Do-it-yourself conservation

In regard to what non-conservators can and should be doing with
their collections, my book Guide to Environmental Protection of
Collections, was written for this purpose.  Some of the more
technical information on environmental control is slanted more
toward curators and administrators of museums but much of the text
is devoted to individual owners.

Part of my feeling on the subject is that if curators or collectors
feel they have the time to do restoration, they should stop and
think about what else they should be doing first--like
documentation, accident prevention, etc.

The introduction is entitled "The role of the non-conservator in the
preservation of collections" and there is a postscript entitled "If
you want to do more" which acknowledges that many conservation
treatment processes can in fact be carried out by non-conservators,
but that it may require consultation with a conservator to assure
that a particular process is appropriate for a particular object.

The book is available from AAM, AIC, and other sources, as well as
directly from the publisher Sound View Press at 203-245-2246, $39,
no additional charge for postage and handling.

Barbara Appelbaum

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 9:32
                 Distributed: Thursday, October 5, 1995
                        Message Id: cdl-9-32-004
                                  ***