Due to the serious problems we have been experiencing with e-mail at our new
building, some of the requests for information and registration forms for
the workshop "Assessing and Managing Risks to Your Collections" may not have
been received.  If you sent such a request and did not receive a response
within 2 days of sending it, please send it again.  Just to be on the safe
side you may also want to send in by facsimile.

Because of this difficulty and the delay in sending out the original
mailing, please note that the deadline for registration has been extended to
May 20, 1997.  Otherwise the information is  the same as in the original
posting.

Contact :  Wilda Corcoran, tel. (613) 566-4771/ 566-4244,
fac. (613) 364-4022, e-mail : [log in to unmask]  Send payment to : CMN
Risk Workshop, c/o Wilda Corcoran, P.O. Box 3443, Station D, Ottawa,
ON, K1P 6P4, CANADA.


Original Posting :

ASSESSING AND MANAGING RISKS TO YOUR COLLECTIONS
INTERACTIVE TRAINING WORKSHOP

Canadian Museums Association (CMA) Annual Conference
June 9-10, 1997
Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa

PROTECTING AN INVALUABLE HERITAGE
Museum collections continue to grow and their maintenance is
increasingly costly.  These collections often contain
irreplaceable objects and represent centuries of painstaking work
and incalculable monetary investment. Every institution must
invest in preventive conservation to protect this invaluable
heritage for generations to come.  In these challenging times of
public accountability and financial restraint, it is becoming
increasingly important to manage these collections in a cost-
effective manner.  It is critical to establish priorities of
action to ensure their care and safekeeping.

THE WORKSHOP:
This 2-DAY non-technical workshop has been designed for
directors, managers, administrators, curators, collection
managers, researchers, conservators, preparators, volunteers,
indeed any stakeholder in collection preservation.  It will
highlight a methodology developed by the Canadian Museum of
Nature which gives a global framework for establishing priorities
in the area of preventive conservation.  The methodology is based
on risk assessment processes and risk management principles
applied in business and industry.

During the workshop, participants will learn how to:
 -  identify all agents of deterioration,
 -  identify risk types,
 -  estimate magnitudes of risks,
 -  rank their relative importance,
 -  mitigate risks, and
 -  evaluate the relative costs, benefits and collateral risks of
implementing the proposed mitigation measures.

The workshop is a highly interactive training session which
includes both theoretical and practical components in which
participants play an important part. Information is obtained
through lectures, demonstrations, brainstorming in small groups,
assembling of ideas, presentation and discussion.  The teaching
approach fosters team-building and mutual understanding.
Participants will receive different learning tools including the
workshop manual which contains the complete course content,
exercises, references and a glossary of terms.

KEY BENEFITS FOR YOUR STAFF AND INSTITUTIONS
This workshop will enable anyone involved with collections to:
 -  communicate clearly preventive conservation issues,
requirements and their relative importance to other staff and
to management and funding bodies,
 -  convince management and funding bodies of the importance of
the issues and of the necessity to invest in preventive
measures,
 -  consider all issues related to proposed mitigation strategies
from an institutional perspective,
 -  compare different risks among different collections,
 -  prioritise and identify preventive conservation issues and
mitigation measures,
 -  work in teams within their own institution,
 -  develop cost-effective plans to reduce overall risks.

The workshop will be presented by Robert Waller (Chief,
Conservation) and Sylvie Marcil (Senior Conservator) of the
Canadian Museum of Nature, at its Victoria Memorial Museum
Building location, McLeod at Metcalfe St., Ottawa.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION
Registration is limited to 60 participants.  Final deadline for
registration is May 20, 1997.  Registration fees are 235$ before April 15,
1997
and 255$ before May 20, 1977, and include lunch both days.  To obtain a
registration form or more
details please contact Wilda Corcoran, tel. (613) 566-4771/ 566-4244,
fac. (613) 364-4022, e-mail : [log in to unmask], or write to CMN
Risk Workshop, c/o Wilda Corcoran, P.O. Box 3443, Station D, Ottawa,
ON, K1P 6P4, CANADA.