Northern States Conservation Center announces an online
course for the start of 2009:
MS 217: Museum Cleaning Basics
Instructor: Gretchen Anderson
Dates: January 5 through February 14, 2009
Price: $425
Location:
www.museumclasses.org
Description:
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. 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. 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] or Eric Swanson 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:
Gretchen Anderson, 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. She
is the co-author of A Holistic Approach to Museum Pest Management,
a technical leaflet for the American Association for State and Local
History and established a rigorous IPM program for
the Science Museum. 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.