Join us in our highly regarded Museum Cleaning Basics online course next week.

MS217: Museum Cleaning Basics
Aug 31 - Oct 9, 2009
Price: $425
Instructor: Gretchen Anderson
Location: http://museumclasses.org/training/trol_classes_ms217a.html


Description:
Cobwebs in the gallery, dust on the dinosaur skeleton, mice in storage - a dirty museum results in poor visitor experience and poor collections preservation. In a museum, cleanliness really is next to godliness. Museum Cleaning Basics explores everything you need to know about cleaning your collections. Participants learn when to clean - and when not to clean. They also learn how to make those decisions. Topics range from basic housekeeping to specific techniques for specific objects. You will learn why cleaning is important and how to prevent damage when cleaning. We will look at specific techniques that minimize damage while getting the work done. And we will discuss when to call in a specialist, such as a conservator. Students will create a housekeeping manual for their institution.
Course Outline:
1) Introduction 
2) Agents of Deterioration 
3) Health and safety for the object and for you 
4) Equipment and supplies 
5) Cleaning techniques 
6) Documentation
7) Spring Cleaning: Housekeeping Manual 
8) Conclusion

Logistics:
Participants in Museum Cleaning Basics work through sections at their own pace. Instructor Gretchen Anderson is available for scheduled email support. Materials and resources include online literature, slide lectures and dialog between students and online chats led by the instructor. The course is limited to 20 participants.

Museum Cleaning Basics runs four weeks. To reserve a spot in the course, please pay at http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html If you have trouble please contact Helen Alten at [log in to unmask]

Student Comments for MS217: Museum Cleaning Basics:
The course content and lectures were very informative, the instructors were very helpful and pleasant, and the assignments, particularly the hands-on tests and cleaning, brought the lectures to life, as we practiced what we had learned.

I liked the examples that followed the explanations. This helped to visually show what had been discussed.

A very informative course…instructors were very knowledgeable and made the Powerpoint lectures fun. I give you an "A"!

I liked the fact that the class was extremely well organized. We did not waste time while the instructor figured out what to do next.

I liked that high museum standards were pushed for cleaning (this is very important), but that the instructor (Gretchen Anderson) did not condemn those who could not implement every single facet. I know we can implement most, but not every single thing at my institution. This is certainly the case at museums smaller than my institution. I believe every museum employee wants the very best for the museum artifacts, but sometimes institutional funds prevent full implementation. Nevertheless, people should know best museum practices and strive to meet them as much as possible.


The Instructor:
Objects conservator Gretchen Anderson learned her craft at the American Museum of Natural History, the Smithsonian's Conservation Analytical Lab, the Canadian Conservation Institute, Getty Conservation Lab, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and the Minnesota Historical Society. She established the conservation department at the Science Museum of Minnesota in 1989. She is the co-author of A Holistic Approach to Museum Pest Management, a technical leaflet for the American Association for State and Local History and established a rigorous IPM program for the Science Museum. Ms. Anderson is a member of the American Institute for Conservation and the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections. She lectures and presents workshops on preventive conservation, IPM, cleaning in museums, and practical methods and materials for storage of collections. 

Support for the course is provided by Bio-Integral Resource Center (BIRC) in Berkeley, California. BIRC is a nonprofit organization offering over 25 years of insight, experience and leadership in the development and communication of least-toxic, sustainable and environmentally sound Integrated Pest Management methods. 

September Online Classes 
MS236: Education in Museums
Aug 31 - Sep 25, 2009
Price: $425.00
Instructor: Karin Hostetter
Location: http://museumclasses.org/training/trol_classes_ms236a.html


MS243: Making Museum Quality Mannequins **NEW**
Aug 31 - Sep 25, 2009
Price: $425.00
Instructor: Helen Alten
Location: http://museumclasses.org/training/trol_classes_ms243.html


MS205/6a: Disaster Plan Research and Writing
Aug 31 - Oct 9, 2009
Price: $425
Instructor: Terri Schindel
Location: http://museumclasses.org/training/trol_classes_ms205a.html


MS217: Museum Cleaning Basics
Aug 31 - Oct 9, 2009
Price: $425
Instructor: Gretchen Anderson
Location: http://museumclasses.org/training/trol_classes_ms217a.html


MS201: Storage for Infinity: An Overview of Museum Storage Principles
Aug 31 - Oct 9, 2009
Price: $425
Instructor: Helen Alten
Location: http://museumclasses.org/training/trol_classes_ms201.html


MS109: Museum Management
Aug 31 - Oct 2, 2009
Price: $425
Instructor: Sue Near
Location: http://museumclasses.org/training/trol_classes_ms109a.html


MS002a: Collection Protection - Are you Prepared? (short course)
Sep 14-18, 2009
Price: $75
Instructor: Terri Schindel
Location: http://museumclasses.org/training/trol_classes_ms002a.html


MS011: Gallery Guides (short course)
Sep 7 - 18, 2009
Price: $75
Instructor: Karin Hostetter
Location: http://museumclasses.org/training/trol_classes_ms011a.html

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