Hello, my name is Alice Finke and I am pursuing a Master of Science in Historic
Preservation from the University of Pennsylvania.  For my master’s thesis, I am
investigating the role of preventive architectural conservation in historic
house museum management in the United States, and would very much appreciate it
if you would take about 1/2 hour to 1 hour of your time to respond to my survey
questions (please see below).  I kindly request that you complete the survey by
Friday March 7, 2008, as I need time to analyze results and draw
conclusions/form recommendations before my thesis deadline of April 25th.  I
will of course be happy to share the final report with those that are interested.

For the privacy of all respondents, I will not include the respondents' names or
the names of their organizations in the final report.  The purpose of this
report is to determine what, if any, preventive architectural conservation
measures are being employed, how, and why or why not.  If preventive
architectural conservation is not being employed, the purpose is to determine
how it could be employed.

Thank you for your time and consideration.  I look forward to your feedback.  If
you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me at
[log in to unmask]

Alice

PREVENTIVE ARCHITECTURAL CONSERVATION SURVEY QUESTIONS

I.  General Information About You and Your Organization

1.  How many years have you been employed by your organization?
(less than 1 year; 1-5 years; 6-10 years; 11-20 years; over 20 years)

2.  What is your job title?  Please briefly explain your job duties.

3.  What type of entity/entities own your organization? Please choose all that
apply. (Non-profit; Private Foundation; Local Government; State Government,
Federal Government; Other, please specify)

4.  How many historic buildings are owned and operated by your organization?
(1; 2-5; 6-10; 11-20; more than 20)

5.  How many people does your organization have on staff?
(1; 2-5; 6-10; 11-20; more than 20)

6.  How many people does your organization have on staff to implement preventive
maintenance? (none; 1; 2-4; 5-10; more than 10)

7.  Does your organization have a strategic plan?
(Yes; Yes, but undergoing editing; In the works; No)

8.  Does your organization have a preventive maintenance plan for your
collections and/or historic buildings?  Please choose all that apply.
(Yes, for all collections and all historic buildings; Yes, but for collections
only; Yes, but for buildings only; In the works for collections and historic
buildings; In the works for collections only; In the works for historic
buildings only; No)

9.  What is your preventive maintenance budget for your collections and/or
historic buildings, and roughly what percentage of your total budget goes toward
preventive maintenance of your collections and/or historic buildings?

10.  Does your organization have a backlog of deferred maintenance? (Yes; No)




II.  Preventive Conservation--Familiarity with the Term

1.  Are you familiar with the term "preventive conservation" as it relates to
collections and/or historic buildings?
(Yes, both collections and historic buildings; Yes, collections only; Yes,
historic buildings only; No)




III.  Preventive Conservation--Familiarity with the Term (continued)
1.  If you are familiar with the term "preventive conservation," when and under
what circumstances did you first become aware of the term?




IV.  Preventive Conservation--Your Definition
1.  How do/would you define "preventive conservation" in application to historic
buildings?  In other words, how do you think the term "preventive conservation"
relates/should relate to historic building maintenance, repair, stabilization,
preservation, conservation, restoration, and risk management?




V.  Preventive Conservation--Definition
1.  My definitions of “preventive conservation” and “interventive conservation,”
in terms of historic buildings, are as follows, and apply to all remaining
questions:

"Preventive conservation," in terms of historic buildings, is a proactive
philosophy aiming to ensure the longevity of the culturally-significant built
environment.  Measures that mitigate decay, including the realization of
cleaning and coating programs and design nuances compatible with the Secretary
of the Interior’s Standards for Historic Properties, may be considered as
preventive measures.  Central to the philosophy of preventive conservation is
the establishment of an accessible and comprehensible system for the historic
property stewards’ regular monitoring of building conditions and subsequent
treatments.

"Interventive conservation" is a reactive philosophy implemented through
periodic, episodic repair and restoration.  Strategic conditions monitoring may
or may not be addressed in any follow-up work.

Considering the above definition of "preventive conservation," do/would you
consider preventive conservation a useful approach to historic property
management?  Why or why not?


2.  Considering the above definition of "preventive conservation," do you
consider it a useful term?  In other words, do you consider it a more compelling
term than say, "preventive maintenance," one that might resonate with a board of
directors and potential funders?  Why or why not?




VI.  Preventive Conservation--Implementation
1.  How does your organization (1) plan, (2) budget, and (3) implement aspects
of preventive conservation?  Please comment on how you identify your needs, and
on what interval or schedule you identify your needs.

2.  Who is responsible for overseeing preventive conservation measures?  Who
else is involved in planning and implementation, and who do you think should be
involved?

3.  Does your organization enter contracts with outside professionals to
implement preventive conservation strategies?  What types of professionals do
you engage?  What types of professionals would you like to engage?

4.  What building elements do you survey/monitor/treat and when?

5. Are regular surveys conducted?  (Yes; No; In the works)

6.  How do you compare/determine changes in conditions, and how often?

7.  If restoration work was completed tomorrow, what would you do next to ensure
the longevity of the work or to implement preventive conservation?

8. How do you think preventive architectural conservation could be better
achieved by your organization—in other words, what changes and/or tools
(administrative, economic, legislative etc.) do you think would help your
organization better implement preventive architectural conservation?

END OF SURVEY
-- 
Alice L. Finke
Candidate, Master of Science in Historic Preservation, 2008
University of Pennsylvania

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