Email digest for the Global Conservation Forum (ConsDistList) egroup. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. [FREE EVENT] 'Spores for Thought: Mitigating and Managing Mould' - June 9th 2025 2. Request for advice and references on artificial aging of acrylic, vinyl, and alkyd paints under indoor museum-like conditions 3. RE: Planning High Shelving in a Museum Store (Advice Needed) 4. RE: Planning High Shelving in a Museum Store (Advice Needed) 5. RE: Fume extractor recommendation 6. RE: Planning High Shelving in a Museum Store (Advice Needed) 7. Job Posting: NYU Libraries Special Collections Conservator (2-year position) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1.From: Natalie Brown Posted: Wednesday May 21, 2025 7:14 AM Subject: [FREE EVENT] 'Spores for Thought: Mitigating and Managing Mould' - June 9th 2025 Message: I am pleased to share details of 'Spores for Thought - Mitigating and Managing Mould', a free event on June 9th 2025 (10:00-16:00 BST) organised by The National Archives, UK and Archives and Records Association Preservation & Conservation Group In this one day hybrid symposium we explore a holistic view of mould in archive collections. Aimed at conservators, archivists, and heritage custodians, the programme will include discussions on existing guidance, recent research, cultural taboos concerning mould, and practical responses to mitigating and managing mould in collections. Talks will include: An introduction to new TNA guidance for managing mould in archival collections <https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/archives-sector/advice-and-guidance/managing-your-collection/mould-in-archive-collections/> 'The taboo of mould' and how to engage with different stakeholders around the topic Recent research and case studies into managing the workflow of conservation projects that include mould affected records, and investigating mould outbreaks Creating a mould remediation and access strategy for Historic Environment Scotland archive's collections A panel discussion with the speakers, discussing key questions for the UK archive sector and future directions of support Please book your in person tickets here <https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/spores-for-thought-mitigating-and-managing-mould-in-person-event-tickets-1358539852269?aff=oddtdtcreator> Please book your online tickets here <https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/spores-for-thought-mitigating-and-managing-mould-virtual-event-tickets-1358560072749?aff=oddtdtcreator> If you have any questions, please email the event organisers at [email protected] <https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/spores-for-thought-mitigating-and-managing-mould-virtual-event-tickets-1358560072749?aff=oddtdtcreator> ------------------------------ Natalie Brown Head of Audiences The National Archives Richmond United Kingdom ------------------------------ 2.From: Corinne Suraci Posted: Wednesday May 21, 2025 7:14 AM Subject: Request for advice and references on artificial aging of acrylic, vinyl, and alkyd paints under indoor museum-like conditions Message: Dear colleagues, I am reaching out to ask for your advice and any useful references concerning the artificial aging of paint mock-ups made with commercial tube paints-specifically acrylic, vinyl, and alkyd binders-applied on glass slides. The pigments involved include ultramarine blue, yellow ochre, cadmium red, cadmium yellow, chromium oxide green, ivory black, titanium white, and burnt umber. The aim is to simulate photodegradation processes under indoor museum-like conditions, where temperature and relative humidity can be controlled, but exposure to light remains the main degradation factor. I am using a UV-Vis light source with a luminous intensity of 900 lux, and I plan to monitor the aging process through colorimetric analysis. I would be grateful if you could share: Any experience or tested protocols related to accelerated aging under similar conditions Guidance on the minimum exposure time required to induce measurable photodegradation or chromatic variations Relevant bibliographic references or case studies Any recommendations or insights you could provide would be deeply appreciated. Thank you in advance for your time and help. Kind regards, Corinne [email protected] ------------------------------ Corinne Suraci PhD Student Sapienza Universitá di Rome Roma Italy ------------------------------ 3.From: Simon Green Posted: Wednesday May 21, 2025 7:14 AM Subject: RE: Planning High Shelving in a Museum Store (Advice Needed) Message: Hello Diana A couple of devices might be useful - https://www.bigdug.co.uk/double-manual-scissor-lift-tables/v/LODMSLT1_1/ and https://www.garagepride.co.uk/wall-storage/motostortm/motostor-shelving.html?gQT=1 You could use the former alongside the industrial safety steps whereas the latter is fixed to the wall and would replace conventional shelves. There must be a variety of other products available which might suit your needs better. If you were in UK you would have to comply with the working at height regulations = https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/735/contents/made Even though these may not apply in your country, they do give useful guidance and you may have similar regulations. Also, check your insurance. In the UK normal policies do no cover working at over 2 metres but they can be extended for an additional fee. ------------------------------ Simon Barcham Green Maidstone ------------------------------ ------------------------------------------- Original Message: Sent: 05-19-2025 11:40 From: Diana Bencatel Subject: Planning High Shelving in a Museum Store (Advice Needed) Hi everyone! I work at a car museum, and we're currently preparing a new storage area to bring together all the objects that are currently spread across different spaces. The storage space has a ceiling height of just over 4 meters. Our initial idea was to make full use of the height by installing shelving units up to 4 meters tall. We planned to store the larger items (such as engines, repair equipment, and signage - up to 1.80 m tall) on the floor, and place smaller items on the upper shelves. At first, we thought we'd use a forklift to access the higher shelves, but we later realized the forks only reach about 3 meters. So now we're considering storing lighter objects (like typewriters and trophies) on the higher shelves and accessing them with a stepladder instead. This raised another question: what is considered a safe maximum height to go up and down a stepladder while handling objects - even with someone assisting from the ground? Three meters is starting to seem quite high. Does it even make sense to have shelving that reaches 4 meters? We will also have some smaller shelving units in this space to store our archive. For these, is there a recommended maximum height for the top shelf? Would 2.70 meters be too high to access safely with a stepladder? If you have any experience that might be helpful in this situation, I'd really appreciate your input! Feel free to reply here or email me at [email protected] <[email protected]>. Many thanks! Diana Bencatel 4.From: Valerie Tomlinson Posted: Wednesday May 21, 2025 11:02 AM Subject: RE: Planning High Shelving in a Museum Store (Advice Needed) Message: Hi Diana I've worked at various places with shelves as high as 4m. It can be done. The general practice it so store smaller lighter items that can be handled by 1 person safely at higher heights above head height (not always practicable, but the ideal to aim for). It is difficult to have 2 people handle things at height but not impossible if planned correctly (but always safer to avoid this situation). We had the rolling ladders, but the most useful was the WAV machine (we pronounced "wave"). I don't know what WAV stands for but it is a little electric vehicle with lift platform that extended up high enough to bump your head on the 5m roof. The platform was enclosed with railings and had various safeties and shut-offs. It was only slightly larger than the trolleys used for object movement, so it fit easily between the shelf aisles. The rolling ladders were actually larger in footprint. Of course they would be more expensive than ladders though. ------------------------------ Valerie Tomlinson Conservator of Modern and Contemporary Art Art Gallery of Ontario Toronto Canada ------------------------------ ------------------------------------------- Original Message: Sent: 05-19-2025 11:40 From: Diana Bencatel Subject: Planning High Shelving in a Museum Store (Advice Needed) Hi everyone! I work at a car museum, and we're currently preparing a new storage area to bring together all the objects that are currently spread across different spaces. The storage space has a ceiling height of just over 4 meters. Our initial idea was to make full use of the height by installing shelving units up to 4 meters tall. We planned to store the larger items (such as engines, repair equipment, and signage - up to 1.80 m tall) on the floor, and place smaller items on the upper shelves. At first, we thought we'd use a forklift to access the higher shelves, but we later realized the forks only reach about 3 meters. So now we're considering storing lighter objects (like typewriters and trophies) on the higher shelves and accessing them with a stepladder instead. This raised another question: what is considered a safe maximum height to go up and down a stepladder while handling objects - even with someone assisting from the ground? Three meters is starting to seem quite high. Does it even make sense to have shelving that reaches 4 meters? We will also have some smaller shelving units in this space to store our archive. For these, is there a recommended maximum height for the top shelf? Would 2.70 meters be too high to access safely with a stepladder? If you have any experience that might be helpful in this situation, I'd really appreciate your input! Feel free to reply here or email me at [email protected] <[email protected]>. Many thanks! Diana Bencatel 5.From: Matthew Skopek Posted: Wednesday May 21, 2025 12:10 PM Subject: RE: Fume extractor recommendation Message: Perry, As noted on their website they offer an activated carbon filter for solvents. We have one and we've been very happy with it. We use it primarily at the tabaret level in addition to a ceiling trunk focused more on the artwork, but the dual arm feature does mean it could do both in a situation where that was necessary. Matt Skopek Melva Bucksbaum Director of Conservation Whitney Museum of American Art ------------------------------ Matthew Skopek Melva Bucksbaum Director of Conservation Whitney Museum of American Art New York United States ------------------------------ ------------------------------------------- Original Message: Sent: 05-16-2025 08:27 From: Monona Rossol Subject: Fume extractor recommendation The advertisement for the system you are considering says everything you need to know: "Three-Stage Filtration system used for capture and filtration of airborne contaminants with an emphasis on dust, smoke, and fume removal" Perhaps you are confused about the industrial hygiene definition of a "fume" which is a small particle created by a chemical reaction such as in welding fume. So dust, smoke particles, and fumes are all particles. Notice there is no mention of solvent VAPORS. These solvent vapors are molecules, not particles. They require a filter medium on which to adsorb such as activated charcoal. The charcoal can be activated to capture specific vapors or gases such as some organic vapor solvents, gases like formaldehyde, etc. But no charcoal will capture all of your solvents and the rapid movement past the filter medium will limit capture. And that is IF, AND ONLY IF, they also provide some charcoal in your filter system. This system is not a good choice for the purpose for which you intend it. Choosing a filter system the exhausts out a window should be should involve many people including the engineer who runs your HVAC system. For every cubic foot of air you exhaust out a window, that HVAC system must provide another cubic foot to replace it. These systems can unbalance the whole building's ventilation. If you have a significant amount of solvent processes that need to be addressed, I suggest bringing ventilation experts (CIHs with P.E. credentials for example) who can design a system or install a chemistry fume hood that will be compatible with changes in your HVAC and meet the existing air quality regulations, building codes, and fire regs in your area. Monona Original Message: Sent: 5/15/2025 4:25:00 PM From: Perry Hurt Subject: Fume extractor recommendation The North Carolina Museum of Art Conservation Department is planning on purchasing a mobile fume extractor. Currently we are interesting in the Extract-All SP987-5-2A Dual Arm Portable Air Cleaner, SP987-5-2A Dual Arm Portable Air Cleaner - Air Impurities Removal Systems <https://www.airsystems-inc.com/products/fume-extractors/sp987-5-2a-dual-arm-portable-air-cleaner/>. Does anyone have insights on this model, or other suggestions for fume extractors? We are looking for a compact fume extractor, mainly to filter organic solvent fumes that commonly result from cleaning and retouching artworks. It's been suggested that the two-arm variety are particularly useful to cover both the artwork being treated as well as a taboret where solvents are being accessed. Like many mobile fume extractors, this Extract-All model has a replaceable internal filter. We would also like to have the option of venting fumes outside, out a window for example. Thanks Perry PSÂ Note that my email address has changed to [email protected] <[email protected]> (from [email protected] <[email protected]>) (George) Perry Hurt Director of Conservation North Carolina Museum of Art Direct desk phone: 919-664-6813 Museum phone: 919-839-6262 Â NORTH CAROLINA MUSEUM OF ART 2110 Blue Ridge Rd, Raleigh, NC 27607 Wednesday-Sunday, 10am-5pm (919) 839-6262 Â The NCMA is a division of the NC Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. Email correspondence to and from this address is subject to the North Carolina Public Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties. Email correspondence to and from this address may be subject to the North Carolina Public Records Law and may be disclosed to third parties by an authorized state official. 6.From: Sara Reiter Posted: Wednesday May 21, 2025 3:26 PM Subject: RE: Planning High Shelving in a Museum Store (Advice Needed) Message: Hi, we too have high storage, 12' (about 4 meters). The best thing we did when planning was to visit a company that made ladders. That allowed us to determine what step height, angle and platform size the collections assistants, curators and conservators felt comfortable and safe when moving objects. We agreed on a ladder that was only slightly steeper than a standard stairway, quite wide, with a large platform at the top. Good luck. Sara Reiter The Penny and Bob Fox Senior Conservator of Costumes and Textiles [email protected] <[email protected]> Philadelphia Museum of Art Conservation t 215-684-7577 <tel:215-684-7577> PO Box 7646, Philadelphia, PA 19101-7646 philamuseum.org | @philamuseum ------------------------------------------- Original Message: Sent: 5/20/2025 5:42:00 AM From: Sarah Coggins Subject: RE: Planning High Shelving in a Museum Store (Advice Needed) Hello I've worked in places with objects stored at height, the top shelves were probably 2.5-3 metres high. We had roller ladders or safety ladders to access the top shelves rather than step ladders. These have a platform at the top and hand rails on both sides. You can use deep trays with two handles to put objects in pass to someone on the floor or carefully move down a step or two to pass them down. You might want to think about how deep your shelves are too as you won't want to or be able to reach too far. Also, it would be better if the objects are stored one objects deep so you don't have to move them around to access ones behind. Hope this helps Best ------------------------------ Sarah Coggins ACR Conservation Engineer Mary Rose Trust Southsea United Kingdom ------------------------------ ------------------------------------------- Original Message: Sent: 05-19-2025 11:40 From: Diana Bencatel Subject: Planning High Shelving in a Museum Store (Advice Needed) Hi everyone! I work at a car museum, and we're currently preparing a new storage area to bring together all the objects that are currently spread across different spaces. The storage space has a ceiling height of just over 4 meters. Our initial idea was to make full use of the height by installing shelving units up to 4 meters tall. We planned to store the larger items (such as engines, repair equipment, and signage - up to 1.80 m tall) on the floor, and place smaller items on the upper shelves. At first, we thought we'd use a forklift to access the higher shelves, but we later realized the forks only reach about 3 meters. So now we're considering storing lighter objects (like typewriters and trophies) on the higher shelves and accessing them with a stepladder instead. This raised another question: what is considered a safe maximum height to go up and down a stepladder while handling objects - even with someone assisting from the ground? Three meters is starting to seem quite high. Does it even make sense to have shelving that reaches 4 meters? We will also have some smaller shelving units in this space to store our archive. For these, is there a recommended maximum height for the top shelf? Would 2.70 meters be too high to access safely with a stepladder? If you have any experience that might be helpful in this situation, I'd really appreciate your input! Feel free to reply here or email me at [email protected] <[email protected]>. Many thanks! Diana Bencatel 7.From: Lindsey Tyne Posted: Wednesday May 21, 2025 4:32 PM Subject: Job Posting: NYU Libraries Special Collections Conservator (2-year position) Message: Conservator, Special Collections (2-year position) Barbara Goldsmith Preservation & Conservation Department Position Summary Under the general direction of the Conservation Librarian, the Special Collections Conservator will manage and execute the conservation and rehousing of a collection of Spanish Civil War Posters. This project aims to conserve the posters and publish high-quality digital images of them for physical and online access. This position will report to the Conservation Librarian and work closely with colleagues in the Barbara Goldsmith Preservation & Conservation Department, Special Collections, Archival Collections Management, and Digital Library Technical Services. The Special Collections Conservator will work cooperatively or independently as needed as part of the Special Collections Conservation Unit in the Barbara Goldsmith Preservation & Conservation Department <https://library.nyu.edu/departments/barbara-goldsmith-preservation-conservation-department/>, located within New York University's Elmer Holmes Bobst Library. For this project, the Conservator will examine and research the posters to identify media and method of manufacture; determine treatment needs, appropriate housing, and handling guidelines based on current conservation standards and ethics; complete accurate written and digital documentation; execute conservation treatments and rehousing; assist with handling for digitization and storage; and prepare deliverables for outreach and dissemination of this project. The Conservator will establish priorities in consultation with the Conservation Librarian and meet the deadlines set for this project. As part of the Special Collections Conservation Unit, the Conservator will participate in disaster preparedness; response and recovery; training of student employees; outreach efforts; lab organization and maintenance; and other related duties as assigned. This is a twenty-four (24) month full-time professional position starting in September 2025; employment must begin by September 15, 2025. Spanish Civil War Poster Collection The Spanish Civil War Poster Collection <https://findingaids.library.nyu.edu/tamwag/alba_graphics_001/> (ALBA.GRAPHICS.001) in the Special Collections represents a selection of posters produced and published in Spain and other countries as an essential form of propaganda during the war (1936-1939) and in the following years. Posters were continuously printed as ephemeral items to raise awareness about current topics and events during the war, when new posters would replace older posters as the days, months, and years progressed. The posters produced during this time introduced groundbreaking artistic techniques and styles that have profoundly influenced propaganda art and the history of printmaking. The over two hundred posters listed in the collection inventory represent a unique collection as many posters are the only known extant copies. The Special Collections is a department that includes the three historical repositories of NYU: the Fales Library & Special Collections; the Tamiment Library & Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, and the New York University Archives. Required Education Graduate degree from a recognized conservation training program with a specialization in paper conservation, or equivalent combination of training and experience. Experience Required Demonstrated experience working with rare/special collections materials. Preferred Experience Minimum of 1 year of professional (post-degree) conservation treatment experience focusing on works on paper and/or archival materials; post-graduate fellowships included. Professional conservation experience in a research library, museum, or similar setting. Demonstrated experience managing conservation projects. Experience supervising interns and/or employees. Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Knowledge of current paper conservation techniques; history of papermaking; chemistry as it applies to the conservation of works on paper; and optimal collection housings and storage environments. Excellent conservation documentation skills. Commitment to professional conservation principles and ethical standards as defined by the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC) Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice. Proficiency in using digital photographic conservation documentation equipment. Comfortable using a database for written conservation documentation. Preferred Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Knowledge of or interest in printmaking techniques and 20th-century printed materials. Interest in contributing to the profession through teaching, research, outreach, and/or publication. Salary/Benefits The position is a 24-month full-time professional position. The salary is funded by a generous donor and is set at $80,000 in the first year with a merit increase in the second year based on performance and budget availability. The attractive benefits package includes paid time off, health insurance, work-life benefits, and $5,000 each year of professional development funds. Apply Submit your CV and letter of application at https://uscareers-nyu.icims.com <https://uscareers-nyu.icims.com/jobs/14529/conservator%2c-special-collections/job> Posting # 2025-14529 NYU Libraries will begin reviewing applications on June 9th. NYU Libraries About: https://library.nyu.edu/about/general/history <https://library.nyu.edu/about/general/history/> Strategic Priorities: https://library.nyu.edu/about/general/strategic-priorities <https://library.nyu.edu/about/general/strategic-priorities/> Mission and Values: https://library.nyu.edu/about/general/values <https://library.nyu.edu/about/general/values/> ------------------------------ Lindsey Tyne Conservation Librarian NYU Libraries, Barbara Goldsmith Preservation & Conservation Department New York United States ------------------------------ You are subscribed to "Global Conservation Forum (ConsDistList)" as [email protected]. To change your subscriptions, go to http://community.culturalheritage.org/preferences?section=Subscriptions. 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