Email digest for the Global Conservation Forum (ConsDistList) egroup. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Practical conservation courses in UK 2. Stephen Koob (1951 – 2026) 3. RE: Using magnets to temporarily display massive 12x8 foot paper poster mounted on canvas 4. Chemistry for Conservators course 5. RE: Advice and Experience of using SP-11 Waterlogged Wood Treatment 6. RE: Polarized Light Microscopy Workshop 7. 2026 Ligatus Summer School on bookbinding history and Linked Data - 20 year anniversary ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1.From: Simon Moore Posted: Tuesday June 16, 2026 9:29 AM Subject: Practical conservation courses in UK Message: There are still spaces for three southern UK-based courses in conserving and part restoring natural science specimens are offered later this year. 1 Fluid preservation - 4 days of lectures and practical work at Sparsholt Agricultural College (near Winchester) with venue all-in accommodation offered: 24th to 27th of August 2026. 2 Taxidermy conservation - 3 days at Whitchurch historic Silk Mill: 28th to 30th of September. 3 Pinned insect conservation to test your dexterity skills - 2 days at Whitchurch historic Silk Mill, back-to-back with the above course: 1st to 2nd of October, 2026 For further details, contact Simon Moore (tutor) at [email protected] With all good wishes, Simon Simon Moore MIScT, RSci, FLS, ACR Conservator of Natural Sciences and Cutlery Historian. www.natural-history-conservation.com 2.From: Lisa Goldberg Posted: Tuesday June 16, 2026 9:31 AM Subject: Stephen Koob (1951 – 2026) Message: Stephen Koob unexpectedly passed away on Saturday, June 13th 2026. Funeral services will be today Tuesday, June 16th. Formerly chief conservator at the Corning Museum of Glass and known to many for his work with B-72, glass, ceramics, and archaeological materials (as well as his fondly labeled "Koob Tubes"), his impact on our field is widely acknowledged and appreciated. A formal obituary is forthcoming, and a celebration of his life is being planned this fall. He is survived by his wife, Lisa Goldberg, and his two sons and partners - Julian Koob and (wife) Mieko Palazzo, and Jeremy Koob. Donations in his honor can be made to the AIC, IIC, or by contributing to the conservation laboratory at the Corning Museum of Glass. ------------------------------ [Lisa] [Goldberg] [Conservator] [Goldberg Preservation Services LLC] [Corning] [NY] [607 368 3963] ------------------------------ 3.From: Aliza Taft Posted: Tuesday June 16, 2026 9:32 AM Subject: RE: Using magnets to temporarily display massive 12x8 foot paper poster mounted on canvas Message: Hi Heather, I was once involved in a project to photograph tapa cloths of varying dimensions, from 1'x1' to 10'x20' or so. They had all been rolled tightly and had a strong memory of it, so we needed to tack them down. Instead of trying to hang them, we made a magnetic floor using some old metal shelves, covered it with our photo paper, and then just used very small rare earth magnetic (5-10mm diameter) to tack the tapa edges down for the photo. Then the photos were shot from overhead. Obviously this requires a lot of floor space - we had the benefit of a catwalk for the extremely large items, and a photographer who was very good at stitching photos for the moderately large items. Just wanted to share a different idea in case it helps! Aliza ------------------------------ Aliza Taft Assistant Conservator of Objects Colonial Williamsburg Foundation ------------------------------ ------------------------------------------- Original Message: Sent: 06-11-2026 14:25 From: Heather Adams Subject: Using magnets to temporarily display massive 12x8 foot paper poster mounted on canvas Hello, We have a 12x8 foot paper poster mounted on canvas. The goal is to digitize and then roll it for storage. We're considering hanging it for just long enough to get good images of it. It's been lying on top of shelves for as long as I've been alive, and we have no idea what the condition will be when it comes down. Does anyone have a rule of thumb of the weight magnets could hold, or do you have other ideas for how to hang it? Thanks, Heather ------------------------------ Heather Parks Head of Preservation & Conservation Binghamton University [email protected] <[email protected]> ------------------------------ 4.From: James Black Posted: Tuesday June 16, 2026 11:10 AM Subject: Chemistry for Conservators course Message: We are still accepting enrolments for the Chemistry for Conservators course starting in September. The course provides an introduction to chemistry for people with little or no chemistry, providing an excellent background to the theory which is taught at many conservation training courses in Universities. Taking this course should enable students to gain greater insight into their everyday conservation work. Location: This is an at-home course. The coursework, carried out independently, consists of reading, online quizzes, at-home experiments and assignments. Internet access is required. Feedback is given by markers periodically after the work has been submitted. Cost: UK students: £940; Europe students: £990; Rest of the World: £1040 The course costs covers most material costs, shipment (without custom duties), Moodle access, feedback and marking, as well as a certificate when the course is finished successfully. Course content: The course is divided into four parts. An “Introduction” to chemical explanations of the physical world i.e. materials of common experience, air and water. “First principles” carries this further and explains the language of chemistry. “Chemistry in action” samples the chemistry of materials that are of use in conservation. The final block, “Chemistry and the conservator”, applies the knowledge gained in the previous blocks to the world of conservation. You can find more information on our website <https://academicprojects.co.uk/chemistry-for-conservators/>. Please message us < [email protected]> to receive the enrolment form and full syllabus. ------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ James Black Co-ordinator International Academic Projects London www.academicprojects.co.uk ------------------------------ 5.From: Kayleigh Spring Posted: Tuesday June 16, 2026 11:10 AM Subject: RE: Advice and Experience of using SP-11 Waterlogged Wood Treatment Message: Just to update everyone on my original post back in May. I have decided not to go down the road of SP-11 but use PEG with a corrosion inhibitor, potentially Sodium Nitrate. However, I have had a response from Preservation Solutions and they sent me a Technical data sheet and an SDS is now available on their website (https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0606/4898/0650/files/preservation-solutions-sp-11-waterlogged-wood-reatment-sds-5-2026.pdf?v=1779419887). I've attached the technical data sheet for people to see. Their responses were: SP-11 will soak into the wood approximately 1 inch every 1-2 days, however, we recommend you soak it longer as the more water that is displaced prior to drying, the better. Yes, freeze drying SP-11 treated wood should be favorable. However, due to the variations in temperature and humidity, we recommend you run a test piece first. The treated wood will have an advantage over non-treated when drying, because it is already going in stabilized. Leftover solution is not hazardous, you can refer to the SDS. It is best to check with your local state authorities as each state has unique requirements. I would be very interested to see if anyone has success with this product in the future. Thank you for the fantastic responses. Kind regards Kayleigh ------------------------------ Kayleigh Spring Object Conservator Wiltshire Conservation Service Wiltshire United Kingdom ------------------------------ ------------------------------------------- Original Message: Sent: 05-18-2026 05:32 From: Kayleigh Spring Subject: Advice and Experience of using SP-11 Waterlogged Wood Treatment Dear All, I am wondering if anyone has any advice or experience with using SP-11 Waterlogged Wood Treatment? SP-11 Waterlogged Wood Treatment <https://preservation-solutions.com/products/sp-11-waterlogged-wood-treatment> I have some roman wooden boxes with nails that are waterlogged and require treatment. I have ruled out PEG due to the presence of the iron nails. I have used Glycerol previously on waterlogged leather that contained nails but noticed people do not advice this for wood due to it leaving a tacky finish. My main questions are: It says that you can just submerge the wood in the solution and leave it. How do you know when the solution has fully permeated the wood? Is there a way to check the concentration of the final solution or is it known it will penetrate a certain thickness over a given length of time?We have a freeze dryer here that we would normally use with waterlogged material as we find trying to control the temperature and RH during air-drying difficult in our building. Can we still use a freeze drying method after impregnating with SP-11?It implies that the solution can be reused – does any waste need to be disposed of as hazardous waste? Does anyone know what the solutions ingredients are? Any help is greatly appreciated. Kind regards Kayleigh Preservation Solutionsremove preview <https://preservation-solutions.com/products/sp-11-waterlogged-wood-treatment>SP-11 Waterlogged Wood TreatmentA professional conservation treatment designed for stabilizing waterlogged and excavated wooden artifacts. Use by underwater archaeologists and conservationist. View this on Preservation Solutions > <https://preservation-solutions.com/products/sp-11-waterlogged-wood-treatment> ------------------------------ Kayleigh Spring Object Conservator Wiltshire Conservation Service Wiltshire United Kingdom ------------------------------ 6.From: Sarah Saetren Posted: Tuesday June 16, 2026 3:07 PM Subject: RE: Polarized Light Microscopy Workshop Message: A few spots have become available in the Polarized Light Microscopy <https://learning.culturalheritage.org/products/polarized-light-microscopy-2026> workshop taking place July 27-31, 2026, at SUNY Buffalo, in Buffalo, New York. The workshop will be led by Kirsten Moffitt and Aaron Shugar. This workshop will provide participants with an intensive hands-on re-introduction to the theory and practice of Polarized Light Microscopy (PLM), focusing on historic pigments found in heritage objects. PLM is an important tool for the study of cultural heritage objects, but its effective use is dependent on the skill and experience of the user. During this workshop, attendees will be reacquainted with the polarizing light microscope and refresh their microscopy knowledge and skills through lectures and hands-on exercises to recognize key optical and morphological properties of pigments, such as relative refractive index, pleochroism, and anisotropy. Participants will move beyond pigment references and work through unknowns collected from actual artifacts to reflect 'real world' applications encountered in conservation practice. Participants will collect samples from heritage objects, prepare those samples for microscopic examination, identify unknowns, and learn how best to document their results. Case-study lectures will explore actual projects in which PLM played a pivotal role. The limitations of PLM and the application of supplementary analytical techniques will also be discussed. Participants will receive a small slide reference set for use during class, printed and digital reference materials, as well as a packet of self-teaching worksheets designed for future use. During the workshop, attendees will have the opportunity to prepare a pigment reference set to take home. This workshop is designed to be a safe space for conservation professionals to refresh their microscopy skills, re-train their eye, and better articulate their findings. Participants will come away with a refreshed understanding of PLM, its relevance to the study of art materials, and the confidence to apply this critical technique to their own work. Interested individuals may contact me or submit an application here <https://culturalheritage.secure-platform.com:443/a/solicitations/1291/home>. Please note that all financial support has been distributed and is not available to additional participants. The registration fee is $760 for AIC members, $912 for non-members. ------------------------------ Sarah Saetren FAIC Education Manager ------------------------------ ------------------------------------------- Original Message: Sent: 05-12-2026 14:36 From: Sarah Saetren Subject: Polarized Light Microscopy Workshop The deadline for application for this workshop has been extended until this Sunday, May 17. Don't miss it! ------------------------------ Sarah Saetren FAIC Education Manager ------------------------------ 7.From: Athanasios Velios Posted: Tuesday June 16, 2026 4:54 PM Subject: 2026 Ligatus Summer School on bookbinding history and Linked Data - 20 year anniversary Message: https://www.ligatus.org.uk/summerschool/2026 <https://www.ligatus.org.uk/summerschool/2026> Apply online by clicking here <http://www.ligatus.org.uk/summerschool/node/add/application>. 21 – 25 September (Rome, Italy) and 28 September – 2 October (Rome, Italy) Deadline for applications: 3 July 2026 Successful applicants to be contacted by mid July 2026 Deadline for fee payment: 31 July 2026 The 2026 Ligatus Summer School is co-organised with the Saint Catherine Foundation <https://www.saintcatherinefoundation.org/> and it will take place in Rome, in collaboration with the Biblioteca Universitaria Alessandrina, of La Sapienza University, where the daily lecture sessions will be held. In Rome, material from the following libraries will be examined: Biblioteca Universitaria Alessandrina Biblioteca Angelica Biblioteca Casanatense Biblioteca Vallicelliana Library of the Venerable English College Archivio di Stato Background The contribution that bindings can make to our understanding of the history and culture of the book is often neglected, but they can offer insights into the study of readership, the book trade, and the provenance of books that are often not available elsewhere. In order to realise this potential, it is important to learn not only the history of the craft but also how to record what is seen in a consistent and organised way. Librarians, cataloguers, conservators, book historians, book collectors and all scholars who work with early books can benefit from understanding the structure and materials of the bindings they encounter and knowing how to record and describe them. Clear descriptions of bindings are invaluable for the management of library collections, pursuing academic research and making informed decisions about conservation. They are also important for digitisation projects, as they can radically enrich the potential of image and text metadata. It is our belief that bindings should be seen as an integral part of the book, without which our understanding of the history and use of books is often greatly circumscribed. The main purpose of the Summer School is to uncover the possibilities latent in the detailed study of bookbinding. All three courses offered in this Summer School look at bindings from different geographical areas and with a different approach. 20 years of the Ligatus Summer School 2026 marks 20 years since the first Ligatus Summer School, which took place in Volos in Greece. Over this period hundreds of participants have joined the Summer School courses and benefitted from and contributed to them. Many of them engaged with Ligatus at research level and many have moved on to be leading figures in the field of book history and conservation. 2026 also marks 25 years from the beginning of the St. Catherine's condition survey, the project which led to Ligatus and the Summer School as well as the Language of Bindings thesaurus. To mark the extraordinary contribution of these three projects to the domain of book history and book conservation, we are planning a special event in the weekend between the two Summer School weeks in Rome, details of which will be published soon. Week 1 (21 - 25 September): European Bookbinding 1450-1830 Rome Tutor: Professor N. Pickwoad This course will follow European bookbinding from the end of the Middle Ages to the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, using the bindings themselves to illustrate the aims and intentions of the binding trade. A large part of the course will be devoted to the identification of both broad and detailed distinctions within the larger groups of plain commercial bindings and the possibilities of identifying the work of different countries, cities, even workshops without reference to finishing tools. The identification and significance of the different materials used in bookbinding will be examined, as well as the classification of bookbindings by structural type, and how these types developed through the three centuries covered by the course. The development of binding decoration will be touched on, but will not form a major part of the discussion. The course consists of ten 90-minute sessions with Powerpoint presentations (over 800 images will be shown), with the examination of a large variety of bookbindings in the afternoon sessions in the collections not only of our host institution, the Biblioteca Alessandrina, but also the Biblioteca Angelica, the Biblioteca Casanatense, the Biblioteca Vallicelliana, the library of the Venerable English College and the Archivio di Stato (the original home of the Biblioteca Alessandrina). An additional visit to the Vatican Library is currently under discussion. Week 2A (28 – 30 September): Linked Data for bookbinding description Rome Tutor: Dr Athanasios Velios This course will be taught by Dr Athanasios Velios and will deal with the methodologies and techniques that can be used to record bookbindings. Sessions will focus on: a) Linked Data, the semantic web and the CIDOC Conceptual Reference Model (CRM); b) standardised vocabularies for book descriptions (Language of Bindings and SKOS); c) the development of database schemas for book descriptions; d) mapping bookbinding description databases to CIDOC-CRM and publishing Linked Data. This course will consist of a combination of presentations and hands-on workshops. Participants will require to bring their own laptops in order to follow the hands-on workshops. Instructions on the necessary software will be circulated in advance of the course. Participants will work in pairs during the hands-on workshops. Week 2B (30 September – 2 October): Eastern Mediterranean Bookbinding Structures Rome Tutor: Dr Georgios Boudalis This course will focus on the major structural and decorative features of the different bookbinding traditions that have evolved in the eastern Mediterranean – including the Coptic, Syriac, Armenian, Georgian and Islamic – with special focus on the Byzantine and post-Byzantine bookbindings. The aim is to look closely at the different components - sewing of the bookblocks, board attachments, endbands, decoration, fastenings etc –and explain their making and evolution in time, place and cultural context. . These different but at the same time rather closely related bookbindings, wherever possible, will be considered in the wider material culture context within which they were produced. The course will consist of six 90-minute PowerPoint presentations and examinations of some real bookbindings from one or more libraries in Rome still to be decided. Course Fees Week 1 (Pickwoad): £470 Week 2 (both courses): £470 Week 2A (Velios): £250 Week 2B (Boudalis): £250 Please note that course fees cover tuition only. Participants are responsible for arranging their own travel, visas, insurance, accommodation, meals etc. during the School. Due to the short period from the payment deadline to the beginning of the course, the fees are not refundable. Biblioteca Universitaria Alessandrina, La Sapienza University The Biblioteca Alessandrina was established by Pope Alexander VII Chigi to serve Rome's Studium Urbis in the building now occupied by the Archivio di Stato, which we will be visiting in the first week of the Summer School. The library room was designed by the architect Francesco Borromini, who drew up plans for its grand, monumental hall, adjacent to the Church of St Ivo, within the Palazzo della Sapienza, on what is now the Corso del Rinascimento. By the end of 1670, when it opened to the public, the Library held some 30,000 volumes and was equipped with an alphabetical catalogue by author and a subject catalogue. In the following centuries, it was enriched by significant acquisitions and donations, whilst the logical organisation of the collections was refined. In 1810, the Library obtained the right of publication for the entire territory of the Papal States and, in 1870, with the transfer to the Italian State, for the province of Rome. As the space allocated to the book collections became insufficient, the library was transferred in 1935 to the Rettorato building of the new university campus. In the 1980s, the original building was renovated to provide the library with more space for services. Since 1990, the Library has been part of the National Library Service and is responsible for the Rome RML State Public Libraries Network. About Rome Rome is a major world city with an unparalleled wealth of archaeological, architectural and artistic treasures and needs no introduction from us. As the capital city of the of the Roman empire, it is famous for the vast remains of the great classical city, but it is also the centre of the Catholic Church, and is, as a consequence, rich in magnificent libraries, a number of which will be hosting visits by students of our courses. There are many museums, of course, and other delights as well, including bars, cafés and restaurants of every sort, seemingly at every corner. The metro works well (and is the best way to get to La Sapienza) and the buses do much of the time, but not always. About the Saint Catherine Foundation The Saint Catherine Foundation and its related organizations in the USA and Switzerland support conservation work at Saint Catherine's Monastery, Sinai, Egypt. The foundations in London, New York, and Geneva collaborate with leading universities, museums, libraries and other institutions on cultural, educational and fundraising events and initiatives in Europe, the US and beyond. Partners include the Metropolitan Museum (New York), the British Library (London), State Hermitage Museum (St Petersburg), and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina (Alexandria). The Foundation has been collaborating with Ligatus researchers over the past 20 years. ------------------------------ Dr Athanasios Velios Collections Data Manager English Heritage ------------------------------ 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.
