Choosing A Conservator
This article originally appeared in Exchange,
a newsletter published by the Wisconsin Historical
Society. (Volume 25, Number
3, May/June 1983) It is the 10th in a series of
articles titled Conservation Corner.
The series features information about maintaining
an adequate environment for the storage and exhibition
of historical collections, employing proper collection
care techniques, and recording and cataloging historical
collections. This article was written by Tom McKay,
retired local history coordinator for the Wisconsin
Historical Society.
Conservation of historic collections involves two very distinct functions:
care and treatment. With knowledge of environmental control, handling
procedures and storage facilities, local historical societies and
museums can provide proper care. In contrast, conservation treatment
frequently requires extremely specialized expertise that neither volunteers
nor paid staff working in museums possess. When historic items in
the collection need conservation treatment, the museum must often
look to the professional conservator for help. At that point, the
ability to select a qualified and competent conservator becomes an
important part of a local historical society's conservation effort.
Choosing a conservator can be complicated and potentially intimidating.
The choice represents a major decision about the resources
of your historical society. You entrust the preservation of valuable
historic materials to the conservator, and conservation treatment
is frequently expensive. Because they are specialists, selection of
a conservator depends in part on the materials that need treatment.
The conservation of oil paintings, wooden objects, textiles, metalware
and paper records can demand different knowledge and different conservators.
Finally, qualified conservators work in a variety of settings, as
private consultants, in nonprofit conservation centers, and on the
staffs of some major museums.
With so many variables in selecting a conservator, a local historical society may wonder where to start. One answer is to seek recommendations from the larger museums nearest to your community. Many large museums have used the services of conservators to treat items in their collections. Curators in such institutions are usually willing to provide the names and addresses of conservators who have performed conservation treatment for their museum. You should note whether the museum from which you seek advice is accredited by the American Association of Museums. Accreditation indicates that the operation of the museum includes adequate conservation practices.
While recommendations can help locate conservators, a local society
should make further evaluations before employing their
services. The technical nature of conservation treatment
might appear to preclude any evaluation by a layman. However, a local
society can look for three things that competent conservators do.
They inform, record and report. A competent conservator informs a
client in advance of the basic treatment a historic item needs and
the basis on which the cost for the service will be determined. In
most cases this will include a written estimate. One of the basic
tenets of conserving historic materials is thoroughly recording all
treatment. A conservator should make a written record of all procedures
and materials used in the treatment of an item. This record should
be supplemented by photographs before treatment, during each major
step of the treatment, and after treatment. The record of treatment
should be summarized in a report provided to the client. Do not use
the services of a conservator who fails to inform, record or report.
A primary concern in conservation treatment is reversibility. Have
the conservator explain whether the results of the treatment can be
reversed without further damage to the item. A competent conservator
will undertake a treatment that is not reversible only when there
is no other possible alternative. If confronted with a proposed treatment
that cannot be reversed, a local society may need to seek advice from
other conservators before authorizing the treatment. In choosing the
services of a professional conservator, remember the three R's: recommendations,
reports and reversibility.
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