Thank you David Harvey, your message was right on the money and exactly the
type of response I would expect from the professionals on this list!

I know that this goes without saying, but I'm going to state the obvious
when I say that many of us are finding ourselves being put in the position
of becoming in-house conservators because of dwindling resources.  We would
certainly hire the services of a professional conservator if we could
afford to, but
for many it is no longer an option and we are left to either watch our
valuable artifacts deteriorate slowly, educate ourselves as best we can to
prevent further damage and ask for *free* help wherever we can get it.
Luckily, for many of us who have found ourselves in this unenviable
position, this list is a lifesaver
(pardon the pun).

Jeanne Keefe

********************************** original message
********************************************************
>I am always impressed by the consistency and the tenacity of the professional
>polarizations which always seem to develop over such, "How do I clean
>such-and-such" requests......
>************** clip
>David Harvey
>Conservator of Metals & Arms
>Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
>P.O. Box 1776
>Williamsburg, VA  23187-1776   USA
>voice:      804-220-7039
>e-mail:   [log in to unmask]
****************************************************************************
************************************


Jeanne M. Keefe
Graphics Curator
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Architecture Library
Troy, NY 12180

Tel: (518) 276-2727

E-mail: [log in to unmask]


"I don't know why we are here, but I'm pretty sure it is not to enjoy ourselves"
____________ Ludwig Wittgenstein,  Cambridge philosopher