved table, however beautiful and/or significant, is still a
table. It's form and function are obvious.
An immaculate Edison Talking Machine is nice to look at. But a working
Edison Talking Machine is something else indeed!
That doesn't mean you should let just anybody run the machine. That
would be counterproductive. Curatorial staff should establish schedules
whereby the machine will be run for short durations to keep the parts
working as they were intended. Perhaps as part of an occasional public
program?
Just my 2 cents.
--
Scott D. Peters
Historically Speaking
17 Alexandria Dr.
Manalapan, NJ 07726
--------------------
Keep a sense of humor! If you let it be, ADD can be really funny at times.
Don’t miss out on the chance to laugh when the laugh is there.
At that psychological branch point we all know so well, when the split-second options
are to get mad, cry, or laugh, go for the laughter. Humor is a key to a happy life with ADD.
From “Driven To Distraction,”
By Edward Hallowell, M.D. and John Ratey, M.D.
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