Starting next Monday, January 11:

MS217: Museum Cleaning Basics
Dates: Jan 11 - Feb 19, 2010
Price: $475  
Instructor: Gretchen Anderson

Description:
Museums must present a good image to their public.  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. Annual cleaning, monthly
cleaning and cleaning of incoming collections are part of
the work of museums.  Until now, there was no comprehensive
training available for museum staff in how to clean
collections areas and collections without causing harm to
the collection.  Techniques used in one's home cannot
usually be used safely around museum objects.

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. Tools will be discussed in detail. 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. In 2009 she became the
Conservator for the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in
Pittsburgh. 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.

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