NARA Preservation Conference

The 22nd Annual National Archives Preservation will take place on
Monday, March 10, 2008. The location this year will be the William
McGowan Theater in the National Archives Building in Washington, DC.
The title of the conference is: The ABCs of Modern Fire Suppression
in Cultural Institutions.

The conference program will provide an in-depth review of fire
suppression systems appropriate for the protection of archives and
other cultural property. There will be an examination of what had
been utilized in the past and what modern systems are being used
effectively. The program will also feature insights as to what fire
suppression technologies might be utilized in the future and how
cultural institutions might adapt in an environment of shrinking
budgets but increasing volumes of holdings needing to be
safeguarded.

The program will specifically acknowledge recent advances in
specific fire suppression systems that are applicable to confined
spaces (records vaults, high bay storage), vulnerable materials
(artifacts), and possibly electronic equipment (data repositories).
It will also address the impact these suppression systems have on
the natural environment within the context of the Kyoto Protocol and
other policies adopted in response to the threat of global warming.

We expect to have an audience of archivists, librarians,
conservators, preservation specialists, facility managers,
architects and engineers, and curators of museums and historic
properties. The program will enable attendees to be exposed to new
information about modern, emerging technologies to protect their
collections against fire loss or damage. Our intent is for attendees
to leave the conference with an understanding of what the
appropriate choices are for their institution and why the layout of
building spaces, the configuration of shelving and storage units,
and the nature of the materials to be protected all must be taken
into account when designing and procuring a fire suppression system.

The Speaker's Program shall include:

    Fire Protection for Cultural Property--Preservation Issues and
    Concerns
    Catherine Nicholson
    Supervisory Conservator, NARA

    Fire Protection:  An Historical Overview
    J. Andrew Wilson
    Associate Director for Fire Protection and Safety
    Smithsonian Institution
    Washington, DC

    New Fire Suppression Technologies
    Nick Artim
    Director of Fire Safety Network
    Middlebury, Vermont

    Risk Assessment for Cultural Institutions:
        Fire Testing vs. Computer Modeling
    Frederick W. Mowrer, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor
    Department of Fire Protection Engineering
    University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland

    Low Oxygen Fire Suppression at the British Library
    Julian Taylor
    Construction Project Sponsor
    British Library
    London, England

    Why Wet Pipe at Williamsburg?
    Patricia Silence
    Conservator of Exhibits
    Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
    Williamsburg, Virginia

    Fire Suppression in the Capitol Visitors Center Exhibit Gallery
    Marty Sewell
    Exhibition Project Director
    The Capitol Visitors Center
    Washington DC

    Fire Protection for the Rare Collections Library
    Cornelius Rusnov
    Project Coordinator
    The State Library of Pennsylvania

This program is subject to change.

The registration fee is $125.00 for standard and $75.00 for student.
This fee includes a box lunch and all food and beverages served
during breaks. The doors to the National Archives Building -
Constitution Avenue entrance - will open at 8am. The program begins
at 8:45am and lasts until 5:15pm. There is no on-site parking.

Please fill out, enclose payment and send by mail to the address
listed. For updates, please see

    <URL:http://www.archives.gov/preservation/conferences/2008/>

Richard Schneider
Preservation Conference Coordinator
301-837-3617


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 21:35
                Distributed: Tuesday, December 18, 2007
                       Message Id: cdl-21-35-016
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