Klein's 4th Law of Museum of Work: You can't save everything.

Sad as it may be, museums can - and perhaps should - only do so much.   In a
sense none of the objects we have in museums were designed to last longer
than a generation.   There are a great many techniques that can be used to
extend the original "intended" life of an object - including temperature and
climate control, use of appropriate storage materials, limited handling -
the list goes on.   But everything will deteriorate eventually.   It should
be obvious that you can't both perfectly preserve and use - the two main
collection functions included in most museum mission -- the same object at
the same time.   Any use of an object results in some lesser level of
preservation.  If I can remember this I can begin to make rational decisions
about how to appropriately use the collections under my care.  Should the
object be preserved to the best of our ability - in the proverbial dark room
with perfect climate control?  Should it have the careful professional
handling associated with loans, exhibits and research, resulting in a slow,
but inevitable, deterioration?   Or is the information to be obtained from
destructive analysis important enough to warrant the total loss of the
object?   The answer will be different for each object and will probably
change over time for a single object.

janice

Janice Klein
Director, Mitchell Museum of the American Indian
[log in to unmask]
www.mitchellmuseum.org

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