Space still available in South Dakota and Minnesota for first
video-teleconference training session on collections care on January 29,
1998. Call Kari Kohlhoff (605) 367-6004 x3021 for information.

Basic Collections Care Workshop Series

A series of five video-teleconference workshops held simultaneously in
Aberdeen, Pierre, Sioux Falls, and Spearfish, South Dakota and St. Paul,
Minnesota.

I.  General Principles of Collections Care
January 29, 1998, 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. central time
The first workshop introduces participants to the agents of
deterioration and simple, inexpensive and practical solutions for
remedying common problems.  Light (ultraviolet and visible),
temperature, relative humidity, particulate and gaseous pollutants,
pests, vibration, and incompatible materials will be discussed.
Monitoring equipment and techniques will be introduced and demonstrated,
including a visible light meter, an ultraviolet light meter, a
psychrometer (swing and electric will be shown), a variety of humidity
and temperature sensors from inexpensive paper strips to expensive
computer data loggers, insect sticky traps and pheromone lures, and
methods for measuring pollutants (more detail will be given in the third
workshop).  Finally, simple, inexpensive, solutions for limiting these
deterioration factors will be shown and discussed.  More expensive
solutions will be briefly covered. An environmental monitoring kit,
developed for this workshop, will be available for students to use in
the following months.

Homework Options: (to be completed before the next workshop)
1.  Measure the light levels and relative humidity levels within your
institution and report the findings.  Develop a plan for solving problem
areas.

2.  Write an integrated pest management plan and begin pest monitoring
in your institution.  Report on findings after two months of monitoring.

Instructor:  Helen Alten, Conservator, Northern States Conservation
Center, will conduct the sessions live from the Twin Cities via an
interstate interactive terrestrial video network.  Ms. Alten has taught
preventive conservation courses on a variety of subjects as State
Conservator for the Alaska State Museums, Field Education Director for
the Upper Midwest Conservation Association, and instructor for the
Campbell Center's Collections Care Core Curriculum.

Future Sessions in the Series:

II.  Storage for Infinity (June 1998)
III. Exhibiting without Damaging (September 1998)
IV.  Fundraising for Collections Care (January 1999)
V.  Student Solutions at Their Institutions (March 1999)

Each participant will receive a notebook for samples and handouts from
each session.  The cost for each workshop is only $20.00 for ASDM
members and $30.00 for non-members. There is a discount for signing up
for all five sessions.  Seating is limited at each site, so
preregistration is strongly recommended. Call Kari Kohlhoff (605)
367-4210 x3021 for more information and to register.