Online courses

Learn how to care for textiles and archaeological materials, the
correct materials to use with art and artifacts, or the mechanics of
improving your museum environment to meet preservation standards.
These four online museum courses start on October 1, 2007:

    MS 204:     Materials for Storage and Display
    MS 211:     Preservation Environments (New in 2007)
    MS 212:     Care of Textiles (New in 2007)
    MS 215:     Care of Archaeological Artifacts From the Field to
                the Lab (New in 2007)

A brief description of each course follows:

MS204: Materials for Storage and Display
Instructor: Helen Alten

    Materials for Storage and Display offers a comprehensive review
    of materials used for storage and display of collections.
    Lectures and handouts separate materials by properties: rigid,
    padding, barrier and attachments. Slide shows illustrate the use
    of each. The course emphasizes acid-free materials and how to
    retrofit less appropriate materials. MS204 keeps current with
    the latest materials available for preservation. Using material
    testing as a decision making tool is covered. Participants
    receive notebooks with samples of all of the materials
    discussed.

MS211: Preservation Environments
Instructor: Ernest A. Conrad

    Preservation Environments is essential for any institution
    considering a new building - and any institution planning to
    expand or rebuild an existing one. Participants learn the
    advantages and disadvantages of numerous methods of temperature
    and humidity control. Preservation Environments does not try to
    turn museum professionals into engineers. Rather, it arms them
    with the knowledge they need to work with engineers and
    maintenance professionals.

MS212: Care of Textiles
Instructor: Ann Coppinger

    Caring for textiles demands an understanding of how and why
    textiles deteriorate. This course offers a simplified
    explanation of the origin and structure of textile fibers as
    well as the finished textile object; be it either a piece of
    whole cloth or a finished garment. Care of Textiles teaches
    students to identify fibers, fabric structures and finishes,
    write condition reports, and understand the agents of
    deterioration that are harmful to various fabrics both in
    storage and on exhibit. Topics include preparing textiles for
    storage and exhibit, the use of archival materials with
    textiles, and three dimensional supports. Text book: Preserving
    Textiles: A Guide for the Nonspecialist by Harold Mailand and
    Dorothy Stites Alig.

MS 215: Care of Archaeological Artifacts From the Field to the Lab
Instructor: Diana Komejan

    Archaeological finds come out of the ground fragile and they
    often stay that way. Yet archaeologists and museum professionals
    have few clear guidelines for handling, moving, storing and
    displaying such materials. Participants learn techniques for
    safely lifting and packing artifacts, safe transportation and
    temporary and permanent storage. The course also covers a broad
    range of excavation environments, including the Arctic, wet
    sites, tropical and temperate. Though Care of Archaeological
    Artifacts is not intended to train archaeological conservators,
    it is designed to help participants understand what can and
    can't be done to save the artifacts they unearth.

Logistics for All Courses Participants work at their own pace
through sections and interact through online chats. The instructor
is available at scheduled times for email support. Courses include
online literature, slide lectures and student-teacher/group-teacher
dialog. Each course is limited to 20 participants.

Sign up at <URL:http://www.museumclasses.org> and pay for the course
<URL:http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html>.

If you have trouble completing an on-line order, please contact
Helen Alten <helen [at] collectioncare__org> or Eric Swanson
<eric [at] collectioncare__org>.

More course and instructor information is available at
<URL:http://www.museumclasses.org>


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 21:23
                Distributed: Sunday, September 23, 2007
                       Message Id: cdl-21-23-015
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