Email digest for the Global Conservation Forum (ConsDistList) egroup. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. RE: Non-Aqueous Deacidification Prior to Encapsulation? 2. Ventilation Holes in Archive Boxes 3. NEW Green Tea episode LIVE: The changing landscape of glacial archaeology conservation 4. Repair of gofun surfaces 5. Cultural Heritage Partners Seeking Help to Stop Changes to the Eisenhower Executive Office 6. Memorial tribute for Marco Grassi ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1.From: Ute Henniges Posted: Monday November 24, 2025 6:35 AM Subject: RE: Non-Aqueous Deacidification Prior to Encapsulation? Message: Hi Adrienne, regarding your question whether institutions are non-aqueously deacidifying materials prior to encapsulation, this recent survey (open access) might be of interest: Gates, Glenn A. and McGuiggan, Patricia Marie. "Encapsulation at Fifty Years: Results from a Survey of United States Paper Collections" Restaurator. International Journal for the Preservation of Library and Archival Material, vol. 46, no. 3, 2025, pp. 187-210. https://doi.org/10.1515/res-2024- <https://doi.org/10.1515/res-2024-0013> According to this survey, deacidification prior to encapsulation is rare and the use of sorbing pollution sinks is also a rare event. ------------------------------ Ute Henniges Assistant Professor, Conservation Staatliche Akademie der Bildenden Künste Stuttgart Germany ------------------------------ ------------------------------------------- Original Message: Sent: 11-18-2025 11:34 From: Adrienne Bell Subject: Non-Aqueous Deacidification Prior to Encapsulation? The Department of Preservation and Conservation Services, University Libraries, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is interested in whether institutions are non-aqueously deacidifying materials prior to encapsulation or not. Any research, protocols, or thoughts supporting the decision would be appreciated. Responses can be sent directly to [email protected] <[email protected]>; if there is any interest from other institutions, responses can be compiled for anonymity and shared. ------------------------------ Adrienne Bell Senior Conservator UNC Chapel Hill Libraries Chapel Hill NC ------------------------------ 2.From: Emily Mullin Posted: Monday November 24, 2025 3:00 PM Subject: Ventilation Holes in Archive Boxes Message: Hi all! I have just started a new job as conservator at a county archive in the UK. All the archive boxes they are using here have 'ventilation holes' in them, please see images attached. I had never seen this before coming here and was told it was to stop a microclimate from forming. The holes in my option defeats many of the benefits boxes give in protecting the archival material within. My plan therefore going forward is to be ordering boxes without holes in them. I was wondering if anyone else had ever come across this as an archival practice before or can think of any positives? ------------------------------ Emily Mullin Book and Paper Conservation Student City & Guilds of London Art School London United Kingdom ------------------------------ 3.From: Lindsey Williams Posted: Monday November 24, 2025 3:00 PM Subject: NEW Green Tea episode LIVE: The changing landscape of glacial archaeology conservation Message: Check out the newest episode <https://open.spotify.com/show/3b5jkqeiZEVasHKHZNlMf1> of the Green Tea Podcast! In this episode, Roxy speaks with three archaeological conservators who regularly conserve archaeological finds lifted from glacial areas in the Northern Hemisphere. In ice patches, areas that are stationary, frozen, and often obscured by snowfall, organic heritage such as plant or animal-based materials can survive with minimal degradation or loss even over multiple millennia. However, the escalating warming of the planet in this modern era is having a significant impact on these high altitude areas leading to more frequent melting events and exposing more finds. Francis, Margrethe, and Johanna each describe some of the unique finds that have been uncovered due to the glacial melting in their local regions (Norway and Switzerland). They also highlight how the stability of these finds can be significantly hindered if left out in the elements due to our changing climate and how important regular surveying is to maintaining an accurate understanding of the area. Additionally Johanna describes her research into how low energy air drying techniques for birch bark materials can be a better alternative to more energy-intensive methods like vacuum drying. If you are also working with glacial archaeological materials from the Southern Hemisphere, the Himalayas, or other parts of the Northern Hemisphere, such as Canada or Russia, please reach out to [email protected] <[email protected]>. We would like to connect you with this ICOM-CC cohort who are hoping to expand the field's collective awareness of this unique intersection of cultural heritage conservation and ecological conservation. This is our last episode for 2025 - check back in January 2026 for our episode with Beatriz Haspo, volunteer executive director of APOYOnline, a non-profit organization that promotes communication, exchange and professional development in the field of heritage preservation in the Americas and in Portuguese and Spanish-speaking countries. ------------------------------ Lindsey Williams Conservation Technician ------------------------------ 4.From: Madeleine Neiman Posted: Monday November 24, 2025 3:01 PM Subject: Repair of gofun surfaces Message: Hello All, One of the museums I work with is the custodian of a Japanese Friendship Doll - an Ichimatsu doll dating to the mid-1920s that was part of a cultural exchange between Japan and the United States. The doll's delicate gofun surface exhibits a range of condition issues, including cracking, tenting, and loss. In preparation for a possible exhibition, the Museum is investigating possible options for treating the doll. I am currently looking to connect with someone experienced in repairing gofun surfaces. If this is you, I'd welcome hearing about your experience. Suggestions of individuals to whom I might reach out are also appreciated. Best, Madeleine ([email protected]) ------------------------------ Madeleine Neiman Conservator State Museums and Monuments of New Mexico Santa Fe United States ------------------------------ 5.From: Caitlin Gozo Richeson Posted: Monday November 24, 2025 4:49 PM Subject: Cultural Heritage Partners Seeking Help to Stop Changes to the Eisenhower Executive Office Message: Posting on behalf of a colleague who is not a member of AIC but seeking the help of conservators: Help Needed. I work with Cultural Heritage Partners, a law firm involved in historic preservation. We are suing the Trump Administration regarding their proposed changes to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building (changes that would side-step historic preservation laws). If you are a conservator who specializes in historic preservation or architectural conservation and willing to lend your professional voice to speak to the impacts of this potential alteration to a historic building, please contact us today. Email Ms. Jessie Barrington at [email protected] or fill out the form here: Historic Preservation Experts Signup <https://form.jotform.com/253234163444048> ------------------------------ Caitlin Gozo Richeson David Booth Assistant Objects Conservato The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) New York United States ------------------------------ 6.From: Rebecca Rushfield Posted: Monday November 24, 2025 11:07 PM Subject: Memorial tribute for Marco Grassi Message: A few of his colleagues are putting together a memorial tribute for paintings conservator Marco Grassi who died earlier this year. It will be published in an issue of the IICs News In Conservation. If you have stories or observations you are willing to share in print, please send them to Rebecca Rushfield at [email protected]. You are subscribed to "Global Conservation Forum (ConsDistList)" as [email protected]. To change your subscriptions, go to http://community.culturalheritage.org/preferences?section=Subscriptions. To unsubscribe from this community discussion, go to https://community.culturalheritage.org/HigherLogic/eGroups/Unsubscribe.aspx?UserKey=d16eaa87-0f69-494b-9f2f-303dbc1222e1&sKey=fab9aa4f27a04c5d876e&GroupKey=757a8f16-505f-4323-8e74-e376757aa9f7.
