Email digest for the Global Conservation Forum (ConsDistList) egroup. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. RE: Survey on Social Justice, Politics, and Censorship in the Cultural Heritage Profession 2. March Member Meetup on Tools for Fundraising Success ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1.From: Victoria Wong Posted: Sunday March 8, 2026 9:28 PM Subject: RE: Survey on Social Justice, Politics, and Censorship in the Cultural Heritage Profession Message: Dear Community Members, I've struggled to post a response for several days now and have concerns about how my words will be interpreted. However, I don't feel it's fair to sit by with these thoughts while Samantha, adrian, Gillian and Aisha deal with the backlash alone. I am responding to address a few of the responses but really do not want to draw this out into a flame war. Samantha, adrian, Gillian and Aisha, thank you for your willingness to talk about the uncomfortable. I find it very telling that a call for participation in a survey about Censorship elicited these specific public responses so far. I'm looking forward to hearing your presentation in person at AIC this spring. With that being said... First, the survey is entirely optional. Second, I don't want to sway anyone's interpretation of or responses to the survey. This is especially true if you haven't taken it yet and plan to do so. My understanding is that surveys are always open to interpretation, as are the responses collected. Data is biased and that is not inherently negative (https://hrdag.org/2026/02/11/yes-your-dataset-is-probably-biased/ <https://hrdag.org/2026/02/11/yes-your-dataset-is-probably-biased/>). In addition, there have been other surveys posted to the AIC community that ask for personal opinions, such as the mental health and disability surveys. And I imagine that questions on demographics (is that what's meant by "sensitive information?") is to see if the responses are representative of the community as a whole or otherwise. In any case, I assume the survey designers have done their due diligence while putting together this survey. Lastly, in my experience it is very difficult to put yourself out there in this field because there are few permanent stable positions. It's hard out here and I don't expect or need anyone to validate any of this response, but I do ask that we talk about the uncomfortable as Samantha, adrian, Gillian and Aisha have done. ------------------------------ Victoria Wong Lead Conservator Knight Library Eugene United States ------------------------------ ------------------------------------------- Original Message: Sent: 03-06-2026 11:47 From: Lisa Goldberg Subject: Survey on Social Justice, Politics, and Censorship in the Cultural Heritage Profession Dear Amy, thank you for bringing up "human subjects research" and IRBs....I had forgotten about this goalpost - and it is truly an important part of research involving opinion and sensitive information! best wishes Lisa ------------------------------ [Lisa] [Goldberg] [Conservator] [Goldberg Preservation Services LLC] [Corning] [NY] [607 368 3963] ------------------------------ Original Message: Sent: 03-06-2026 09:48 From: Amy Brost Subject: Survey on Social Justice, Politics, and Censorship in the Cultural Heritage Profession The survey is very likely to qualify as 'human subjects research,' which is what may distinguish it from prior surveys linked on this forum. Having worked with students doing thesis research involving surveys of colleagues, I've had to do numerous training courses through NYU on social and behavioral research, as have all the researchers. Here is NYU's flowchart on how to determine whether your project falls under the category of human subjects research:https://www.nyu.edu/content/dam/nyu/research/documents/IRB/IRBDecisionTree.pdf <https://www.nyu.edu/content/dam/nyu/research/documents/IRB/IRBDecisionTree.pdf> Since this survey is hosted at Stanford's domain, it would make sense for the research team to contact Stanford's IRB here:https://irb.stanford.edu/for-researchers/do-i-need-irb-review <https://irb.stanford.edu/for-researchers/do-i-need-irb-review> Training courses are available here to anyone who wants to do human subjects research ethically - if you work with your institution's IRB you will be able to do these for free:https://about.citiprogram.org/course/human-subjects-research-2/ <https://about.citiprogram.org/course/human-subjects-research-2/> Once the disclosures/consent forms for this survey have been IRB-approved that will likely answer many of the questions that have come up. Speaking personally, I thought the IRB review process was extremely helpful in survey design and educating me and the researchers about privacy, consent, participants' rights, and survey data management. Amy Brost Original Message: Sent: 2/25/2026 12:01:00 AM From: Samantha Emmanuel Subject: Survey on Social Justice, Politics, and Censorship in the Cultural Heritage Profession Dear Members of the Global Forum and AIC Community, We invite you to participate in an important survey <https://stanforduniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3reoGcyplMVVJCC> on the impact of censorship on conservation and allied professions. This survey was developed by the authors of the upcoming presentation: "Conservators Fighting Back Against Censorship and Inaction: Ethical Responses to Genocide and Cultural Erasure." Your insights will help us understand how censorship affects our work and community, particularly in relation to social justice struggles, academic freedom, and professional ethics. The survey is mostly multiple choice and takes approximately 15-20 minutes to complete. Participation is voluntary and is structured to protect your anonymity. This survey includes questions on social and political issues that may be sensitive or contentious, and we are grateful for your time, consideration, and willingness to engage with these important subjects. Results of this survey will be presented in our talk at the American Institute for Conservation 2026 Annual Meeting in Montreal on Thursday, April 30th. Please complete this survey by Friday, March 27th, 2026. Survey link: https://stanforduniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3reoGcyplMVVJCC <https://stanforduniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3reoGcyplMVVJCC> Sincerely, Samantha Emmanuel, adrian hernandez, Gillian Marcus, and Aisha Wahab Please email [email protected] <[email protected]> for any technical issues or questions about the survey. ------------------------------ Samantha Emmanuel Wall Painting Conservator Freelance/Private Practice/Self-employed/Independent San Jose United States ------------------------------ 2.From: Annabelle Camp Posted: Sunday March 8, 2026 9:28 PM Subject: March Member Meetup on Tools for Fundraising Success Message: Friday, March 13th at 2 p.m. ET Join members for an informal discussion about fundraising and philanthropy. Hosted by Debbie Hess Norris, Bellie Camp, and Sarah Kleiner, we're talking about all things money. This a valuable opportunity to bring your questions and share ideas about navigating a shifted funding landscape. If you're looking for tools to access financial support, we invite you to this member meetup on fundraising. No experience required, this is a space to ideate and ask questions. We believe we're stronger together! Meeting link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83830466723?pwd=LGHl1utQstIb13hVCYlE0PbKTjd2rZ.1 <https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83830466723?pwd=LGHl1utQstIb13hVCYlE0PbKTjd2rZ.1> Tell us what matters most. Help us tailor our conversations to your fundraising questions! Take our 5-minute Fundraising Survey, and share what topics you'd like to explore. [Survey Link Here <https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeRLm6rGplfQlkYa6gnl4_oBBhaaDKriJSe3DVjXGXCiVrkOA/viewform?usp=header>] ------------------------------ Annabelle (Bellie) Camp Chair Emerita, Textile Specialty Group ------------------------------ You are subscribed to "Global Conservation Forum (ConsDistList)" as [email protected]. 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