Contents:

Giving Diligence Its Due:  Authenticating New Acquisitions

By Steve Henrikson, Curator of Collections, Alaska State Museum

Every curator is haunted by the specter of acquisitions past…the ones that got away, and the ones that didn’t – but that couldn’t fully be authenticated. No matter how much time is available, you often have to “fish or cut bait” before you’ve checked all the sources or heard back from various experts.

The trouble is, when dealing with truly unique objects, there may not be any experts to consult. Shortly into your inquiry, you become the “world’s greatest expert” on _________. There may not be any innocent third parties to “take the fall” if your authentication falls through. You’re left holding the bag – in which to carry your belongings after being summarily fired for incompetence and escorted from the museum. At least that is my recurring nightmare.

Seriously, rather than shifting blame, professionals do due diligence – as much as is practical and necessary prior to acquiring objects or art for the museum. There are legal and ethical reasons for researching provenance and researching authenticity:  Is it legal to own?  Did its collection violate treaties or laws? Does the donation (or the taking of a tax deduction) constitute illegal “trafficking” in certain protected animal parts or cultural patrimony?

As the market value of many of the things we collect increase, so does the incentive for fakery. Museum acquisitions funds are scarce and we can’t afford to squander them on mistakes…so you collect all the facts you can, apply your professional judgment, and make the call – and pray. In some professions, they call it “making a gut decision,” “intuition,” or, possibly, “witchcraft.”  In the museum context, it is referred to as connoisseurship: expertise in the work, developed over long exposure to a body of similar material, of the same period, or by the same artist.

Unfortunately, many forgers are also connoisseurs, and may even use old materials and techniques. That’s why it’s important to work with sellers who will stand behind the work they sell by offering your money back if the work isn’t as advertised. Beware of sellers who carefully word their descriptions to imply something that isn’t actually stated.

Provenance is important, but it too can be fabricated. Sometimes the object, through its style or materials, conveys its own history. Considering the totality of the evidence at hand, you should expect some correlation between the provenance and the object. But authentication and attribution are more art than science, so it’s important to take a step back and check your objectivity.

It’s natural to get excited when you make what seems to be a “big find,” so it’s useful to have an acquisitions committee made up of seasoned skeptics who are not afraid to poke holes in the wispy filaments of your acquisitions package. Running their gauntlet is good preparation for when you may be called upon to answer similar questions later, in public.

In 2012, I was challenged to authenticate what was presented as a 19^th century watercolor of Sitka – one of those rare things that you consider yourself lucky to ever come across once in a career. As soon as I saw it, I realized I had seen it once before. Digging into my “unrealized acquisitions” files, back to the mid-1990s, I found the info we had on it, which proved very useful in authenticating the piece.

ASM Postels attributed

The widow of an art collector in California had initially offered it for sale for approximately five thousand dollars. The art collector was Carl Dentzel, former director of the Southwest Museum in Los Angeles and a serious collector of California and Western paintings. Mrs. Dentzel told me that her husband traveled the world and probably picked up the painting on one of his trips, but beyond that, she couldn’t say anything definitive about its source. She added that finding any notes or receipts for the piece in his papers at that time would be virtually impossible. Mrs. Dentzel didn’t respond to our further inquiries, and the deal never materialized, but I hoped we would someday get another shot.

That shot came in August 2012, when Adrienne Kaeppler of the Smithsonian Institution contacted ASM Chief Curator Bob Banghart. She said that a friend, Mark Blackburn, had recently purchased the painting from Gary Spratt, a Mill Valley California art dealer, who had exhibited the piece at a recent art show. Blackburn knew it was important and offered it to the Alaska State Museum at his cost, $21,500. My mood was buoyed when Banghart informed me that he found a combination of state and Friends funds, and he was prepared to “pull the trigger” if the piece proved out. After being assured that he meant “buy the piece” and not, literally, pulling the trigger on his latest personal firearm acquisition, I set out as best I could to authenticate the piece.

The painting depicts Sitka during the first quarter of the 19^th century, signed by artist Alexander Postels. The painting had been published in books by several noted scholars of Russian America: Katherine Arndt and Richard Pierce (2003:24), and Lydia Black (2004:241). It was heartening that scholars of such prominence considered the piece authentic enough. Both Pierce and Black had seen plenty of period pieces in their time, and that meant something – but was that enough assurance?  We wanted more (we always want more) and turned our attention to the painting itself, which the owner kindly loaned us for examination. Written in the margin of the painting at lower right is the inscription “Drawn from Nature by A. Postels,” written in pre-revolutionary Cyrillic:

Writing in the margin

Postels came to Alaska with the Litke Expedition in 1826, where he served as a naturalist and sketch artist. Postels and another artist, Kittlitz, made illustrations of plant, fish, and other natural history specimens collected by the expedition’s scientists. Postels alone is said to have made over a thousand drawings on the four-year around the world voyage. In addition, as Litke’s mineralogist, he collected over three hundred rock specimens.  (Henry 1984:58, Pierce 1990:410)

If a body of the artist’s work was available for study, we might be able attribute it based on style. Several of Postels’ drawings of Russian America were made into engravings for the Litke expedition’s published atlas, but this particular view is not among them. Unfortunately, the current location of Postels’ original paintings from the expedition is not known to us; they might be in the Academy of Sciences in Moscow, in one of the universities in St. Petersburg that employed Postels later in his career, or another institution. Another possibility is that they were destroyed during WWII. We could find only one original work by Postels: a portrait of three Alaska Natives, now in a private collection. As it is a portrait, it unfortunately provides nothing definitive in comparison to the view of Sitka.

Does the scene as painted accurately depict Sitka as it appeared during around 1827? The work is in the tradition of the 18^th century topographical drawing and painting as practiced by many seafarers and explorers in the years prior to photography, and accuracy was of vital importance. Faint pencil gridlines appear in the background of the painting in places, suggesting an effort on the part of the artist to accurately lay out a panoramic view.

Circa 1827 painting

2012 View from the Poulson Residence. Mt. Edgecumbe is obscured by the bridge at left, but it is in the same position as in the 1827 view. Courtesy Rebecca Poulson

Looking at period maps, we found that the vantage point of the artist is a small island to the east of Castle Hill. The Russians built a causeway connecting the island, and put in a building (the stone foundation of which survives). In the early 20^th century, a large home was built on that site, currently owned by Thad Poulson. Thad’s daughter, Rebecca Poulson, confirmed that from that position, Mt. Edgecumbe appears to the left of Castle hill. Comparing the painting to her photos, some imagination is required as the shoreline around the hill and the adjacent beach has completely changed since that time due to the fill on the tidelands and construction of the bridge and connecting roadway. But still the resemblance is clear.

Litke’s description of Sitka in 1827 is well reflected by the painting:

“The settlement is at present made up of two parts – the fortress and the outlying areas. The first encloses the governor’s two storied house, situated on the highest point of the rock, at around eighty feet above sea level, surrounded by towers and by batteries armed with thirty-two cannon, which makes it like a citadel… All of the structures in the fortress are company property; they are well maintained, although not without difficulty for the magnificent wood of conifers and saplings used here, because of its poor quality and the effect of the climate, does not last very long. One of the towers along the fortress walls houses the arsenal, with enough firearms and hand arms for over a thousand men, kept in good order.” (Litke 1987:46)

Individual structures appearing in the painting correspond to other period artwork and maps of the city. To the right of Castle Hill extends a log wall or palisades, and several substantial buildings. The wall itself closely aligns to the position as shown in a 1827 map of Sitka published with the Litke Expedition journals, entitled Plan du port de Novo-Arkhangelsk (illustrated in Arndt and Pierce 2003:44). The view also shows several structures – workshops, bunkhouse, and bathhouse – on the lower side of Castle Hill, the foundations of which were excavated in the mid-1990s by the State of Alaska Office of History and Archaeology. The watercolor is one of only a few images showing the hexagonal Church of St. Michael the Archangel, which was built in 1813 around an older chapel dating to 1808.  It was replaced in 1834, thus providing a possible late date for the painting’s creation.

The fine details of the painting closely match maps and illustrations of Sitka from the 1820s. The accuracy convinced noted scholars such as Lydia Black and Richard Pierce that the piece was authentic. The style of the piece, as a topographical illustration, as well as the hand-drawn border suggests early/middle 19^th century. The materials appear to be old and consistent with what was available in the period. The chances that the piece has been forged are very minute, given that it would have taken extensive research in Russian archives to have rendered such an accurate view of Sitka as it appeared in the1820s. Based on this totality of the information, and the support of the owner, Mark Blackburn, I recommended to the Museum Collections Advisory Committee that we purchase the painting, but at the same time indicated more research was needed to more thoroughly authenticate it, including:

• removing the board glued to the back of the painting may reveal inscriptions or watermarks.
• check the painting for pollen or spores:  if the painting was done outdoors, in the summer, pollen or spores from plants native to Sitka may be adhered to the paint.
• locate other original sketches by Postels to solidify the attribution to him as artist.
• conduct XRF analysis of the paint to confirm its components were available in 1827.

When considering acquiring a piece for the collection, you often have limited time to make your decision, and might have to decide before all possible research is completed. However sure you might be, new information or new analytical techniques may someday prove you wrong. Falling prey to forgers is indeed an occupational hazard in our line of work, but by being as thorough as possible, and by working with dealers and owners willing to stand behind their material, we can mitigate the risks.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Arndt, Katherine L. and Richard A. Pierce   2003
A Construction History of Sitka, Alaska, as Documented in the Records of the Russian-American Company. Sitka:  Sitka National Historical Park, National Park Service.

Black, Lydia T.   2004
Russians in Alaska, 1732-1867.  Fairbanks:  University of Alaska Press.

Fedorova, Svetlana

Henry, John Frazier    1984
Early Maritime Artists of the Pacific Northwest Coast, 1741-1841. Seattle, University of Washington Press.

Khlebnikov, Kiril    1994
Notes on Russian America, Part I:  Novo Arkhangel’sk. Compiled by Svetlana Fedorova. Translated by Serge LeComte and Richard Pierce. Kingston, Ontario and Fairbanks, Alaska:  The Limestone Press.

Lidfors, Kathleen    1990
Russian Architectural Legacy in Alaska I: Origins. In Pacifica 2:2, November 1990 pp. 115-129

Pierce, Richard    1989
Reconstruction Baranov’s Castle. In Alaska History 4:1, Spring 1989, pp. 27-44

1990       Russian America:  A Biographical Dictionary. Kingston, Ontario and Fairbanks, Alaska:  The Limestone Press.

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Ask ASM

Question:  I need some advice on labeling rocks. Following AAM advice, I have been marking with ink over clear base coat. I have also noticed that previous labelers marked with ink over white acrylic paint. Either way, the surface of the rock is often very irregular, and my labels are sometimes unreadable. Also, what is the best practice for very small rocks? Is it considered sufficient to place rocks – all rocks – in a plastic bag and label the bag? Thanks for any advice you or anyone else can give me.

ASM:  Bumpy stone surfaces tend to do better with water-based adhesives and then a printed thin paper label that will conform to the bumps when wet in a way that the clear solvent-based labels don’t do so easily. The drawback is that the adhesive is pulled deep into the pores of the stone, and if you need to get the label off, the adhesive does not fully dissolve, it only swells into a gel that can stay plugged into those pores and when you pull the label off you can possibly skin the surface of more friable (powdery) rocks.  You will face a similar problem trying to remove the acrylic paint.   Sometimes, depending on the surface of the rock, it can be possible to use the solvent-based adhesive and a dry stiff brush to tamp down the thin paper label for better contact before it sets and before a tops coat is applied.

Very small rocks?  You can label very small things using a 6 or 8 point font on a thin tissue paper.  If you find it is not practical to label each one you can put them in bags and label the bag.  However, you must document it carefully to avoid confusion in the future.  Writing the number of rocks in the bag and other info on a little piece of paper to place inside the bag, as well as in the database and hard copy files, along with measurements, and a labeled photograph will help keep the record straight.

Conservator Ellen Carrlee posted about labeling on her blog

http://ellencarrlee.wordpress.com/?s=labeling.  She covers stone but maybe not the small ones that you are dealing with.

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Shaking the Money Tree

The Museum Assessment Program (MAP) is an IMLS-funded program available to small and mid-sized museums of all types. During MAP, your museum conducts a self-study, consults with a museum professional who will provide a customized site visit and report, and gains the tools to become a stronger institution.

• The MAP process is customized to your museum.
• The application is easy to complete and 98% of museums that apply get accepted.
• Choose one of three assessment types: Organizational, Collections Stewardship or Community Engagement.

IMLS-funded MAP grants provide $4,000 of consultative resources and services to participating museums. Become the next museum to take advantage of MAP. The upcoming application deadline is July 1.

Apply today for the July 1 application deadline.

Visit www.aam-us.org/map for more information about MAP or contact us at map@aam-us.org or 202.289.9118.

MAP is administered by the American Alliance of Museums and supported through a cooperative agreement with the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

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Spotlight on Grant in Aid

Grant in Aid applications are due June 3.  Below are some helpful hints to aid you in your quest for funding through this program.  To find the online applications go to our Grant in Aid webpage:  http://museums.alaska.gov/grants.html

Mini-Grant Application Tips:

The purpose of the Alaska State Museum Grant-in-Aid Program is to help Alaskan museums reach their full potential as stewards of culture, resources, and community.

What to do:

• Know and follow the instructions and rules. *Specifically: Have you called Scott yet?
• When in doubt – ASK! *Not knowing or understanding something could put your application, and thus funding, at risk.
• Review, Review, Review!
• Be prepared to write more than one draft, and have multiple people edit it.
• Know the submission deadline and submit early.
• Be concise – explanation and detail should add support NOT emotion or fillers
• Observe the basic questions:
• Who? – will benefit? will be involved? will be responsible?
• What? – is the specific project? are the goals? materials involved? are the concerns?
• Where? – specific room in the museum? out of town workshop?
• When? – will the project start? end? will you see results? How long will it last?
• Why? – is this important? Should it be funded?
• How? – will the project be undertaken? be evaluated? be successful?

Writing the narrative:

• Need, purpose, identifiable goals, and a persuasive reason why this project should be funded are the fundamentals for the narrative.
• Only include extra background and detail if they support the above objectives.
• Remember the “hook” – present your project as fulfilling the specific interests or goals of the funder, in this case: concise and simple reasoning why this grant will help your institution reach its full potential. This is critical, and success with this will make your application more persuasive and compelling.

Mini-Grant Questions De-coded:

• “What do you wish to do with this grant?”

Be simple and concise. State exactly what you want to accomplish, and the tools which will help you achieve the goals. List your anticipated budget, and account for every dollar. Be specific (such as: $600 collections database software; $10 Shipping and handling);

• “Explain why you need this grant. Why is it a priority for your museum?”

Discuss how this will your institution, how it will benefit the community, etc.

• “Are you using any other sources of funds or in-kind resources?”

This question is asked to give a clearer and more complete picture of the proposed activity. This also indicates careful consideration and planning from the applicant.

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Alaska Museums in the News

UA Museum of the North looks at ways to reverse decline in attendance

http://www.newsminer.com/news/local_news/ua-museum-of-the-north-looks-at-ways-to-reverse/article_3abeccde-afd1-11e2-b646-001a4bcf6878.html

 

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Professional Development/Training Opportunities

The George Washington University’s Distance Education Graduate Certificate Program in “Museum Collections Management and Care” is accepting applications for the fall.  The application deadline is August 1, 2013.

The graduate certificate is earned completely online and is designed for those working or volunteering in museums with collections management responsibilities. The courses are ideal for those either lacking prior formal museum studies training or desiring a refresher in the topics of legal and ethical issues, collections management and preventive conservation.

For more information, please contact Mary Coughlin at musede@gwu.edu or visit the website: http://ccas.gwu.edu/museum

Image Permanence Institute

Free webinars on the optimal preservation environment

The Image Permanence Institute is presenting a series of free webinars for collections care and facilities staff in cultural institutions is designed to enable collections care and facilities staff in cultural institutions to work together to achieve an optimal preservation environment—one that combines the best possible preservation of collections with the least possible consumption of energy, and is sustainable over time. This series is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities Education & Training grant program.

Webinar presentations will focus on broad environmental challenges and provide useful and effective suggestions for dealing with them. Webinars will be presented by IPI staff unless noted otherwise. Each webinar will be presented on a Wednesday from 2:00 to 3:30 Eastern Standard Time. You can get additional details and register for webinars at http://ipisustainability.org/.

June 5, 2013
Dealing with Summer Heat & Humidity

July 10, 2013
Investigate your HVAC System & Identify Potential Energy Savings – Guest Speaker Peter Herzog, Herzog/Wheeler & Associates, Energy Management Consultant

August 7, 2013
Practical Approaches to Environmental Control for Small Institutions – Guest speaker, Richard Kerschner, Director of Preservation and Conservation, Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, Vermont

September 4, 2013
Sustainable Preservation Practices—Key Team Activities

Connecting to Collections May Webinars

Webinar 4: Preventive Care of Photographs
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
9:00-10:30 a.m. AKST
Instructor: Debra Hess Norris

This session will look to give a basic understanding of and appreciation for issues relating to preventive care of photographic collections, including risk management; appropriate environmental conditions; handling and maintenance procedures for storage; exhibition and display parameters and monitoring techniques; and emergency preparedness, mitigation, and response.

Webinar 5: Advocating for the Care of Photographs
Thursday, May 23, 2013
9:00-10:30 a.m. AKST
Instructor: Debra Hess Norris

This session will provide a basic knowledge of best practices in photograph preservation and building a case statement for effective fund raising. Advocacy for collections will be stressed as a first step in raising awareness of the richness and importance of photographic heritage.

To register http://www.connectingtocollections.org/courses/registration/

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Professional Time Wasting on the Web

Fire destroys Danish Museum

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/fire-destroys-danish-museum-artifacts-saved-19059991#.UYGIcbWsh8F

Article about paper conservation in Alaska in the latest issue of e-Conservation Magazine

http://www.e-conservationline.com/content/view/1098

Interesting blog postings about registration of multimedia and other installations

http://world.museumsprojekte.de/?p=1303

http://world.museumsprojekte.de/?p=1402

Video about the Royal Castle from destruction to reconstruction

http://engagingplaces.net/2013/05/03/video-the-royal-castle/

IMLS awards 5 museums the National Medal

http://www.imls.gov/national_medal_to_be_awarded_today_at_white_house.aspx

British Museum creates new interactive map

http://www.britishmuseum.org/about_us/the_museums_story/new_centre/explore_the_centre.aspx

Did you know there is a cardboard museum?

http://www.provenceguide.co.uk/cardboard-and-printing-museum/valreas/tabid/8727/offreid/625fdbed-fde0-42a3-aa6e-096490c6c076/yesterday-and-today-info.aspx

World’s smallest movie

http://www.reuters.com/video/2013/05/01/reuters-tv-a-boy-and-his-atom-the-worlds-smallest-m?videoId=242557454&videoChannel=118065&refresh=true

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Contents:

Updates for Science on a Sphere

By Sara Lee, Alaska State Museum Protection and Visitor Services Assistant

In November of 2012, I traveled to Long Beach, California, to attend the annual International Science on a Sphere Conference on behalf of the Alaska State Museum. Science on a Sphere®, or “SOS,” is a display system that uses computers, video projectors, and a six foot diameter sphere to create an animated globe.

http://sos.noaa.gov/What_is_SOS/index.html

It is a great educational tool for illustrating and interpreting global data such as weather or any other visuals that display well on a spherical screen. Over 400 images and data sets created by NOAA and NASA are streamed to the 85+ SOS installations around the world via the internet, and some of the institutions that have an SOS installation also create their own imagery.

http://www.sos.noaa.gov/What_is_SOS/sites.php

At our museum, the sphere has become a popular visual aid for augmenting our collections and exhibitions. We recently displayed Apollo 11 moon rocks during a First Friday of the Month gallery walk and for that event I customized SOS imagery to include simple animations of the Apollo 11 blastoff from earth and the landings on the moon.

Thanks to partial funding from NOAA for travel, I was able to attend the SOS conference and give a presentation sharing customized imagery I’ve created for the museum’s sphere, as well as attend workshops and see how other institutions use SOS. Over 100 participants attended the conference from 53 international science centers, museums, aquariums, and zoos. Most participants were from the U.S. but it was also interesting to hear presentations and interact with attendees from Canada, Mexico, China, and South Korea. I enjoyed a conversation with Carlos Diaz Leal on how the Climate Institute of Mexico has built special SOS facilities at over 15 locations around Mexico. Those institutions might be interested in playing some of our custom datasets with a focus on history and culture. I had no idea that Mexico has over 20 indigenous languages that are at risk of extinction. We discussed collaborating on a language dataset for the sphere. A presentation called “Math on a Sphere” piqued my interest as potentially a clever way to engage students in math. The “Math on a Sphere” application is being developed by the Lawrence Hall of Science and the University of Colorado. The presenters demonstrated using SOS as an interactive tool; visitors will be able to “draw” on the sphere and thereby learn concepts of geometry as well as share their artistic creations. Consultant Tom Bowman of Bowman Global Change discussed elements of exhibit design that may apply to SOS facilities and presentations; for example, while uniformity of style and positioning can be helpful, it is also good to mix styles and provide information in a more playful and surprising format.

Besides the formal presentations and informal sharing among participants, there were several structured hands-on workshops on creating custom imagery and techniques for facilitating sphere presentations. For me, the highlight of the trip was learning how to use the Adobe software package “After Effects” as a means to more easily add animation to digital creations. Since the conference was located in the greater LA area, it was fitting that several movie producers came in to discuss the art and science of visual storytelling. Jerry Zucker discussed his experiences directing movies such as “Airplane,” “Naked Gun,” and “Ghost.” University of California instructor and author Lisa Cron gave a particularly interesting keynote presentation exploring the idea that humans are hard-wired for stories as a survival adaptation; we hunger for good edge-of-the-seat stories and enjoy the neurological satisfaction derived from hearing how the story ends. Other impressive sessions included incorporating theatrics and utilizing theater students to liven up sphere presentations, showing how movies for the sphere are made, demonstrating use of mobile devices and other interactives during presentations, and exhibiting of the new SOS operating system features.

By the end of the conference I felt enlightened and inspired and came home with new ideas to expand the museum sphere’s horizons and keep our presentations relevant, current, informative and engaging. Stay tuned for new developments as I apply what I learned at the conference.

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Ask ASM

Question: I have a question about exhibit labels. My museum has NO environmental regulation (it’s an old house) and it gets really humid so papers will fall off the walls and/or curl up and get crinkly. First of all, I’m wondering if you could recommend a type of label material that would be resistant to humidity.

Secondly, I’m looking for some sort of adhesive that would reliably stick the labels to the walls, but not cause too much damage to the walls if we wanted to move them.

So, in sum, I’m looking for a combination of a water resistant label material plus an adhesive strong enough to hold the labels on the walls, but so strong as to take off paint or damage the walls.

ASM: If you have a budget, you can have you labels printed on vinyl. Most any print/sign shop will have these capabilities. The vinyl is used for most exterior signage these days and would certainly hold up. A cheaper option is the back to back laminating trick which was described in an earlier ASM Bulletin. http://www.museums.state.ak.us/documents/bulletin_docs/bulletin_7-8.pdf
There are two bulletin articles that deal with exhibit labels.

http://www.museums.state.ak.us/documents/bulletin_docs/bulletin_7-8.pdf

http://museumbulletin.wordpress.com/2011/02/23/alaska-state-museums-bulletin-37/#2

As for mounting, a good application of 3M 99 spray adhesive will hold the laminated label securely to most substrates. There are a number of options for mounting material:

Four-ply museum mat board
Gator board
Aluminum and PVC panel (aluminum composite panel) – various brands are available at sign shops; Plexiglas panel, Extruded PVC panel (Syntra or similar brand product) matted and framed in a molding profile that fits the house period style.

There is not a great answer for the mounting problem without knowing all of the details. A free standing label frame is one way. If there is picture-hanging molding in the house, that could be used to hang frames or panel-mounted labels. We are mounting some of our new labels on 3/8″ Plexi and hanging them from the tops of cases with monofilament or fishing cable and crimps. This is quite attractive and is visually non obtrusive. We have a shop and the ability to cut, drill and polish the Plexiglas. Double stick foam tape works well for sticking up labels (again a quality 3M brand will serve you better) but it is hit or miss for removal. Generally a very careful removal will do no damage. Sometimes soft spots in the paint or sheet rock make removal impossible without ripping the wall surface. A hard plaster surface might be safe for removal. I would not use this option on historic paint or wall paper.

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Shaking the Money Tree

President Obama’s FY14 Budget Proposes Increases for Key Programs, Limits to Charitable Giving

On Wednesday, President Obama released his budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2014, making the case for some renewed investments in programs that are important to museums while again suggesting harmful changes to tax incentives for charitable donations. The $3.77 trillion budget would provide:

• $32.9 million for the Office of Museum Services at the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a $2 million increase from FY 2012, the last complete appropriations cycle;
• $154.5 million for the National Endowment for the Arts, an $8 million increase;
• $154.5 million for the National Endowment for the Humanities, an $8 million increase;
• $59 million for the Historic Preservation Fund, a $3 million increase;
• $47.8 million for the National Science Foundation’s Advancing Informal STEM Learning program (formerly Informal Science Education), a $13.58 million decrease;
• $2.285 billion for the National Park Service, a roughly $50 million increase.

While the budget proposes increases for many of these programs, many of them have been cut in recent years and would remain below previous levels even if these increases were adopted.

“With the release of this budget proposal, Congress and the President will continue working on important tax and spending decisions that have the potential to affect every museum,” said American Alliance of Museums President Ford W. Bell. “Our field needs to be sure its voice is heard in the debates ahead.”

More Attacks on the Charitable Deduction

President Obama’s budget yet again contains a proposed 28% cap on the value of itemized deductions, including those for charitable donations. The Alliance has joined with a broad coalition of nonprofit organizations to fight against this cap, writing to the President this week about the damage it could do to charitable donations, which account for roughly one-third of museums’ budgets. With many in Congress talking about comprehensive tax reform, now is a great time to tell them to protect the charitable deduction.

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Spotlight on Grant in Aid

The application process for Grant in Aid is now open. The legislature has not yet finalized the Grant-in-Aid funding level for next fiscal year. Last year the funding level was $105,600 and we expect to have similar funding this year. There are 3 grant programs this year (same as last year):

• Regular Grant-in-Aid for projects up to $10,000
• Mini-Grant-in-Aid for projects up to $2,000
• Internship Grant (amount determined by the review committee)

Please be aware that you can only apply for one category of funding per institution per year. For the mini-grant and the internship grant programs you will need to contact me to discuss your proposal before you submit your application.

Grant-In-Aid applications must be emailed to me by 4:30 pm AKST Monday June 3rd 2013 or postmarked on or before Monday, June 3rd, 2013.
Grant applications are available on our website: http://www.museums.state.ak.us

If you have any questions about the process, please feel free to call on our toll-free number
1-888-913-MUSE (6873).

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Alaska Museums in the News

Buzz Aldrin in Anchorage

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Professional Development/Training Opportunities

George Washington University’s Distance Education

The George Washington University’s Distance Education Graduate Certificate Program in “Museum Collections Management and Care” is accepting applications for the fall. The application deadline is August 1, 2013.

The graduate certificate is earned completely online and is designed for those working or volunteering in museums with collections management responsibilities. The courses are ideal for those either lacking prior formal museum studies training or desiring a refresher in the topics of legal and ethical issues, collections management and preventive conservation.

For more information, please contact Mary Coughlin at musede@gwu.edu or visit the website: http://ccas.gwu.edu/museum

Image Permanence Institute

Free webinars on the optimal preservation environment
The Image Permanence Institute is presenting a series of free webinars for collections care and facilities staff in cultural institutions is designed to enable collections care and facilities staff in cultural institutions to work together to achieve an optimal preservation environment—one that combines the best possible preservation of collections with the least possible consumption of energy, and is sustainable over time. This series is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities Education & Training grant program.

Webinar presentations will focus on broad environmental challenges and provide useful and effective suggestions for dealing with them. Webinars will be presented by IPI staff unless noted otherwise. Each webinar will be presented on a Wednesday from 2:00 to 3:30 Eastern Standard Time. You can get additional details and register for webinars at http://ipisustainability.org/.

May 1, 2013
Best Practices for Collecting and Analyzing Environmental Data

June 5, 2013
Dealing with Summer Heat & Humidity

July 10, 2013
Investigate your HVAC System & Identify Potential Energy Savings – Guest Speaker Peter Herzog, Herzog/Wheeler & Associates, Energy Management Consultant

August 7, 2013
Practical Approaches to Environmental Control for Small Institutions – Guest speaker, Richard Kerschner, Director of Preservation and Conservation, Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, Vermont

September 4, 2013
Sustainable Preservation Practices—Key Team Activities

Connecting to Collections May Webinars

Webinar 1: Physical and Chemical Properties of Photographs
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
9:00-10:30 a.m. AKST
Instructor: Debra Hess Norris
This session will provide a basic familiarity with the fundamental physical and chemical properties of photographic print and negative collections, including albums and scrapbooks, and the causes and mechanisms of their deterioration.

Webinars 2 and 3: Technological Development of Photography
Thursday, May 9, 2013 and Thursday, May 16, 2013
9:00-10:30 a.m. AKST

Instructor: Debra Hess Norris
These sessions will focus on supplying a basic knowledge of the technological developments of photography in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries with special focus on albumen, silver gelatin, and chromogenic, print materials, and glass plate and film base negatives.

Webinar 4: Preventive Care of Photographs
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
9:00-10:30 a.m. AKST

Instructor: Debra Hess Norris
This session will look to give a basic understanding of and appreciation for issues relating to preventive care of photographic collections, including risk management; appropriate environmental conditions; handling and maintenance procedures for storage; exhibition and display parameters and monitoring techniques; and emergency preparedness, mitigation, and response.

Webinar 5: Advocating for the Care of Photographs
Thursday, May 23, 2013
9:00-10:30 a.m. AKST
Instructor: Debra Hess Norris
This session will provide a basic knowledge of best practices in photograph preservation and building a case statement for effective fund raising. Advocacy for collections will be stressed as a first step in raising awareness of the richness and importance of photographic heritage.
To register http://www.connectingtocollections.org/courses/registration/

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Professional Time Wasting on the Web

Disaster recovery still on going for art after hurricane Sandy

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/21/arts/artsspecial/conservation-team-restores-art-and-artifacts-after-disasters.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

More about Nina Simon and her success with the Santa Cruz Museum of Art

http://www.santacruz.com/news/2013/03/19/innovator_drives_museums_success

Setbacks in the museum world

http://blogs.artinfo.com/modernartnotes/2013/03/the-sad-unnecessary-situations-at-moca-indy/

Are Registrars endangered species?

http://world.museumsprojekte.de/?p=920

Major break in the Gardner Museum heist

http://www.boston.com/metrodesk/2013/03/18/feds-reveal-investigative-developments-publicity-campaign-gardner-heist-probe/VmSiOGRgKbRakLJr1wCA3I/story.html

Is this a glimpse of a future where visitors can explore collections in new ways?

http://engagingplaces.net/2013/04/12/video-starry-night/

Or might this be the future for museums?

http://goo.gl/maps/LwFqV

Sandy damaged Seaport Museum Gallery Closes due to Storm Damage

http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20130408/south-street-seaport/sandy-damaged-seaport-museum-galleries-close-on-fulton-st

$7 garage sale Renoir turns out to be stolen

http://gma.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/mystery-over-7-renoir-flea-market-deepens-171107612–abc-news-savings-and-investment.html

Oldest harbor in the world discovered in Egypt

http://www.scienceworldreport.com/articles/6294/20130417/archaeologists-uncover-worlds-oldest-harbor-egypt-papyrus-collection-discovered.htm

Crazy story about someone stealing ivory from a museum with a chainsaw

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/31/chainsaw-man-stealing-elephant-tusk-paris-museum

Cool website all about ivory

http://www.ebur.eu/index.php?q=1&s=0&t=1

Cool website all about an alternative to ivory

http://www.ivoryalternative.com/

LED lighting: Fact and Fiction

http://collectionsconversations.wordpress.com/2013/04/02/led-lighting-fact-and-fiction/

How the Technology Behind Airport Scanners Can Reveal Hidden Ancient Art

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-the-technology-behind-airport-s-2013-04

Every year Heritage Preservation encourages libraries, museums, archives, historical societies, and preservation organizations to set aside May 1 to participate in MayDay. This year, make sure your institution is prepared! Any cultural institution submitting a brief description of its 2013 MayDay plans or accomplishments by May 31, 2013, will be entered in a drawing for disaster supplies donated by Gaylord Brothers. Heritage Preservation will also offer its award-winning Field Guide to Emergency Response and Emergency Response and Salvage Wheel at special MayDay prices from April 1 through May 31. For project ideas, information on prizes, and the book sale, visit Heritage Preservation’s MayDay site, http://www.heritagepreservation.org/PROGRAMS/TFlessons/MayDay.html.

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Contents:

Interview with Claire Imamura

Claire Imamura

We have broken Ground!  That SLAM building project is now a reality!  To keep things running smoothly through this dynamic time, the Division of Libraries, Archives, and Museums has hired Claire Imamura as Project Assistant for the move of collections. In her new position, Claire will work closely with Museum Registrar Addison Field to prepare, catalogue and relocate the Museum’s collection as it is moved. Imamura will also assist with the relocation of the State’s Historical Collections, followed by the Archives’ and Library collections.

Claire has immersed herself in collections storage since starting in September.  The following is an interview that was conducted in late December during a quiet time between the holidays.

ASM:  So you went off to the University of Washington and got a master’s in Library and Information Science but you also have experience working in museums.  This seems to be an ideal background for your current position to assist with the move of not only the State Museum’s collection but the State Library and Archives as well.  Which one of these institutions do you have the most affinity for?

Claire:  Right now, I’ve been up to my eyes in the museum collections for several months, so I feel most closely involved with the museum.  But, one of my first jobs after college was as the periodicals clerk at the Alaska State Library and my student job while in grad school was in an archive, so I have great fondness for this entire division.

ASM:  You were born in Juneau and grew up here.  Do you think it is a necessary part of your personal growth to go away from Juneau and Alaska for a while?

Claire:  Definitely. When I was in high school, all I wanted to was to get out of Juneau, so I went to college out of state, traveled, and lived abroad. All of those experiences were special and incredible, but I also got homesick.  Being away from Alaska gave me a much greater appreciation for it.

ASM:  What is it like being a twenty something Professional working in Juneau?  Was it hard to find an ideal job?

Claire:  I feel very lucky to have found a job that fits my interests and background so soon after graduating. Juneau has been extremely good to me professionally, giving me opportunities to explore my areas of interest and the connections and experience I needed to pursue them. I think a lot of my classmates have been coming back in the past few years for that same reason.

ASM:  Have you ever thought about working somewhere else in Alaska or down South?

Claire:  There are so many places that I would like to explore, both in Alaska and down South. This job is a four-year assignment, so maybe I’ll be ready to go somewhere new once it’s over. I look forward to seeing where my career takes me.

ASM:  Your current job is to help prepare for the move of collections into a new storage facility.  What made you want to take this job?

Claire: The opportunity to work with all three sections of LAM was very appealing to me, and I knew that preparing these amazing and diverse collections for the move would be a unique challenge. I also have great admiration for the people in this division and I knew that working with them would be a fantastic learning experience for me.

ASM:  What has been the most interesting part of the job thus far, and what do you see as the greatest challenges over the next few years?

Claire: Even for me, there’s a certain mystique about what’s behind the closed doors at a museum, so being able to see the collections up close has been really fun. The variety of the museum’s collection, from shipwreck artifacts from the Princess Sophia to thousand-year-old baskets to an entire collection of empty milk cartons, makes me think about Alaskan history with a wider perspective. As far as challenges, I think we all see moving the museum’s collection as the biggest hurdle. Every one of the 32,000 objects in the collection has to be prepared, custom packed, and tracked as it moves from the old building to the new one.  The logistics of this project are just astounding to me.

ASM:  So this job will take you through the moving of all the sections of the Division of Libraries, Archives and Museums into the new combined facility.  Where do you see yourself in ten years?

Claire: That’s a tough question. I went to library school thinking about a career in museums or historical libraries, but I also feel a deep connection to public libraries and everything that they do for their communities.  And I think there are interesting ways to apply a library science degree in unconventional settings.  I feel open to many possibilities.

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Ask ASM

Question:  I have frost “growing” on my house posts as well as between the floor boards. We are working on the floor, adding more ventilation but in the meantime, should I be brushing off any frost that’s “growing” on the house posts? If so, what should I use? Or should I just leave it alone?

house post frost

ASM:  I am assuming you are talking about house posts inside an unheated clan house.  If so, I would say that brushing the frost off and sweeping it up would help to keep the moisture levels down in there. It will eventually thaw and become liquid water which will run and could make water stains that could look bad and are really hard to remove.  As for what to use, if you have electricity out there, the best thing to do would be to vacuum them up with a wet dry vac.  If you can’t do that then I would try just a regular floor brush like the one you can buy that comes with the dust pan.  Like the brush that you would use to sweep the pile into the dust pan after you have swept it into a pile with a broom.  Getting more ventilation in there is a good thing.  These damp areas are prime spots for mold to grow when it gets warm again in the spring.

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Shaking the Money Tree

NEH

There is still time to apply for a National Endowment for the Humanities Preservation Assistance Grant for Smaller Institutions.

Deadline is May 1st.  For more information:  http://www.neh.gov/grants/preservation/preservation-assistance-grants-smaller-institutions

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Spotlight on Grant in Aid

The Sitka Historical Society was very pleased to receive a grant-in-aid award of $2,000 and has been able to use the awarded funding to better fulfill its public trust responsibilities, maximize its extremely limited storage space, and safeguard collections from light damage via the improvement of environmental conditions in storage and exhibition spaces.

The four major investments made with the grant funding included:

1) the purchase of ten NSF steel shelving units and the associated ferry tickets for transporting from Juneau (amounting to $1,149.90 for shelving and $274 for a round trip ferry ticket from Sitka to Juneau);

2) the purchase of twenty-two archival boxes for housing historic photo albums and two boxes of corrugated blue board for constructing custom-built boxes for albums (amounting to $273.97);

3) the purchase of UV film, 3M double-sided tape and a breyer for applying the UV film to museum and storage windows (amounting to $219.01); and finally,

4) the purchase of materials including peg boards and dowels to transform two of the steel shelving units into painting storage racks (amounting to $235.44).

old wooden shelving

The Sitka Historical Society’s grant award enabled the organization to dismantle a large wooden shelving unit approximately thirteen feet long and six feet tall, in its main collections storage room and replace the unit with newly purchased NSF steel shelving units on casters. The removal of the wooden shelving unit, which was likely installed back in the 1970s, and its replacement with steel shelving has helped minimize off-gassing of formaldehyde and dramatically improved and increased space usage. As a result, collections are all currently housed and shelved in appropriate archival boxes and within micro-environments; labels on the exterior of boxes listing contents are more easily viewed; handling of archival boxes has been decreased; and the rotation of collections objects on exhibit has been made easier due to the addition of space and improvements in organization.

new shelving units being organized

The grant-in-aid facilitated the purchase of archival boxes and corrugated archival blue board to create custom-built boxes for rehousing photo albums, the majority of which were previously unhoused and stacked one on the other on shelves. The addition of the archival boxes and custom-built boxes from the blue board has improved storage conditions of all of the SHS’s historic photo albums. The addition of labels to the exterior of the boxes has drastically reduced the need for handling any albums, reducing the risk of contents becoming separated or damaged, and made it easier for staff to locate albums when needed. A long-needed improvement to collections storage and exhibit spaces at the Sitka Historical Society was the application of UV film to its windows. This was a recommendation made by the ASM’s Curator of Museum Services back in 2008 when the Sitka Historical Society had hired its first professional curator. Thanks to the grant-in-aid award, UV film, a brayer roller, and the required 3M tape for the film’s application was able to be purchased. (Originally, SHS had envisioned using funds to purchase UV filters, but the curator was able to locate filters to use on lights in-house and felt the investment in the film was therefore a priority and important expense to cover with the grant monies.)

The last investment made using the $2,000 award to SHS was the purchase of six 4×4 pegboards and ninety dowels to use to transform two of the newly acquired NSF shelving units on casters into painting storage racks. This was considered vital since nearly 100 framed works were unsafely stacked or simply on the ground in collections storage when the current curator arrived. The framed works were all transferred to safe temporary storage at the museum’s White House facility and will be placed on the painting storage racks after they are built early this year. The curator had hoped to reconfigure the units sooner, but was unable to due to time constraints. All of the materials required have been purchased for this last phase of the grant-in-aid projects and for the time being, the paintings are in a space where environmental controls are in place and being monitored on a regular basis, still a considerable improvement over their previous state of “storage.”  The Sitka Historical Society is pleased to have been able to make so many vital improvements to its storage and exhibition conditions with the award from the Alaska State Museum. The funding has made it possible to address fundamental collections storage and preservation issues in a holistic way and by helping SHS increase the longevity of the collections, has helped us better carry out our mission and serve the community of Sitka and all of our visitors.

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Alaska Museums in the News

Hammer Museum makes the news in Philly

http://www.philly.com/philly/travel/20130310_Hammer_museum_in_Haines__Alaska__Tools__says_its_founder__that_make_an_impact.html

Bethel Museum plans for new permanent exhibit

http://www.deltadiscovery.com/story/2013/03/13/inside-bethel-news/museum-plans-for-new-permanent-exhibit/988.html

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Professional Development/Training Opportunities

Image Permanence Institute

Free webinars on the optimal preservation environment

The Image Permanence Institute is presenting a series of free webinars for collections care and facilities staff in cultural institutions is designed to enable collections care and facilities staff in cultural institutions to work together to achieve an optimal preservation environment—one that combines the best possible preservation of collections with the least possible consumption of energy, and is sustainable over time. This series is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities Education & Training grant program.

Webinar presentations will focus on broad environmental challenges and provide useful and effective suggestions for dealing with them. Webinars will be presented by IPI staff unless noted otherwise. Each webinar will be presented on a Wednesday from 2:00 to 3:30 Eastern Standard Time. You can get additional details and register for webinars at http://ipisustainability.org/.

May 1, 2013

Best Practices for Collecting and Analyzing Environmental Data

June 5, 2013

Dealing with Summer Heat & Humidity

July 10, 2013

Investigate your HVAC System & Identify Potential Energy Savings – Guest Speaker Peter Herzog, Herzog/Wheeler & Associates, Energy Management Consultant

August 7, 2013

Practical Approaches to Environmental Control for Small Institutions – Guest speaker, Richard Kerschner, Director of Preservation and Conservation, Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, Vermont

September 4, 2013

Sustainable Preservation Practices—Key Team Activities

Connecting to Collections April Webinar Series

Caring for Digital Materials: Preventing a Digital Dark Age.

Webinar 1: Overview of digital preservation

Tuesday, April 2, 2013, 10 am – 11:30 am AKST

Instructor: Lauren Goodley

Why is it important to preserve digital materials? What items should we be preserving and why? This session will provide a general introduction to the series and offer strategies to help you identify and select items from your collections for digitization and digital preservation.

Webinar 2: Convert it to preserve it: Digitization and file conversion

Thursday, April 4, 2013, 10 am – 11:30 am AKST

Instructor: Jacob Nadal

Caring for digital objects often requires converting them from analog into digital or from a less common digital format to one that will be more likely to stand the test of time. In this session, we’ll review recommended formats for photographs, documents, audio, and video and discuss strategies for digitization and conversion including tips on working with vendors.

Webinar 3: Describe it so you can find it: Metadata, finding aids, and digital asset management

Tuesday, April 9, 2013, 10 am – 11:30 am AKST

Instructor: Danielle Cunniff Plumer

This session will develop some common sense methods for describing the digital materials you have so that they can be more easily accessed in the future. We’ll discuss some of the information that can be helpful as you manage digital objects for the long term and review resources you can use for more in-depth exploration of this topic.

Webinar 4: Practice safe archiving: Backups, copies, and what can go wrong

Wednesday, April 10, 2013, 10 am – 11:30 am AKST

Instructor: Jefferson Bailey

Digital disasters happen every day. Computer hard drives fail, viruses corrupt or erase digital files, and mother nature sometimes reminds us that water and electricity don’t mix. This session will focus on policies that can help you recover from these disasters, such as making copies of your digital files and storing them in multiple locations.

Webinar 5: Partner to preserve: Digital preservation networks and collaboration

Monday, April 15, 2013, 10 am – 11:30 am AKST

Instructors: Liz Bishoff and Tom Clareson

Sometimes you just can’t do it alone. In this session, we’ll review some of the existing networks and collaborative projects that are available to help you preserve your digital materials. We’ll also discuss ways you can partner with other institutions in your area to improve your chances for preservation success without spending a lot of money

To Register http://www.connectingtocollections.org/courses/registration/

Connecting to Collections May Webinars

Webinar 1: Physical and Chemical Properties of Photographs
Tuesday, May 7, 2013

9:00-10:30 a.m. AKST

Instructor: Debra Hess Norris

This session will provide a basic familiarity with the fundamental physical and chemical properties of photographic print and negative collections, including albums and scrapbooks, and the causes and mechanisms of their deterioration.

Webinars 2 and 3: Technological Development of Photography
Thursday, May 9, 2013 and Thursday, May 16, 2013
9:00-10:30 a.m. AKST

Instructor: Debra Hess Norris
These sessions will focus on supplying a basic knowledge of the technological developments of photography in the 19^th, 20^th and 21^st centuries with special focus on albumen, silver gelatin, and chromogenic, print materials, and glass plate and film base negatives.

Webinar 4: Preventive Care of Photographs
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
9:00-10:30 a.m. AKST

Instructor: Debra Hess Norris

This session will look to give a basic understanding of and appreciation for issues relating to preventive care of photographic collections, including risk management; appropriate environmental conditions; handling and maintenance procedures for storage; exhibition and display parameters and monitoring techniques; and emergency preparedness, mitigation, and response.

Webinar 5: Advocating for the Care of Photographs
Thursday, May 23, 2013
9:00-10:30 a.m. AKST

Instructor: Debra Hess Norris
This session will provide a basic knowledge of best practices in photograph preservation and building a case statement for effective fund raising. Advocacy for collections will be stressed as a first step in raising awareness of the richness and importance of photographic heritage.

To Register http://www.connectingtocollections.org/courses/registration/

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Professional Time Wasting on the Web

Ongoing saga of the Museums of Contemporary Art in LA.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-cm-critics-notebook-moca-lacma-merger-20130307,0,3770516.story

Armory Museum in Massachusetts closing for lack of “deep endowment”

http://higgins.org/integration-worcester-art-museum

Earlier blog posting about the Armory Museum

http://hatfieldhistory.weebly.com/1/post/2011/05/hands-on-a-hit-for-all-ages.html

Excellent Video about turning an historic factory building into an art center

http://engagingplaces.net/2013/02/28/video-connecting-the-threads/

A de-accessioning story with an Alaskan connections

http://auburnpub.com/news/local/valuable-painting-formerly-on-display-in-seward-house-to-be/article_a5ed7b03-9468-576f-8603-c16237c46956.html

Cool article about “de-silking” a document

http://www.archives.nysed.gov/exhibitions/conservation/

ASM Curator Steve Henrikson meets boyhood hero Buzz Aldrin after moon rocks returned to the state.

Buzz Aldrin and Steve Henrikson

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Contents:

Native Artist Demonstrators Program at the Sheldon Jackson Museum turns 25

The Native Artist Demonstrator Program began in 1987 during the museum’s centennial when Native artists volunteered to demonstrate their art at the museum. In following years, the Friends of Sheldon Jackson Museum joined with the Sitka Fine Arts Camp to bring Alaska Native artists from throughout the state to share their art, both at the museum and with students. The program has been supported over the years by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Alaska State Council on the Arts, Alaska Airlines, and donations by local businesses and individuals. Overall, 70 Alaskan Native artists have participated in the Native Artist Demonstrator Program.

History of the Native Artist Demonstrator Program

• In 1987, the Sheldon Jackson Museum celebrated its Centennial. Native artists volunteered to demonstrate their art at the museum.
• The Native Artist Demonstrator Program began in 1988 when Janice Criswell, a Tlingit basket weaver, volunteered to demonstrate her skills a few hours over several days at the museum.
• The next summer, the Friends of Sheldon Jackson Museum and the Sitka Fine Arts Camp brought Yup’ik basket weaver, Rita Blumenstein. She demonstrated at the museum and taught SFAC students.
• Beginning in 1996 the Friends of Sheldon Jackson Museum applied and received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Alaska State Council on the Arts. Other support came from Alaska Airlines, Native corporations, local businesses and individuals.
• The program continued to grow to include usually five out of town Native artists as well as five local Native artists from May – September every year.

Other Native artists who have shared their art
at the Sheldon Jackson Museum:

• Esther Littlefield
• Jacob Simeonoff
• Chuna McIntyre
• Barbara Shangin
• Candace Whitson
• John Bartels
• Helen Mercado
• Mark Sixbey

A special thank you to former curator, Rosemary Carlton, for envisioning and establishing the Native Artist Demonstrator Program!

Rosemary Carlton

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Ask ASM

Question:  Should we allow flash photography in the galleries? We have such a small single gallery and have our “Please do not take photos” signs up, but people still take photos with flash.  Will this cause our artifacts to fade?

ASM:  Here is  a synopsis of the argument by one of the leading conservation scientist in the field, Stefan Michalski, from the Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI).

You can read his entire post here but for anyone who just wants the short answer:

In his post he points out that in order to raise the damage effect of light by 10% you would have to have 100,000 visitors taking flash pictures every day. An additional thought for those who have live collections Some museums do not allow flash photography in their marine galleries  because the flash disturbs/upsets the living creatures. This is especially true for an octopus whose eyes are extremely sensitive to light! Continued stress can result in a different kind of fading.

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Shaking the Money Tree

NEH

Now is the time to start developing your project for the National Endowment for the humanities Preservation Assistance Grant for Smaller Institutions.

Deadline is May 1^st.

For more information

http://www.neh.gov/grants/preservation/preservation-assistance-grants-smaller-institutions

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Spotlight on Grant in Aid

 Baranov Museum Monitors its Environment

In December of 2011, Baranov Museum Curator of Collections Anjuli Grantham purchased seven PEM2 dataloggers and 2 dedicated flash drives from the Image Permanence Institute (IPI). The PEM2 dataloggers were installed in seven pre-selected locations: three on the first floor gallery (Main room, Second room, Back room) and four in collections storage areas on the second floor (Collections rooms I and II, at the Photograph storage location near the Archivist’s desk and at the  Documents storage location in a closet off of the Director’s office).  In addition they have purchased and maintain a Basic subscription to IPI’s online data storage and analysis tool eClimateNotebook. They have been tracking their environmental data on eClimateNotebook using the multiple preservation metrics defined in the program, since late January 2012.  This project has significantly improved their ability to monitor and understand the environmental conditions within the Baranov Museum. The recording, data entry, graphing, and analysis is now automated, requiring considerably less staff time to complete. The preservation metrics defined in eClimate Notebook enable them to accurately determine how each defined location is performing as a preservation environment.  As they previously suspected, their greatest challenge relates to managing the degree of fluctuations in relative humidity. As a result of this project, they replaced two older-model humidifiers used in the museum gallery. They continue to use the data collection and analysis made possible through this project to plan for improving environmental conditions throughout the building.

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 Alaska Museums in the News

Ketchikan publisher subject of museum exhibit

http://www.newsminer.com/news/alaska_news/article_96e7887a-640e-11e2-88f8-0019bb30f31a.html

Goodbye Sled Dogs, Hello Airplanes: New Exhibition Tells Remarkable Alaska Aviation Story

http://alaska-native-news.com/general-news/7677-goodbye-sled-dogs-hello-airplanes-new-exhibition-tells-remarkable-alaska-aviation-story.html

Juneau’s SLAM sparks manufacturing facility in Fairbanks

http://juneauempire.com/state/2013-01-24/juneaus-slam-sparks-manufacturing-facility-fairbanks#.USPYvaWsh8E

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Professional Development/Training Opportunities

Connecting to Collections (C2C)

Caring for Yesterday’s Treasures—Today is a new series of free, online courses about the preservation of archival and historical collections. Tailored to the needs of staff and volunteers at libraries and archives, each course includes four to six interactive webinars presented by preservation experts. The instructors will address the specific questions that you and your fellow participants have about the care of collections at your institution. Each course will have its own Web page with handouts and links to additional resources. When the course concludes, participants will be able to continue the conversation with instructors and classmates via the Connecting to Collections Online Community.

To register:  http://www.connectingtocollections.org/courses/registration/

Although registration is free of charge, we ask that participants submit a permission form (https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B4jeMQtIQsXQeVotQlNLU0FmVVE/edit?pli=1

signed by their supervisor to attend selected courses. Participants will earn a certificate of completion if they attend all the webinars in a course and complete simple homework assignments. Note the registration will close one week before the first webinar in each course.

March Course Schedule

Webinar 1: Response: One Facet of the Emergency Management Cycle

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

10 – 11:30 pm AKST

Instructor: Julie Page

What you do—and do not do—following a disaster can spell the difference between success and failure. Do you know who to call? Are you familiar with your facility’s emergency systems? What type of supplies do you have on hand to immediately address the situation? Which staff members have been trained to respond and to work together as a team? This overview introduces participants to the Pocket Response Plan.

Webinar 2: PReP™ Side A: Communications

Thursday, March 7, 2013

10:00 – 11:30 pm AKST

Instructor: Julie Page

The top priority following any disaster, large or small, is human safety. Knowing how to contact or notify staff, volunteers, and patrons is key to ensuring a safe evacuation and a safe response. Who else should be on your contact list besides staff and volunteers? If the event is beyond your institution’s capacity to address, to whom should you reach out?

Webinar 3: PReP™ Side B: Action Steps

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

10:00 – 11:30 pm AKST

Instructor: Julie Page

When disaster strikes, confusion and chaos often replace thoughtfulness and deliberation. By having action steps outlined in advance, you don’t have to think about every detail; you can use these steps for guidance and to ensure that you are not overlooking any important activity. What are these action steps? How do you prioritize them? In many cases, it may not be possible to save all your collections. What goes into determining salvage priorities for collections?

Webinar 4: Recovery

Thursday, March 14, 2013

10:00 – 11:30 pm AKST

Instructor: Julie Page

Once your collections have been stabilized, you will then have to spend many months—and  perhaps even years—dealing with the consequences of the disaster, deciding what to save, what to throw out, rehabilitating the building, and treating the affected materials. This final session will explore collections salvage techniques, working with a disaster recovery company, inventory control, and the importance of addressing the emotional toll that disasters can take on staff, volunteers, and other supporters of your institution.

Note: an optional  follow-up webinar will be held in early June to discuss implementing and testing your response plan, date and time to be announced.

Dates Set for April Course

Caring for Digital Materials: Preventing a Digital Dark Age. The dates and instructors for all five webinars within this course have been confirmed. They are as follows:

Webinar 1: Overview of digital preservation

Tuesday, April 2, 2013, 10 am – 11:30 am AKST

Instructor: Lauren Goodley

Webinar 2: Convert it to preserve it: Digitization and file conversion

Thursday, April 4, 2013, 10 am – 11:30 am AKST

Instructor: Danielle Cunniff Plumer

Webinar 3: Describe it so you can find it: Metadata, finding aids, and digital asset management

Tuesday, April 9, 2013, 10 am – 11:30 am AKST

Instructor: Danielle Cunniff Plumer

Webinar 4: Practice safe archiving: Backups, copies, and what can go wrong

Wednesday, April 10, 2013, 10 am – 11:30 am AKST

Instructor: Jefferson Bailey

Webinar 5: Partner to preserve: Digital preservation networks and collaboration

Monday, April 15, 2013, 10 am – 11:30 am AKST

Instructors: Liz Bishoff and Tom Clareson

Image Permanence Institute

Free webinars on the optimal preservation environment

The Image Permanence Institute is presenting a series of free webinars for collections care and facilities staff in cultural institutions is designed to enable collections care and facilities staff in cultural institutions to work together to achieve an optimal preservation environment—one that combines the best possible preservation of collections with the least possible consumption of energy, and is sustainable over time. This series is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities Education & Training grant program.

Webinar presentations will focus on broad environmental challenges and provide useful and effective suggestions for dealing with them. Webinars will be presented by IPI staff unless noted otherwise. Each webinar will be presented on a Wednesday from 2:00 to 3:30 Eastern Standard Time. You can get additional details and register for webinars at http://ipisustainability.org/.

March 6, 2013

Understand the Role of Temperature-Relative Humidity-Dew Point in Creating a Sustainable Preservation Environment

April 3, 2013

Fundamentals of HVAC – What Shapes Optimal Preservation Environments

May 1, 2013

Best Practices for Collecting and Analyzing Environmental Data

June 5, 2013

Dealing with Summer Heat & Humidity

July 10, 2013

Investigate your HVAC System & Identify Potential Energy Savings – Guest Speaker Peter Herzog, Herzog/Wheeler & Associates, Energy Management Consultant

August 7, 2013

Practical Approaches to Environmental Control for Small Institutions – Guest speaker, Richard Kerschner, Director of Preservation and Conservation, Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, Vermont

September 4, 2013

Sustainable Preservation Practices—Key Team Activities

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Professional Time Wasting on the Web

Now this is a cool way to view collections on the web

http://www.sfmoma.org/projects/artscope/index.html

What’s Driving Museums to Stay Open ALL Night – And What Are the Costs?

http://www.artinfo.com/news/story/860242/whats-driving-museums-to-stay-open-all-night-and-what-are-the

Contents:

Slam Project Breaks Ground!

“We are finally here!”  With that rousing statement Linda Thibodeau, Director of Libraries Archives and Museums, opened the ground breaking festivities for the new State Libraries, Archives and Museums (SLAM) building in Juneau.  Excitement was in the air as the ceremony commenced on Wednesday January 16 at noon.  All the appropriate dignitaries were there, Lt. Governor Mead Treadwell, Juneau’s Mayor Merrill Sanford, legislators, commissioners, architects, builders, Elders, community representatives.

 Linda Thibodeau opens the ceremonies.  Photo by Damon Stubner

It was a rainy day in Juneau but that did not stop the community from turning out for the event.   Linda was the “Mistress of Ceremonies” and introduced all of the speakers.  Linda thanked not only those present who have helped get us to this point in the project, but also the entire state of Alaska for making this building possible.

The Crowd gathers.  Photo by Damon Stubner

Juneau Mayor, Merrill Sanford was the first to speak.  He reminisced about visiting the State Museum as a young boy growing up in Juneau and his memories of the stuffed moose and the stuffed bear on display.  He said he supported this project because it was “Preserving the history for all the state’s children.”

Mayor Sanford speaks.  Photo by Damon Stubner

After the Mayor, spoke Sorrel Goodwin.  Sorrel is a member of the Auk Kwaan Big Dipper House whose ancestral lands stretched from downtown Juneau to Auk Bay and whose family owned title to the land that the new SLAM building is being built upon.  Sorrel spoke of the importance of such buildings and opportunities connecting the whole state.  “We are all connected” is how he put it.

Sorrel Goodwin at the mic.  Photo by Damon Stubner

Next to speak was Pat Kemp, Commissioner of the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities.   He noted the universal support of the project from around the state and in the legislature.  He said that the project should “theoretically go smoothly.”  He also told an anecdote of how he use to climb on the howitzer when it was in the territorial museum.

Commissioner Kemp of DOTPF takes his turn.  Photo by Damon Stubner

The final speaker was Mike Hanley who promptly stated that Commissioner Kemp would need to be supervised in the new museum to make sure he did not climb on the artifacts.  He went on to extoll the virtues of the new facility which will double the size of the exhibits and triple the size of storage but be done for the same operational costs.

Commissioner Hanley of EED rounds out the speakers.  Photo by Damon Stubner

Groundbreaking is about shoveling dirt but the weather did not cooperate.  Undaunted, the action took place indoors in a specially made box of dirt and with a special golden shovel.

The official shovel!  Photo by Damon Stubner

The first to shovel full of dirt was turned over by Phyllis DeMuth, who was a member of 1967 Alaska State Museum Committee that was instrumental in building the current museum building.  Assisting her was Ron Inouye, the President of the Alaska Historical Society.

Phyllis DeMuth, and Ron Inouye get the first shovel.  Photo by Damon Stubner

After that, everyone wanted to be a part of the action.  Lt. Governor Mead Treadwell and the Juneau legislative delegation took their turns.

 Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell and the Juneau Delgation.  Photo by Scott Carrlee

While the festivities were happening on the inside of the museum, the real shoveling was going on outside.

The Real Groundbreaking has begun!  Photo by Scott Carrlee

For more information on the SLAM project click here http://museums.alaska.gov/LAM/slam.html

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Ask ASM

Question:  We had water get into the basement of the museum after a bad rain storm.  I heard you are supposed to leave the lights on but then I read somewhere else that air circulation is more important and you are supposed to turn the lights off.  Which is it?

ASM:  This is a great question and there has been confusion even amongst the staff here at the ASM.  So, through a former ASM conservation  intern Christa Pack, who wrote about mold in Bulletin 51 http://museumbulletin.wordpress.com/2012/04/18/alaska-state-museums-bulletin-51/#1, we were able to get a statement from a mycologist (person who studies fungi).

“Regarding mold after storms, the biggest key issue is water and saturated building materials, which can often stay wet inside long after the surface is dry. Light will not inhibit mold growth unless it is UV. However, most fungi need light for sporulation, so keeping lights off can reduce the number of spores produced by fungi and subsequent airborne spread. Good air circulation is important for drying, but heavy air movement by fans will spread spores. So, the key is getting material dry.”

I think the confusion might come from the fact that UV or black lights are used to kill mold in some instances.  But normal lights do not have enough UV to do the job.  So it looks like it is better to keep them off so that the mold does not create spores.

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Spotlight on Grant in Aid

Naomi Szpot was an intern at the Seldovia Museum this past summer.  One of the major projects she worked on was to repair the museum’s 13 shadow boxes that house stone points.  Some of the artifacts in the boxes were falling off their backings and needed remounting.  She researched different mounting methods and found that using colored threads to reattach the artifacts would work best.  Naomi removed the artifacts from the backing and cleaned off the adhesive that was used to attach them to the shadow box backing.  In her time at the Seldovia Museum, she was able to get all but two shadowboxes finished but had trained the new museum curator how to do the work and the last two boxes will be done before  reopening in the spring of 2013 for the season.

Naomi also helped with work on the museum’s policies and procedures for proper museum standards.  There was some fine tuning to do with them at the point of her departure at the end of July and they are now being sent to the Tribal Council for approval in January of 2013.  By having these policies and procedures in place, staff will now be able to more clearly communicate to community members what the museum can accept and take care of in the limited capacity at the present time.

This grant helped the Seldovia Museum better serve its community by being able to have someone be a spokesperson and educator for the museum, by being visible during the summer when visitors were coming to see our museum.  The intern worked on the shadow boxes in an area where visitors could watch her and ask questions.  The museum staff is better educated on how to take care of what is in the museum and what can be accepted in the future to take care of in perpetuity.  This has been a great learning experience for the museum staff who are moving forward with being a better museum and someday maybe even being accredited.  It is with help from the Alaska State Museums that has made all this possible.

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Professional Development/Training Opportunities

Connecting to Collections (C2C)

Caring for Yesterday’s Treasures—Today is a new series of free, online courses about the preservation of archival and historical collections. Tailored to the needs of staff and volunteers at libraries and archives, each course includes four to six interactive webinars presented by preservation experts. The instructors will address the specific questions that you and your fellow participants have about the care of collections at your institution. Each course will have its own Web page with handouts and links to additional resources. When the course concludes, participants will be able to continue the conversation with instructors and classmates via the Connecting to Collections Online Community.

Course Schedule

• Risk Evaluation: First Step in Disaster Planning – February 2013
• Protecting Your Collections: Writing a Disaster Response Plan – March 2013
• Caring for Digital Materials: Preventing a Digital Dark Age – April 2013
• Caring for Photographic Materials – May 2013
• Caring for Audiovisual Materials – Fall 2013
• Fundraising for Collections Care – Fall 2013
• Outreach Activities for Collections Care – Fall 2013

Registration

Although registration is free of charge, we ask that participants submit a permission form signed by their supervisor to attend selected courses. Participants will earn a certificate of completion if they attend all the webinars in a course and complete simple homework assignments. Note the registration will close one week before the first webinar in each course.

REGISTER NOW!

Image Permanence Institute

Free webinars on the optimal preservation environment

The Image Permanence Institute is presenting a series of free webinars for collections care and facilities staff in cultural institutions is designed to enable collections care and facilities staff in cultural institutions to work together to achieve an optimal preservation environment—one that combines the best possible preservation of collections with the least possible consumption of energy, and is sustainable over time. This series is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities Education & Training grant program.

Webinar presentations will focus on broad environmental challenges and provide useful and effective suggestions for dealing with them. Webinars will be presented by IPI staff unless noted otherwise. Each webinar will be presented on a Wednesday from 2:00 to 3:30 Eastern Standard Time. You can get additional details and register for webinars at http://ipisustainability.org/.

February 6, 2013

Dealing with Winter Dryness

March 6, 2013

Understand the Role of Temperature-Relative Humidity-Dew Point in Creating a Sustainable Preservation Environment

April 3, 2013

Fundamentals of HVAC – What Shapes Optimal Preservation Environments

May 1, 2013

Best Practices for Collecting and Analyzing Environmental Data

June 5, 2013

Dealing with Summer Heat & Humidity

July 10, 2013

Investigate your HVAC System & Identify Potential Energy Savings – Guest Speaker Peter Herzog, Herzog/Wheeler & Associates, Energy Management Consultant

August 7, 2013

Practical Approaches to Environmental Control for Small Institutions – Guest speaker, Richard Kerschner, Director of Preservation and Conservation, Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, Vermont

September 4, 2013

Sustainable Preservation Practices—Key Team Activities

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Professional Time Wasting on the Web

Interesting website on conservation

http://lw.lsa.umich.edu/kelsey/ConAntiq/intro.html

Cool video on the Lend Lease program

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WsLiA6yGRM

Navigating a Changing Economy: A New Normal for Museums?

http://engagingplaces.net/2013/01/15/navigating-a-changing-economy-a-new-normal-for-museums/

Great video of about the curator of an exhibit on Nunavut art that is at the Alaska State Museums right now and is traveling around the state.  Well worth watching

http://yukonartscentre.com/calendar/event/nunavuts_culture_on_cloth/

And while you are thinking about Nunavut art, check out Nunavut Gangnam Style

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bk-vcCwq280

Article on the Science on at Sphere like the one at the State Museum

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/08/science/digital-globes-a-new-way-to-view-the-world.html?hp&_r=0

Making a difference in Iraq

http://www.udel.edu/udaily/2013/jan/iraq-conservation-012313.html

Social media policies at non-profits New York Times article on the legal issues involved

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/22/technology/employers-social-media-policies-come-under-regulatory-scrutiny.html?_r=1&

When is art so damaged that it is no longer art?

http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2012/11/what_happens_to_art_that_gets_damaged_no_longer_art_at_columbia_reviewed.html

Interesting video about conservators fixing art damaged by hurricane Sandy

http://www.artinfo.com/video/fixing-art-damaged-by-sandy/851253

Beautiful historic photographs of survival in the north

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2253029/Historic-photographs-document-Alaskas-Inuit-Eskimos-survived-worlds-coldest-winters.html?ito=feeds-newsxml

Sad news from the Field Museum in Chicago

http://www.adn.com/2012/12/19/2728972/field-museum-cutting-staff-overhauling.html

Art handlers humor

http://arthandlin.tumblr.com/

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Contents:

Interview with Addison Field, ASM Registrar

Addison Field is the new Registrar at the Alaska State Museum. Addison comes to the State Museum from the Juneau-Douglas City Museum, where he spent more than five years as Curator of Collections and Exhibits; prior to that, he was Executive Director at the Sheldon Museum in Haines. He holds degrees in museum studies from George Washington University and history from Virginia Military Institute.   The following interview was conducted in mid-November after about a month on the job.

ASM:  This is actually your second time working at the State Museum.  Are you happy to be back?

Addison:  I am very happy to be back.  When I was here in 2004 I was just out of graduate school, full of energy and academic knowledge, but without a lot of hands on experience.  Working here gave me a solid foundation to build the rest of my career on; now I hope I can give a little of what I’ve learned in the intervening years back to the organization that gave me my start.

ASM:  Your first time around was in the Protection and Visitor Services, and you were working as the Executive Director while up in Haines.  Your time at the Juneau Douglas City Museum was doing both exhibits and collections.  So you have covered many different areas of the museum.  Which one do you like best?

Addison:  I’ve been lucky to have a broad and diverse experience in the field.  Indeed, sometimes I feel like a battle-scarred old war horse, but in truth I’ve never met a museum job I didn’t like.  Every position I’ve had has been a positive learning experience and I’ve met so many wonderful people along the way that I could never list them all.  I suppose I like this job best, because that is the one I am in right now.

ASM:  What do you like about working in Alaska and working in the museum field in Alaska?

Addison:  What I have enjoyed most about working in Alaska museums is what I have come to call “guerrilla museum work.”  In my mind this is the situation where low cost, localized and sometimes unconventional means are utilized to provide for a basic museum need.  Whether it is making an old building work for a new program, retrofitting a case from the local grocery store for a temporary exhibit or mobilizing a small army of volunteers and interns to complete a collections project, this is museum work at its most visceral.  Museum people in Alaska meet challenges like these every day.  I have enjoyed the opportunities I’ve had to take on projects and get important, necessary work done.

ASM:  What do you think has prepared you most for your current job?

Addison:  I think the most valuable job I’ve had in a museum was right here at the Alaska State Museum, when I worked at the visitor services desk right out of graduate school.  I ran the cash register, gave tours, and made security checks.  It wasn’t the glamorous part of the job, but it is what museum are all about.  We are here to educate people, to show them our art and culture, to provide them with an experience.  It’s the most important interface in the museum and I think it prepared me to understand the holistic nature of the beast.

ASM:  What is your favorite part of your current job?

Addison:  Right now I am really enjoying the intensive collections management aspects of the job as we begin preparation for the move.  In a little over a year, we are going to have a six week window to move 32,000 objects.  The challenge of preparing the collections for that move is very stimulating.  Additionally, I’ve never worked with such a high volume loan program and there are a lot more variables that I am unaccustomed to dealing with.  So I am having fun learning those new aspects of this job.

ASM:  What do you see as the biggest challenges at the State Museum for the next few years?

Addison:  I believe the biggest challenge for the State Museum in the next few years is preparing for the move.  At this point we have fourteen months to get ready to move everything in the building.  It’s going to be a big logistical dance and I am excited to be involved in it.

ASM:  What advice would you give people still in school who want to eventually work in museums in Alaska?

Addison:  Just get here; get into the state.  There really is a close knit group of museum professionals in the State so the sooner you get here and get involved, the sooner extraordinary opportunities will present themselves to you.  I’m the perfect example of that.  One of the first things I got to watch at the Tongass Historical Museum when I was an intern there a decade ago, was a totem pole raising following a treatment.  Almost exactly five years later I was responsible for planning and organizing an almost identical project.  Get here, get your feet on the ground, and the opportunities are endless.

ASM:  Tell us something surprising about yourself that not many people know.

Addison:  I have two daughters, 5 year old Lena and 3 year old Aurelia.  Not so surprising in itself, but at this stage in their lives I would say that a surprise for me, is not necessarily an exciting thing.  A surprise is the front door left open when the Taku winds are blowing, permanent marker all over the kitchen table, or a tootsie pop under my pillow at night.  Again, not surprising, but I love being a father.

Addison Field

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Ask ASM

Question:  We are accessioning a large number of photographs from a single donor.  There is everything from digital prints, color snapshots and traditional black and white.  How should be go about classifying all the different types.

ASM:   The Image Permanence Institute (IPI) in Rochester New York suggests using a Photographic Information Record (PIR).  It is a standardized questionnaire that is being adopted in museums and other institutions around the world.  You can download a copy here  http://www.conservation-us.org/_data/n_0001/resources/live/photograph%20information%20record_2009.pdf

In their recent newsletter, IPI said “The PIR is applicable to any photographic image, whether created using a 19th century technology such as albumen or 21st century technology such as inkjet.”  IPI also recommends against using the term “Digital Print” as an identifier.  There are actually several processes by which digital information in photographic form can be printed (inkjet, dye sublimation, electrophotography, etc.) and the print method can affect storage and preservation decisions.  So when it comes to photography, being precise matters.

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Shaking the Money Tree

IMLS

Museums for America

Deadline:  January 15

Grant Amount:  $5000-$150,000

Grant Period: Up to three years

Matching Requirement:  1:1

The web conference schedule for the FY2013 Museums for America grant program is as follows:

Wednesday, December 5, 2012, at 2 – 3 pm Eastern Time

Wednesday, December 19, 2012, at 2 – 3 pm Eastern Time

To participate in a web conference, a few minutes before it is scheduled to begin, log into:  https://imls.megameeting.com/ωpage=guest&conid=MFA_and_NLG_Webinar_for_Potential_Applicants

Or here:

http://www.imls.gov/applicants/detail.aspx?GrantId=11

Then, using any touchtone phone, call 1-866-299-7945. When prompted to enter a passcode, enter 9910420#.

National Leadership Grants for Museums

Deadline: January 15, 2013

Grant Amount: $50,000 – $500,000

Grant Period:   Up to three years

Matching Requirement: 1:1 requirement for budgets of $250,000 and above

Sparks! Ignition Grants for Libraries and Museums
Web Conferencing with Program Staff
We also invite you to participate in one of two pre-application Web conferences to learn more about the program, ask questions, and listen to the questions and comments of other participants. The Web conference schedule for the FY 2013 Sparks! Ignition Grants for Libraries and Museums program is as follows:

Wednesday, December 5, 2012, at 3:30 – 4:30 pm Eastern Time
Wednesday, January 9, 2013, at 3 – 4 pm Eastern Time

Click here for more information about this funding opportunity, including program guidelines, contacts, and Webinar access information.

Deadline:  February 01, 2013

Grant Amount: $10,000 to $25,000

Grant Period:   Up to one year

Matching Requirement:  No matching requirements.

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Spotlight on Grant in Aid

The Alaska Museum of Natural History was able to close a chapter in their capital projects upgrades for exhibit and collections.  The museum recently, with combined Grant in Aid and Rasmuson Foundation grants, added fourteen new LED lit cases to exhibit and nine new collection lane cases.   The museum now has a complete collections and exhibit storage capability for its extensive collections.

Storage cases

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Alaska Museums in the News

 TANANA-YUKON HISTORICAL SOCIETY

• Lend-Lease brought cooperation, confrontation to Fairbanks

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, Nov 12,  2012

http://newsminer.com/bookmark/20813794-Lend-Lease-brought-cooperation-confrontation-to-Fairbanks

Historical society sponsors anniversary ceremony and symposium on WWII Lend-Lease program.

AMERICAN BALD EAGLE FOUNDATION

• Apollo 14 astronaut supports Haines’ eagle work

Capital City Weekly, Nov 28, 2012

http://www.capitalcityweekly.com/stories/112812/new_1070670010.shtml

Gala fundraiser features former astronaut at auction/dinner raising funds for the Foundation.

Alaska State Museum

JUNEAU DOUGLAS CITY MUSEUM

• ‘White House of the North’ author to be featured at Saturday’s Coffee and Collections

Juneau Empire, Dec 6, 2012

http://juneauempire.com/art/2012-12-06/white-house-north-author-be-featured-saturdays-coffee-and-collections

KENAI VISITORS AND CULTURAL CENTER

• Art Seen: Festive firs — Visitors center’s halls decked out for tree auction

The Redoubt Reporter, Nov 21, 2012

http://redoubtreporter.wordpress.com/2012/11/21/art-seen-festive-firs-visitors-centers-halls-decked-out-for-tree-auction/

ALUTIIQ MUSEUM AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL REPOSITORY

Alutiiq items in Russian museum offer eye-opening view of early Alaska

Anchorage Daily News, Nov 24, 2012

http://www.adn.com/2012/11/24/2702653/new-catalog-of-alutiiq-items-in.html#storylink=cpy

Museum director helps publish catalog of artifacts housed at the Peter the Great Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology in St. Petersburg, known as the Kunstkamera. This catalog provides both an accessible record of materials too vulnerable to travel as well as an inspirational reference for contemporary artists.
KODIAK MARITIME MUSEUM

• Project aims to document Alaska canneries

Anchorage Daily News, Dec 14, 2012

http://www.adn.com/2012/12/14/2724346/project-aims-to-document-alaska.html

Museum involved in new statewide project documenting every fish cannery built and operated in Alaska.

TALKEETNA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

• A fresh look at the Historical Society

KTNA 88.9FM, Nov 30, 2012

http://ktna.org/2012/11/30/a-fresh-look-at-the-historical-society/

Talkeetna Historical Society gets updated as Jayme Spires, the Historic Sites Manager, re-arranges and re-organizes the rooms and the collections. Improved flow, more access, and better use of space are significant upshots of this latest development.

MUSEUM OF THE ALEUTIANS

• Museum budget goes to vote in January

The Dutch Harbor Fisherman, Dec 14, 2012

http://www.thedutchharborfisherman.com/article/1250museum_budget_goes_to_vote_in_january

This news item isn’t about a museum event/project/initiative; instead, it deals with the nuts and bolts of passing budgets, operational costs, etc. It’s not perhaps as exciting, but I thought I’d include it, in case you wanted to draw attention to the importance of public support, funding, etc.

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Professional Development/Training Opportunities

 Connecting to Collections (C2C)

Caring for Yesterday’s Treasures—Today is a new series of free, online courses about the preservation of archival and historical collections. Tailored to the needs of staff and volunteers at libraries and archives, each course includes four to six interactive webinars presented by preservation experts. The instructors will address the specific questions that you and your fellow participants have about the care of collections at your institution. Each course will have its own Web page with handouts and links to additional resources. When the course concludes, participants will be able to continue the conversation with instructors and classmates via the Connecting to Collections Online Community.

Course Schedule

• Collections Care Basics: Where Do I Begin? – January 2013
• Risk Evaluation: First Step in Disaster Planning – February 2013
• Protecting Your Collections: Writing a Disaster Response Plan – March 2013
• Caring for Digital Materials: Preventing a Digital Dark Age – April 2013
• Caring for Photographic Materials –      May 2013
• Caring for Audiovisual Materials –      Fall 2013
• Fundraising for Collections Care –      Fall 2013
• Outreach Activities for Collections Care – Fall 2013

Registration

Although registration is free of charge, we ask that participants submit a permission form signed by their supervisor to attend selected courses. Participants will earn a certificate of completion if they attend all the webinars in a course and complete simple homework assignments. Note the registration will close one week before the first webinar in each course.

REGISTER NOW!

Image Permanence Institute

Free webinars on the optimal preservation environment

The Image Permanence Institute is presenting a series of free webinars for collections care and facilities staff in cultural institutions is designed to enable collections care and facilities staff in cultural institutions to work together to achieve an optimal preservation environment—one that combines the best possible preservation of collections with the least possible consumption of energy, and is sustainable over time. This series is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities Education & Training grant program.

Webinar presentations will focus on broad environmental challenges and provide useful and effective suggestions for dealing with them. Webinars will be presented by IPI staff unless noted otherwise. Each webinar will be presented on a Wednesday from 2:00 to 3:30 Eastern Standard Time. You can get additional details and register for webinars at http://ipisustainability.org/.

January 9, 2013

The Evolution of New Standards – Defining an Optimal & Sustainable Preservation Environment in the 21^st Century

February 6, 2013             

Dealing with Winter Dryness

March 6, 2013  

Understand the Role of Temperature-Relative Humidity-Dew Point in Creating a Sustainable Preservation Environment

April 3, 2013

Fundamentals of HVAC – What Shapes Optimal Preservation Environments

May 1, 2013

Best Practices for Collecting and Analyzing Environmental Data

 June 5, 2013

Dealing with Summer Heat & Humidity

July 10, 2013     

Investigate your HVAC System & Identify Potential Energy Savings – Guest Speaker Peter Herzog, Herzog/Wheeler & Associates, Energy Management Consultant

August 7, 2013

Practical Approaches to Environmental Control for Small Institutions – Guest speaker, Richard Kerschner, Director of Preservation and Conservation, Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, Vermont

September 4, 2013

Sustainable Preservation Practices—Key Team Activities

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Professional Time Wasting on the Web

The best 15 minutes you can spend today

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIcwIH1vZ9w&list=PLsRNoUx8w3rPA1NEuC4rajDHM2F56eK8n

I don’t generally reblog but this is an interesting example about how damage can change the context of museum objects.

http://collectionsconversations.wordpress.com/2012/12/14/to-show-or-not-to-show/

KTUU Story and Video on the return of ASM’s Moon Rocks

http://articles.ktuu.com/2012-12-06/state-museum_35655808

http://www.ktuu.com/videogallery/73601629/News/Alaska-s-Moon-Rocks-return

Have you seen the new Louvre outside of Paris?

http://europaconcorsi.com/projects/117545-Mus-e-du-Louvre-Lens/images/3589488

“There’s a museum for that!”  Some pretty cool images of RV’s in the “RV Museum”

http://www.rvmhhalloffame.org/

Just another moon-rock-finding-story….

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/11/moon-rocks-from-apollo-11-are-discovered-in-minnesota-national-guard-storage-area/265604/

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Contents:

TOP 13 REASONS WHY WE DON’T USE LEATHER DRESSINGS AT THE ASM

By Ellen Carrlee, Conservator

1.  FATTY SPEW (or “spue”) is the name given to white bloom or haze on the surface of the leather.  When analyzed, this moldy-looking white or yellow substance is usually made of saturated fatty acids like stearates and oleates that come from the chemical breakdown of animal products like Neatsfoot oil.   This is illustrated in Tlingit hide armor that was dressed by professionals at the National Parks Service in the late 1960s.  The appearance was fine until the 1990s, when snowflake-like white spew appeared all over the surface.  This occurred in spite of appropriate environmental conditions.

While dressing leather was a widely accepted museum practice in the 1960s and 70s, results like this made museums reconsider.

Detail of snowflake-like fatty spew on the surface of hide armor treated with leather dressing.

2.  MOLD and other biological deterioration such as bacterial activity and fungi  feed on animal fats in many dressings.  Remember that mold thrives in conditions of over 70% humidity and 70°F.  If dressing traps too much moisture in the leather, mold will be a problem.

Not only does fatty spew sometimes look like mold, leather dressing can also promote mold growth. The interior of this kayak has various problems related to repeated oiling with Wesson cooking oil in the 1960s and there is concern some of these substances may be mold.

3.  STICKINESS can result from dressing when oils migrate to the surface as a gummy goo.  This can cause damage to nearby artifacts as well as attract dirt and dust that is difficult to remove.  One Alaska museum was given advice in the late 1960s to apply Wesson oil to a baidarka as part of regular maintenance.  More than forty years later, the skin boat suffers strange-colored sticky patches, crusts, and a rancid odor.

Sticky exterior of a kayak treated with Wesson oil in the 1960s.

4.  STAINING and darkening of light-colored leathers:– for some kinds of deterioration, like red rot, dressing will not solve the problem and will make the areas even darker.

Museum conservators often suspect leather dressings or oils have been applied when gutskin appears very dark and brittle.

5.  PUSHING DIRT DEEPER:  Leather is an irregular tangle of collagen fibers, similar to unwoven fabrics like felt.  Typically it is quite porous and absorbent.  Dressings are sometimes promoted as cleaners as well as humectants, and they will often remove some surface dirt, but some of the dirt is also driven further down into the leather because it is so absorbent.

6.  CONTAMINATION of the leather with substances that could interfere with future scientific analysis.  What if a researcher wants to analyze historical use?  Many leather dressings are proprietary materials, meaning the manufacturer keeps the ingredients a trade secret.  These sometimes include dyes, abrasives, silicone and other undesirable materials.

7.  HARD TO REMOVE substances may be included in leather dressings that can limit your future treatment options.  The worst are products containing silicone.  Once you use silicone, it will not come out, and most other materials will not stick to it, making future repairs very difficult.  Even relatively pure leather dressings are difficult to remove.

8.  DAMAGE to nearby materials, especially corrosion on metals is seen most commonly as the crusty green corrosion on brass, bronze, and copper hardware or decoration.  Staining and weakening of paper from dressing wicking out of books is also a serious problem.

Green corrosion is often seen when copper alloys touch leather due to oils in the leather. This reaction is exacerbated by leather dressings.

9.  DRY and STIFF leather often results from heavy-handed dressing.  How could that be?  Oils and fats alone do not make the leather more flexible.  Water is part of the process as well.  If the oil or fat is more than about 3% of the weight of the leather that is oily, water is repelled and cannot help do the job.  This causes the leather to dry out.  If excess moisture is trapped, it may cause the fibers to rot.  Determining how much oil is already in the leather requires scientific analysis.

10.  SWELLING and deformation the leather can damage surface finishes or paint.  On the microscopic level, swelling can weaken the aged collagen fibers.

This model kayak, ASM III-O-908, had been extensively restored before it came into the ASM collection. It was signed by attendees of an 1898 meeting at the Healy Hotel near St. Michael’s, establishing new trade routes to the Bering Sea and up the Yukon River for the North American Transportation and Trading Company. Heavy handed treatment interventions and fatty spew obscure many of the nearly 70 signatures.

11.  OXIDATION that breaks down the fats and oils can also cause damage to the collagen fibers of the leather.  The Alaska State Museum has various jars of dressing going back more than 30 years.  Some of those jars of dressing look disgusting on the shelf, prompting unpleasant thoughts of what these substances are doing in artifacts.

Science experiment in my conservation laboratory cupboard. Many dressings look lousy in the jar after 30 years.

12.  POOR TRACK RECORD:  In many cases, long-term preservation has been compromised for short-term gain of temporary flexibility.

Records for a model kayaker indicate his gutskin parka was treated repeatedly in the 1970s and 80s. A 1986 record states the gut is stiff, but not torn. Now the skin is torn.

13.  MUSEUM OBJECTIVES for the care of leather differ from requirements of active use in daily life.  The proper household maintenance techniques for car upholstery, baseball gloves, horse tack, and the fancy shoes in your closet are developed with the useful lifespan of a utilitarian possession in mind.  Museums have a different goal: let’s preserve this artifact for 500 years or longer in a condition as close as possible to its unadultered original condition.

Does this mean no one in heritage preservation ever uses leather dressings or lubricants on collections anymore?  The use today is very limited.  There is generally consensus that leather dressings are only useful when repeated flexibility is required, such as the opening and closing of a book.  Therefore, the most frequent use of dressings today is for old leather-bound books in library collections.  For ethnographic collections, most conservators avoid the use of lubricants or dressings unless there is a specific artifact that is deformed, needs reshaping for treatment, and humidification alone is not enough.  If treated, the kind of tannage, the deterioration of the leather, and the history of previous dressings must be taken into account before the type and amount of dressing is selected. For historical artifacts, there has been a strong shift away from dressings after aggressive attempts in the 1960s and 70s to identify the perfect recipe of ingredients.  In general, conservators were discouraged to see the untreated artifacts fare better than the treated ones, and some of the treated ones suffer serious problems as described on the list above.  In a proper museum environment, leather that was in good condition didn’t need dressing, and leather that was already deteriorated seemed not to benefit. Commercial products are not used on museum artifacts unless all the ingredients are known and the conservator understands how each ingredient interacts chemically with the specific kind of tannage and treatment the leather has undergone.  Sound complicated?  It is.

Consider the minimum accepted practice in the AIC Code of Ethics regarding conservation treatment material and methods:

“Materials chosen must be chemically and physically compatible with the cultural property; distinguishable from the materials of the cultural property; removable with the least damage to the cultural property when removing the material becomes necessary; the most chemically and physically stable of those appropriate; and should not preclude retreatment or future analysis of the cultural property.”

In general, leather dressings fail to meet those criteria, and as such are not part of the treatment protocols currently used or recommended by the Alaska State Museum.

Bibliography: 

Allardt O’Donnell, Alexandra. 1997.  ”No Object is Frozen in Time: Revisiting Traditional and Nontraditional Leather Treatments as a Collaborative Effort” Object Specialty Group Postprints: Vol. 5. AIC. Washington, DC. pp. 142-151.

Bourgeat, P. and N. Bourgeat.  1976. “Lipids in ovine skins.” Technicuir. Vol 10. No 2. February 1976. Pp 14-23.

AATA Abstract: The present study was carried out with several aims in view: to test the efficiency of degreasing in relation to the main states of skin preservation; to ascertain the evolution of the waste grease fraction and deduce the changes it can eventually undergo; to ascertain with the help of ageing cycles whether the non-extracted grease and fat continue to decompose and take part in the forming of fatty spues at the finished leather stage. The results show, among other things, the overwhelming influence of means of preservation and show that even before storage, skins often contain all the elements conducive to fatty spues.

Calnan, Christopher and Betty Haines. 1991. Leather: Its Composition and Changes with Time.  Leather Conservation Centre.  Northampton, United Kingdom.

 BCIN Abstract: Presents the proceedings of the first conference held by the UK Leather Conservation Centre in August 1986 at Nere College, Northampton, England. The papers provide a comprehensive scientific background on the structures, properties and preparation of leather as well as some insight into the forms of deterioration which leathers undergo. Includes skin structure and leather properties; the structure of collagen; the principles of tanning; leather processing from the mediaeval to the present time; vegetable tanning; mineral, alum, aldehyde and oil tannage; lubricants; surface coatings and finishes; ageing of vegetable tanned leather in response to various climatic conditions; taxidermy treatments and their effect upon tensile properties of skin; some aspects of the photochemistry of fibrous protein; natural ageing of leather in libraries; acidic deterioration of vegetable tanned leather; and deterioration under accelerated acidic ageing conditions.

Chahine, Claire, Léon-Bavi Vilmont, and Christine Rottier. 1989. “La Lubrification: Comportement Physico-Chemique du Cuir = Dressing: the Physicochemical Composition of Leather.”  ICOM Working Group, Leathercraft and Related Objects.  Internationale Leder- und Pergamenttagung = International leather and parchment symposium, May 8-12, 1989. Deutsches Ledermuseum;Deutsches Schuhmuseum. Offenbach am Main. Germany. pp. 26-42

BCIN Abstract: Reports on tests of 13 different leather dressings, three of the solution type (oils, fats, and/or waxes dissolved in a white spirit, hexane, or another solvent) and 10 of the emulsion type (these substances emulsified in water) that were applied on tanned calf leather that had been artificially aged (105°C, three weeks) and degreased using dichloromethane. To evaluate the effect of the dressings, tensile strength, stretch to break, tearing resistance, flexibility, water content, pH, content of volatile and water-soluble compounds, etc., were checked. In conclusion, a slight superiority of some emulsion dressings was found, e.g., of the modified Netherland formula: neat’s-foot oil, lanolin, and a nonionic emulsifier called Arcopal in 89per thousand water.

Daniels, Vincent. 1991.  “Leather Dressing at the BM.” Conservation News. United Kingdom Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. Vol 44. Pp. 31-33

BCIN Abstract: A report on content and availability of leather dressings bearing the name of the British Museum, or made to a similar formula.

Dephilipps, Henry A. and Michele L. Mader. 1995.  “Identification of Spue on Leather-Bound Library Books in the Watkinson Library of Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut.”  Leather Conservation News.  Vol 11.  No 1-2.  pp. 8-10.

AATA Abstract: A white creamy material was collected from several volumes of leather bound books in Trinity College’s Watkinson Library and analyzed by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Mass Spectroscopy (MS), and Liquid Chromatography (LGC). The spue was identified as a mixture of palmitic and stearic acids.

Dumka, Heather. 1991. “The Conservation Treatment of Three Gutskin Parkas.”

Journal of the International Institute for Conservation, Canadian Group. Vol. 16.  pp. 17-22.

AATA Abstract: Describes the conservation of three Alaskan gutskin parkas. One of the parkas was washed and all three parkas were reshaped by temporarily relaxing the gut with water. Two of the parkas had tears and were repaired using patches made from natural hog sausage casings. Although dry gut can be quite brittle, the addition of a lubricant or humectant would change the nature of the parkas which were never supple. Storage containers were made for their safekeeping and handling.

Haines, Betty M. 2002. Surface Coatings for Binding Leathers.  Leather Conservation Centre.
Northampton. United Kingdom

BCIN Abstract: The monograph reviews the types of dressings that are currently in use by book conservators and bookbinders, such as Klucel G (a hydroxy propyl cellulose), SC6000 (an acrylic wax mixture) and Marney’s Conservation Dressing (a solvent-Free mixture of oils and waxes). The materials used in the trial are a combination of those in current usage and a variety of coatings used as finishes in the shoe and leather industries.

Haines, Betty M.  1987.  Ground Substance: Its Relationship to the Tanning Process.”  Leather Conservation News. Vol 3. No 2. Spring 1987.

Ground substance is everything in the raw skin that is not collagen: plasma proteins, albumins, globulins, and a glycosaminoglycan-hyaluronic acid.  Along with water, ground substance lubricates live skin.  It cannot lubricate leather, however, and is removed in the tanning process.  To prevent collagen fibers from sticking together and making the leather stiff, some sort of fat or oil is introduced during tanning while the leather is still wet to make a film over the fibers and serve as a lubricant for the service life of the leather.

Haines, Betty. 1985. “Oils and Fats in Leather”  Recent Advances in Leather Conservation. Proceedings of a refresher course, June 1984.  Editor: Sonja Fogle. The Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation. Washington DC. pp.  36-41.

BCIN Abstract: The various types of lubricants used on leather and their methods of application are described. Before 1900 currying was the most common, then emulsions, and after the 1920s self-emulsifying oils (e.g. Castor oil, turkey red oil), also known as sulphated oils. After world war ii sulphited oils were developed. The properties of the various oils found in leather affect its properties and the problems which are encountered. Neat’s foot oil, one of the most satisfactory in use, should however, be well-cooled first to precipitate solid triglycerides. Vegetable, fish and synthetic oils have also been used, but they are less satisfactory than the animal oils. Spewing is the exudation of solid triglycerides: possible treatments are discussed before considering relubrication. The discussion centres on this last point, then on practical problems.

Hallebeek, Pieter. 1985 “Leather Lubricants and Buffers.”  Recent Advances in Leather Conservation. Proceedings of a refresher course, June 1984.  Editor: Sonja Fogle. The Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation. Washington DC. pp. 42-46.

BCIN Abstract:At the central research laboratory, amsterdam, before lubricating or buffering leather, it is necessary to determine both the ph and the fat content, as these values govern what is chosen for use. The emulsions are preferred; the recipe is given for one that contains lanolin, neat’s foot oil, arkopal n 100 and water. Imidazole can be added but not more than 1% in concentration. Solvent leather dressing can also be used; the one used at the crl contains neet’s foot oil, lanolin, white spirit plus imidazole organic buffer in iso-propyl alcohol. The need for a buffering agent is explained. Potassium lactate and sodium citrate are not advisable because insufficient could be added to counter the acidity present. A water solution is also inadvisable. Imidazole is much preferred; its mode of action is explained. It is claimed also to block the action of iron which may be present. The discussion covers buffering and lubrication and how to calculate the quantity of lubricant to add.

Hollstein, M. 1979. “On the Problem of Fatty Spews on Leather” Das Leder.  pp. 40-46.

AATA Abstract: Potential spew forming substances are fats with a high content of saturated fatty acids. Therefore fat-liquoring should be carried on with vegetable or animal oils containing unsaturated fatty acids such as sperm oil, neat’s foot oil, fish oil, etc., or synthetic fat-liquors. The main precaution in avoiding spews is twofold: 1. The pH value should be kept higher than 3.5. 2. Fungicide should be added to the fat-liquor so that cleavage of the unsaturated fatty acids by fungous attack is guarded against.

Knuutinen, Ulla; and Laura Sallas. 2005.  “Leather Spue: a Problem with Lubricants.”

ICOM Triennial meeting (14th), The Hague, 12-16 September 2005: preprints. James & James. London. pp.  249-254.

AATA Abstract: The aim of this study was to examine and clean leather-covered books that suffer from leather spue. The study material was provided by the Library of Monrepos, an 18th-century collection in the National Library of Finland. The books had been treated with the British Museum Leather Dressing in the 1970s. The leather dressings from the 1970s and new samples were analyzed with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, diffuse reflection spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and solubility tests. British Museum Leather Dressing is in general not chemically stable, and the cause of spew formation was mainly oxidation of the lubricant. The results of the study helped in writing recommendations for cleaning the books without hazardous solvents.

Liu, Cheng-Kung, Nicholas P. Latona, Gary L. DiMaio.  2002.  “Lubrication of Leather with Polyethylene Glycol.” Journal of the American Leather Chemists Association.  Vol. 97.  No. 9.
pp. 355-368.

BCIN Abstract: One of the problems associated with leather quality is that traditional lubricants (“fatliquors” consisting of oils and surfactants) are known to destabilize collagen fibers. Moreover, because they do not promote the retention of essential moisture, they make the leather fibers prone to over-drying. We have recently applied an aqueous solution of low molecular weight polyethylene glycol (PEG 400) to leather without using any surfactants. The resultant stiffness was characterized by Young’s modulus, initial strain energy and acoustic emission methods. Results showed that leather treated with polyethylene glycol solutions showed a significant reduction in its stiffness, indicating that PEG has a lubricating effect in leather. Efforts were also made to understand how factors affect the absorption of PEG into leather. Observations showed that the rate of adsorption is not constant; therefore Fick’s second law of diffusion, dealing with unsteady state processes, was employed to derive a mathematical model for the absorption rate. The effect of temperature on the absorption rate was also included in the model by incorporating a linear equation into Fick’s diffusion equation. The resultant model fits the experimental data very well. It not only depicts the mechanism of absorption, but also predicts the absorption rate as a function of key variables.

McCann, Laura and Werner Haun. 2009.  “Library Collections Conservation Discussion Group 2009: Library Collections Conservation 2.0–New Directions: New and/or Adaptive Materials, Methods and Technologies Used in the Conservation Treatment and Housing of Library Collections.” The Book & Paper Group Annual Vol. 28, pp. 107-114

AATA Abstract: The Library Collections Conservation Discussion Group (LCCDG) of the Book and Paper Group was pleased to present “Library Collections Conservation 2.0–New Directions. New and/or Adaptive Materials, Methods and Technologies Used in the Conservation Treatment and Housing of Library Collections” at the 2009 AIC Annual Meeting held in Los Angeles, California. The theme for the session was inspired by the AIC annual meeting theme, “Conservation 2.0–New Directions.” The session co-chairs, Laura McCann and Werner Haun, recruited speakers to present on practical applications of new and adaptive materials and methods in the conservation of library collections. The presentations dealt with soot removal techniques, removal of excess leather dressing, use of rubber cement for facing leather spines, and use of adhesive-coated repair materials. Following the presentations, the co-chairs moderated a lively discussion period. Handouts provided for each of the presentations are published as figures.

McCrady, Ellen and Toby Raphael. 1993.  “Leather Dressing: to Dress or Not to Dress.”

Conserve o gram, 9/1. National Park Service. Washington DC.

AATA Abstract: The dressing of leather is a largely irreversible procedure the value of which has begun to be questioned by museum conservators. The authors summarize some research on leather dressings and list what undesirable and unexpected effects oils and fats, wax additives, and dressing solvents can have on leather.

Mitton, R.G. and K.G.A. Pankhurst. 1957.  “A Study of the Mechanism of Fatty Spue Formation-II.”  Journal of the Society of Leather Trades Chemists.  Vol 41. Pp. 161-183.

AATA Abstract: There would appear to be at least two stages in the formation of fatty spue on leather: (1) the migration of fat from the centre to the grain surface, and (2) the crystallisation of the fat on the surface in the form of a large number of minute crystals. It is quite possible that progressive crystallisation of fats on the surface may, in itself, provide part of the motive force causing the fat to migrate from the interior. In the work described below, the presence of dyes, mordants, and detergents is shown to have a marked influence on the formation of fatty spue, as well as such physical factors as the thermal history of the leather, the presence of crystallisation promoters (seed crystals), and mechanical action. Whether the dyes, mordants, and detergents act merely through their effect on crystal growth, or whether they set up a concentration gradient from the centre to the surface cannot be decided from the evidence available. Oleic acid cannot be used successfully as a crystallisation inhibitor.

Morrison, Lynn.  1986. “The Conservation of Seal-Gut Parkas.” The Conservator. Vol. 10. pp. 17-24.

AATA Abstract: Describes an approach to the conservation of 19th-century parkas made from strips of dried seal gut sewn together. In museums they have often been stored badly, folded into small packages and crushed, dirty and embrittled. The object of the treatment is to unroll and reshape, clean, repair weakened and damaged areas, and to soften the material if possible. The author has experimented with 11 lubricant/softening solutions. Although she has selected PEG 400 for use, others appeared to give good results. She has also tested a range of adhesives with interesting results, selecting Mowilith DMC2 to repair tears using sausage casing.

Murray, Will 1994. “Conservation of a Pair of Inuit Fish-Skin Boots.”  SSCR Journal: the Quarterly News Magazine of the Scottish Society for Conservation and Restoration 5, No. 3. pp. 13-14.

AATA Abstract: An account of the treatment of a pair of Inuit fish-skin boots. During storage, the boots had stiffened into a folded position and had an uneven coating of sticky dressing. The dressing was removed through immersion in 1,1,1-trichloroethane. No further cleaning was carried out. The boots were reshaped after exposure to 100% humidity. The restored boots were supported on acid-free tissue.

Nathanson, David and Diane Vogt-O’Connor.  1993. “Care and Security of Rare Books.”

Conserve o gram, 19/2.  National Park Service.  Washington DC.

AATA Abstract: Examines considerations for housing rare books–optimal environmental conditions and other preservation measures as well as security measures. The authors describe appropriate shelving furniture and methods, which include a storage temperature between 65 and 70°F with an RH between 40% and 55%. Ventilation and protection from ultraviolet light as well as direct sunlight are important, as are protection from air pollutants, regular inspection, and good housekeeping. The authors warn against amateur repairs with inappropriate materials and the application of leather dressing. They discuss care of bindings, rebinding, and the housing of pamphlets as well as how to deal with ephemera inserted into books and detached plates. Appropriate identifying marks as well as documentation of unique characteristics of an individual copy can be important in reclaiming lost or stolen works. Procedures for reading rooms, including controlling access and documenting usage are briefly described. See also AATA 40-3573 and 40-3575. [Editor's note: As of July 2006, this pamphlet was available online at: http://www.cr.nps.gov/museum/publications/conserveogram/19-02.pdf]

Nightingale, Catherine . 1993.  “A Comparative Study of Proprietary Leather Dressings for Use on Ethnographic Vegetable Tanned Artefacts.”  University College London. Institute of Archaeology.  England

Papper, J. and F. Pieper.  1978. “Leather Lubricants Based on Chlorinated Natural Fats and Oils.” Das Leder. Vol. 29, January 1978 pp. 8-10.

AATA Abstract: By chlorinating native fats or animal and vegetable fatty acid esters, especially those of semi-solid consistency, at room teperature, liquid waterinsoluble chlorination products are obtained which are fast to light and can be used in leather manufacture. They do not cause fatty spew, and inhibit or prevent its formation when combined with other fat liquors tending to cause such spew.

Quandt, Abigail. 1985. “Leather Consolidation with Klucel G” Recent Advances in Leather Conservation. Proceedings of a refresher course, June 1984.  Editor: Sonja Fogle. The Foundation of the American Institute for Conservation. Washington DC. pp.79-80

Abstract: A description of the use of klucel g (hydroxypropyl cellulose) as a consolidant for powdering leather bindings. The method of application was developed by a. Cains for use on light-damaged bindings in the library of trinity college, dublin. Used at a concentration of 2% in ethanol, it does not darken red rot deteriorated leather as do water-based solutions. It appears to consolidate the powdery material and block its continued deterioration. Afterwards a leather dressing of beeswax, lanolin, cedarwood oil and neat’s foot oil is applied. Losses are infilled with thin pieces of new leather, the material chosen more for its strength than for colour match. Wheatflour paste is preferred as adhesive to pva, as it is considered more reversible. Aniline dyes are used for toning both vellum and leather; the method used on vellum is described. A 5th century coptic book (shown in slides) is still in better condition than many modern bindings. It is suggested that research into why old leathers have survived could be valuable.

Raphael, Toby. n.d. “Primary Care and Preservation of Leather and Skin Products”  MCI

BCIN Abstract: This bulletin is meant to provide general guidelines for collection care practices. The author deals briefly with the following topics: a preservation program; the processing of skin into non-tanned, semi-tanned, native-tanned and fully-tanned products; traditional remedies and recipes; drawbacks of leather dressings; understanding deterioration, and guidelines for object care.

Raphael, Toby J.  1993.  “The Care of Leather and Skin Products: A Curatorial Guide.”  Leather Conservation News.  Vol. 9

Saddle soap (usually made of neatsfoot oil and cod or sperm oil emulsified with soap in water) tends to push dirt deeper into the leather, be hard to remove completely, and darken lighter leathers.  Some commercial brands of saddle soap even contain abrasives and colorants.  Sometimes it results in spew.  The alkalinity (pH9-10) adversely alters the normal pH for skin (4-6) and is thought to be part of the cause of surface cracking.  Leather dressings should NEVER be applied to Native-tanned, semi-tanned, or untanned skin.  If more than 3-5% of the weight of the leather is added as dressing, water is forced out, which is also needed for flexibility, causing the leather to become too dry.

Raphael, Toby and Ellen Maccrady.  1984.  “Leather Dressing: A Misguided Tradition?”

ICOM Committee for Conservation 7th triennial meeting: Copenhagen, 10-14 September 1984: preprints. Diana de Froment, (Editor). International Council of Museums. pp. 186-188.

AATA Abstract: It is evident that the dressing of leather objects of all kinds is a popular and well-established tradition, yet there is a fair amount of experimental and practical evidence that it has little or no effect on leather’s rate of deterioration (except for outdoors where water protection is necessary). It can be argued that the routine dressing of leather is hard to justify in terms of conservation principle because 1) it has little or no preventive effect when applied in the customary indiscriminate manner, and 2) there are so many potentially dangerous side effects. As a whole, leather conservation has not kept pace with the advances made in other conservation areas. Conservators working on leather objects must develop procedures which can be justified in conservation terms and treatments that are based both on relevant research and experience.

Scianna, N.  1976.  “The Use of Lipids to Protect the Leather of Ancient Bookbindings in Connection with the Action of Micro-Organisms.” Soc. Int. Etude Corps Gras. Actes Cong. Mond. 1976 Section H pp. 107-114

BCIN Abstract: After describing the causes of deterioration in leather attacked by microbes (environmental factors, tanning methods) the Author examines the various methods of attack and prevention (fungicides). Particular attention is given to the analysis of various dressings used by restorers, to the problems connected with them, to their perfection with the addition of fungicides and to the precautions to be taken in choosing the various products.

St. John, Kristen. 2001.  “Survey of Current Methods and Materials Used for the Conservation of Leather Bookbindings.” The Book and Paper Group Annual. Editor: Shannon Zachary.American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. 28^th annual meeting Philadelphia. Vol. 19.  pp. 131-140.

BCIN Abstract: This survey gathered information from twenty-three book conservators on methods and materials used in the conservation of leather bookbindings in laboratories throughout the United States. The conservators work predominantly with special collections, in institutions with older collections, or have treatment responsibilities for special collections materials. The primary goal of this survey was to determine how conservators are treating leather bookbindings. A secondary goal was to determine how new materials and methods that have been developed or introduced to the field of book conservation within the past twenty-five years are being used in conservation labs. The survey was divided into five sections. The first section asked for background information on staffing levels. The second section questioned respondents about the treatment of existing or original leather bindings. The third section of the survey sought information about rebinding books using new leather bindings. The fourth section covered the use of preparations on leather such as leather dressings, waxes and cellulose ethers. The fifth and final section inquired whether the labs had standardized their procedures for treating leather bindings.

Storch, Paul S. 1987. “Curatorial Care and Handling of Skin Materials, Part I, Tanned Objects.”

Conservation notes (Texas Memorial Museum. Materials Conservation Laboratory) No. 17

AATA Abstract: This article, like others in the Conservation Notes series, is written for the museum professional without conservation training. It briefly covers the nature of skin and hide in chemical and physical terms, the tanning process, deterioration processes, unsuitable treatments, and problem assessment. A table is provided which can allow the curator or collections care person to diagnose the cause of problems with leather objects in the collection based on visible symptoms and characteristics. Finally preventative maintenance procedures such as controlling the storage environment are detailed, as well as the explanation of a dressing procedure for historic leather.

Tancous, Jean J. 1974. “A Study of Fat Spew by Gas Chromatography.” American Leather Chemists Association Journal. Vol 69. No 2. pp 66-84.

AATA Abstract: Fat spews occurring on various types of leather, such as aqueous-degreased pigskin leather, solvent-degreased pigskin leather, and grain and corium splits of steer hide leathers, were analyzed for free fatty acids and ester-type fat by gas chromatography. The natural fat of the skin or hide and the fatliquors used to lubricate the leathers were analyzed by gas chromatography also. The spews were made up of free fatty acids and ester-type fat. The cause of the ester portion of the spew as to whether it originated from the natural fat or added fat could be determined. – CCI

Tello, Helene, Anne Gunnison, and Nancy Fonicello. 2009.  “Disrobing : Research and Preventive Conservation of Painted Hide Robes at the Ethnological Museum, National Museums Berlin, Germany.” ICOM-CC: Working Group Ethnographic Conservation Newsletter.  No.
30. Jan 2009. pp. 8-10.

Werner, Ute; Lyndsie S. Selwyn, Tom Stone, W. Ross McKinnon, Anne MacKay, Tara Grant.  2012. “The Removal of Metal Soaps from Brass Beads on a Leather Belt.” Studies in Conservation. Vol 57. No. 1. pp. 3-20.

Wills, Barbara, Yvonne Shashoua, and Dean Sully. 1992.  “Approach to the Conservation of a Mexican Saddle and Anquera.”  Conservation of the Iberian and Latin American Cultural Heritage: preprints of the contributions to the IIC Madrid Congress, 9-12 September 1992.  Editors: H.W.M. Hodges, John S. Mills, Perry Smith.International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. London. pp. 179-183.

BCIN Abstract: This paper deals with the approach to the conservation of a Spanish-style saddle and “anquera” (rump cover) from Mexico City and Puebla, Mexico, respectively. The objects were originally bought by an English explorer for a journey and are described in his book. The saddle and “anquera” are made from vegetable-tanned cowhide with punched and embroidered decoration and metal fittings. The condition of the leather was assessed scientifically. It exhibits a number of conservation problems, notably surface deterioration and detachment of several conditions due to acid attack. Previous conservation treatments have caused the leather to become overstuffed with dressing, resulting in a weakening of the substrate. The conservation of the saddle will involve four main stages; removal of excess dressing, stabilization of the leather, consolidation of the friable surface and repair of torn and broken areas. The suitability of various stabilizing agents, consolidants and methods of application was evaluated using mechanical tests alone and accelerated aging and mechanical tests. Naturally aged and degraded leather was used as an experimental substrate. The results were used to formulate the approach to the conservation of the saddle and “anquera.”

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Ask ASM

Question:  We have quite a few pairs of snow shoes in our collection.  When they are stored flat on a shelf they take up a lot of room. Hanging them on the wall is not much better.  What is the best way to store them?

ASM: Doreen Alesi, conservator at the Adirondack museum in Upstate New York, has found a great solution for storing snowshoes.   Here is what she suggests:

• Place snowshoes toe-down in clear polyethylene bags.
• Fold the top of the bag over the hangar and hold it in place with binder clips.
• Write the object id number across the top of the bag.
• Hang the snowshoes in numeric order by object id.

Snowshoe rack before re-housing

In process: 2 racks installed.  40 pairs hung

Detail: Side view of rack for short snowshoes.

Wide snowshoes flat against wall above short snowshoes

Re-housing Completed: 54 pairs hung

Detail: High rack for long snowshoes

End view of rack with compacting storage unit closed

Results:

• Rearranging the storage in this manner nearly doubles the former capacity.
• It is easy to keep the artifacts in numeric order by object ID number.
• The clear bags allow for identification of the artifact while minimizing dust accumulation.
• This setup is easy to understand and maintain.

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Shaking the Money Tree

Conservation Assessment Program

Applications for the 2013 Conservation Assessment Program (CAP) are now available.

http://www.heritagepreservation.org/CAP/application.html

The postmark deadline for applications is Monday, December 3, 2012. To be added to the CAP application mailing list or for more information, email the CAP staff or call 202-233-0800. Learn more about CAP here:

http://www.heritagepreservation.org/CAP/index.html?utm_source=Update+e-Newsletter&utm_campaign=d51b29301c-Update+Summer+2012&utm_medium=email

Museum Assessment Program

The Museum Assessment Program (MAP) helps small and mid-sized museums strengthen operations, plan for the future and meet national standards through self-study and a site visit from a peer reviewer. IMLS-funded MAP grants are non-competitive and provide $4,000 of consultative resources and services to participating museums.

MAP provides guidance and growth in the following areas:

• prioritization of goals
• focus on mission and planning
• communications between staff, board and other constituents
• credibility with potential funders and donors

The program offers four assessments:

• Organizational
• Collections Stewardship
• Community Engagement
• Leadership (full cost only)

Each assessment can be completed in less than a year. Costs to participate range from free to $750. Applications are accepted twice per year with deadlines of July 1 or December 1.

NEH

Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections

Division of Preservation and Access

Deadline December 4, 2012 for Projects Beginning October 2013

Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections (SCHC) helps cultural institutions meet the complex challenge of preserving large and diverse holdings of humanities materials for future generations by supporting preventive conservation measures that mitigate deterioration and prolong the useful life of collections.

Apply for planning grants of up to $40,000 (with an option of up to $50,000) to bring together interdisciplinary teams that might reevaluate environmental parameters for collections and examine passive (non-mechanical) and low-energy alternatives to conventional energy sources and energy-intensive mechanized systems for managing collection environments.  Testing, modeling, or project-specific research may help applicants better understand collection environments and formulate sustainable preservation strategies; therefore, with planning grants you might measure energy consumption; use blower door tests to identify air leaks in buildings; create mock-ups of lighting options; test natural ventilation methods; conduct thermal imaging of buildings; test the effect of buffered storage enclosures on moderating fluctuating environmental conditions; re-commission small-scale climate control systems; or adjust the operating protocols for climate control systems.

Apply for implementation grants of up to $350,000 to manage interior relative humidity and temperature by passive methods; install heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems; install storage systems and rehouse collections; improve security and the protection of collections from fire, flood, and other disasters; and upgrade lighting systems and controls to achieve levels suitable for collections that are energy efficient. Projects that seek to implement preventive conservation measures in sustainable ways are especially encouraged.

Guidelines: http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/SCHC.html

FAQs: http://www.neh.gov/files/grants/sustaining-cultural-heritage-faqs_2012.pdf

For more information:  http://www.neh.gov/grants/preservation/sustaining-cultural-heritage-collections

IMLS

Museums for America

Deadline:  January 15

Grant Amount:  $5000-$150,000

Grant Period: Up to three years

Matching Requirement:  1:1

The web conference schedule for the FY2013 Museums for America grant program is as follows:

Wednesday, December 5, 2012, at 2 – 3 pm Eastern Time

Wednesday, December 19, 2012, at 2 – 3 pm Eastern Time

To participate in a web conference, a few minutes before it is scheduled to begin, log into:  https://imls.megameeting.com/ωpage=guest&conid=MFA_and_NLG_Webinar_for_Potential_Applicants

Or here:

http://www.imls.gov/applicants/detail.aspx?GrantId=11

Then, using any touchtone phone, call 1-866-299-7945. When prompted to enter a passcode, enter 9910420#.

National Leadership Grants for Museums

Deadline:         January 15, 2013

Grant Amount: $50,000 – $500,000

Grant Period:   Up to three years

Matching Requirement:            1:1 requirement for budgets of $250,000 and above

Web Conferencing with Program Staff:

IMLS staff are available by phone and through e-mail to discuss general issues relating to National Leadership Grants for Museums. We also invite you to participate in one of five pre-application web conferences to learn more about the program, ask questions, and listen to the questions and comments of other participants.

The web conference schedule for applicants interested in both the FY2013 Museums for America and National Leadership Grants for Museums programs is as follows:

Tuesday, November 20, 2012, at 2 – 3 pm Eastern Time

Wednesday, December 5, 2012, at 2 – 3 pm Eastern Time

Wednesday, December 19, 2012, at 2 – 3 pm Eastern Time

To participate in a web conference, a few minutes before it is scheduled to begin, log into:

https://imls.megameeting.com/?page=guest&conid=MFA_and_NLG_Webinar_for_Potential_Applicants

Then, using any touchtone phone, call 1-866-299-7945. When prompted to enter a passcode, enter 9910420#.

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Spotlight on Grant in Aid

The Anchorage Museum participated in the Internship Program of the Grant in Aid.  They had a conservation intern from the Winterthur Delaware Conservation Program (University of Delaware) working with Monica Shah at the Anchorage Museum. 

The main focus of the internship was the treatment of a fish trap of Dena’ina or Yup’ik origin. Prior to and during the treatment, Madeleine Neiman conducted research and ethical discussions about the trap. This included research about the origins and use of the trap, and comparing similar traps from Dena’ina and Yup’ik areas. In addition, she was able to pursue research and discussions with a former curator (who worked with the donor/owner), present curators who work in Dena’ina areas, a Dena’ina culture bearer (also a curator at the museum), and a curator from another museum whose Ph.D. dissertation work was with the owner/donor.

The treatment of the trap included: cleaning, reshaping and stabilization of the root lashing, realignment and reshaping of the wooden slats, and consolidation. Additionally, she created Tyvek and Plexiglas structural supports to further stabilize the object. The ethics of treatment were considered and discussed throughout the internship, and informed the type and extent of all repairs.

Other auxiliary activities to this main treatment project included assisting in the treatment and reinstallation of an outdoor bronze sculpture and the moving of two totem poles from a donor’s residence to the museum. Madeleine spent one week in Homer at the Pratt Museum, where she conducted a condition survey of a group of metals artifacts excavated from a 19th century archaeological site. The survey included an assessment of the current condition of the objects as well as recommendations of various methods for rehousing the collection. She also spent one day at the Seldovia Tribal Museum, as part of her week in Homer. This was arranged through the Pratt Museum’s curator, who has spearheaded community conservation and curatorial projects.  Madeleine’s contribution to the preservation of this unique fish trap is immeasurable. The trap is from a border area between Dena’ina and Yup’ik areas, and little is known about the fish traps from the more modern era (post 1950). The stabilization and treatment work that she completed will allow for display and future research. In addition, the trap will be a major component of an exhibit next year and will now be able to be displayed properly and safely for all visitors to see.  Madeleine has since presented information about her internship to the other graduate students at the UCLA/Getty program. She also plans on presenting her work at a future Western Association for Art Conservation conference.

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Alaska Museums in the News

Juneau museums honor the anniversary of the sinking of the USS Juneau

http://juneauempire.com/art/2012-11-08/juneau-museums-honor-anniversary-sinking-uss-juneau#.UKaEt4fBF8E

Interview with Sheldon Jackson Friends and Native artist

http://www.kcaw.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/interview_103112.mp3

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Professional Development/Training Opportunities

Image Permanence Institute

Free webinars on the optimal preservation environment

The Image Permanence Institute is presenting a series of free webinars for collections care and facilities staff in cultural institutions is designed to enable collections care and facilities staff in cultural institutions to work together to achieve an optimal preservation environment—one that combines the best possible preservation of collections with the least possible consumption of energy, and is sustainable over time. This series is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities Education & Training grant program.

Webinar presentations will focus on broad environmental challenges and provide useful and effective suggestions for dealing with them. Webinars will be presented by IPI staff unless noted otherwise. Each webinar will be presented on a Wednesday from 2:00 to 3:30 Eastern Standard Time. You can get additional details and register for webinars at http://ipisustainability.org/.

January 9, 2013

The Evolution of New Standards – Defining an Optimal & Sustainable Preservation Environment in the 21^st Century

February 6, 2013             

Dealing with Winter Dryness

March 6, 2013  

Understand the Role of Temperature-Relative Humidity-Dew Point in Creating a Sustainable Preservation Environment

April 3, 2013

Fundamentals of HVAC – What Shapes Optimal Preservation Environments

May 1, 2013

Best Practices for Collecting and Analyzing Environmental Data

 June 5, 2013

Dealing with Summer Heat & Humidity

July 10, 2013     

Investigate your HVAC System & Identify Potential Energy Savings – Guest Speaker Peter Herzog, Herzog/Wheeler & Associates, Energy Management Consultant

August 7, 2013

Practical Approaches to Environmental Control for Small Institutions – Guest speaker, Richard Kerschner, Director of Preservation and Conservation, Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, Vermont

September 4, 2013

Sustainable Preservation Practices—Key Team Activities

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Intern Report

The Tenakee Historical Collection (THC) is a volunteer-run organization dedicated to preserving and sharing the history of Tenakee Springs, Alaska. Next summer THC is planning to open a new museum in a small building that now serves as a liquor store. As part of its preparation for the new museum, THC successfully applied for an Internship Grant from Alaska State Museums.

The Internship Grant brought me (Kate Duffy) to Tenakee Springs for eight weeks. I am a recent graduate of the University of Delaware’s master’s degree program in American History and Museum Studies. This report describes the work I completed this summer and offers suggestions for next steps.

I would like to thank the many Tenakee residents who made me feel welcome this summer, especially Vicki Wisenbaugh, who shared stories of Tenakee, introduced me to the joys of berry-picking, and encouraged me to give salmon fishing a try. Tenakee is a wonderful and unique community – I will be back to visit for sure! Also thanks to Scott Carrlee of Alaska State Museums for arranging the entire internship and for offering help along the way.

Kate Duffy

August 2012

Read Full Report Here

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Professional Time Wasting on the Web

Interesting websites with Hurricane Sandy Emergency Response Information

http://www.studioprotector.org/

http://www.moma.org/explore/collection/conservation/recovery

Gallery design blamed for art Heist

http://www.dezeen.com/2012/10/17/omas-kunsthalgallery-design-blamed-for-art-heist/

Haida Material Culture in UK Museums

http://www.prm.ox.ac.uk/haida.html

Ohio History Center Refreshes Controversy Exhibit

http://www.experiencecolumbus.com/blog/index.php/2012/04/11/ohio-history-center-refreshes-controversy-exhibit/

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Contents:

Lights, Camera, Museums!

The topic of filming in a museum setting is particularly relevant to Alaskan museums.  Alaska is always an alluring scenic backdrop and on occasion, filmmakers do actually bother to film Alaskan-themed films in Alaska.  Add to that the half dozen or so “reality” shows that are currently filming in the state and there is always the potential for being asked to provide your museum or museum artifacts for the next Hollywood production.  That is exactly what happened to the Aviation Heritage Museum when they were filming “Big Miracle” on location in Alaska.  You remember the story of the whales trapped in the ice up in Barrow?  Well Hollywood dropped in to the Aviation Heritage Museum in Anchorage in order to use an actual museum object and one of their hangars for the purpose of gaining just the right shot.  The object happened to be a 45-ton Boeing 737.  The following is the Post-Movie Shoot Report sent to Norm Lagasse who was then the Executive Director of the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum.  He could not be at the museum during the shoot because of previous engagements to speak at the Museums Alaska conference in Fairbanks.  Here is the report that was filed by the museum consultant who was hired to stand in for Norm during the shoot:

RE: Post-Movie Shoot Report

September 20, 2010

Norm,

The movie shoot went better than we expected. While there were some initial concerns that the film crew might not fully appreciate and care about our artifacts, their behavior came around and they deferred to our perspective once it was more fully explained to them. In addition, the special effects lead was ex-Air Force mechanic who already understood the challenges of caring for aircraft.

When I arrived on Thursday, we moved the F-15, DC-6, and Widgeon to the paved area south of the Museum. Nelson, the advance man who would give us the specific placement for the 737, showed up late morning and we later repositioned the aircraft, and placed the masking to cover the 75th anniversary graphic aft of the passenger door. Interestingly, Nelson mentioned he had local friends who had talked with him about the tragedy of Terry Smith and his son-in-law, and that he understood why we did not want to cover up Terry’s name and agreed with those sentiments. Also, on Thursday the electrical crew (called gaffers) had laid out their power distribution runs and some set decoration items were dropped off. Work finished for the day at about 6:30pm.

The location of the masked graphic, covering a deep blue rectangle and making it disappear. – Museum Consulting that Enhances Performance -

Work resumed 6:00 am on Friday. Set decorators started dressing the Restoration Hangar, gaffers hooked up the wiring they had laid out, extras arrived, make-up was handled in the Pioneers Gallery, and the camera truck pulled in mid-morning and started their set-up. The special effects crew laid down “snow” blankets (white spun polyester, like what is used in quilting) under the 737. The edge of the blankets facing the cameras then received an amazing amount of chopped ice to complete the simulated snow around the aircraft. The placement of the chopped ice was handled very well, avoiding any impact to the aircraft.

Placing the “snow”

We trained the actors how to deploy bottom step on the air stairs and how to operate the door latch and hinge lock safely. They shot two groups of people disembarking from the plane, from a few different angles, and with and without a large fan to simulate wind. They finished this part of the shoot around 2:00 pm and broke for lunch, which was set-up in the soft-sided hangar.

Laying snow blanket under the 737.

After lunch they moved their equipment into the Restoration Hangar, which was to be the interior of a manufacturer’s shop in Minnesota, but the needed crew and cast were asked to leave the set for the remainder of the day. Before leaving, I did confer with their lighting man on what lighting instruments were being used for the interior and he confirmed they were all fluorescents, which reduces the risk of fire greatly. They stopped shooting about 5:30 or 6:00. The cameras and related equipment were loaded back into the trucks. We left the site about 6:40 pm with their security guard posted in our lot near the 737.

Saturday we returned at 6:00 am for final teardown. All electrical cables and set decorations were collected. The rental forklift and scissors lift were placed for pickup towards the street side of the yard. They did run into one snag: the box of our fluorescent bulbs they had removed to install theirs in the Restoration Hangar had been inadvertently been put on a truck the previous night. Instead of restoring our bulbs on Saturday, they arranged with us to return on Thursday at 900 am to do the switch. They also said that if our old bulbs didn’t show up they would buy the same type from Grainger and install those. They finished up shortly before I had to leave at 8:15 am.

Early Friday, the camera crew at work

I would like to note that staff members Steve Pearson and Dick Benner did an excellent job of interacting with the film crew – firm and polite when needed, and helpful whenever it supported their crew’s efforts – very professional. Also, your volunteer Dave was right in their working with us all three days and was very helpful.

Norm, I have done a few of these shoots and this was probably the best film company I have seen yet. They politely accepted our needs when it was counter to their initial preferences and moved on to what was next without complaint. The early conversations and demonstrating our willingness to help their project succeed was reciprocated by their thoughtful conduct – not always the outcome in these activities.

Best Regards,

Half a semi-trailer with ice blocks, which are chopped into “snow” by the diesel-powered black machine in the foreground.

Camera truck (white box van) placed Friday mid-morning.

The report brings up some very good points about how to deal with a film crew who is occupying your space.  It sounds like this was a well behaved crew with a good sensitivity to the needs of the museum. But this is not always the case.  When this topic came up on the Museum-L listserv, a national listserv for museum professionals, there were many horror stories of film crews doing destructive things on museum property.  I asked Dave Harvey, an objects conservator, to speak his mind with regard to this subject as he was one of the responders to the original query on Museum-L.  Here are his thoughts on the subject.

Filming in Museums and Historic Sites

by David Harvey

Trucks and vans pull up and a film or TV crew arrives at your museum or historic site. This can be one of the most exciting days for your institution or it can turn into a mess. What matters most is having policies in place, preparation, and in having clear and consistent communication with the producers from their first contact to the last.

Photography and film policies are in place in many museums and historic sites as part of their collections management policy. Foremost is to protect and manage the collections from damage from the lights used by photography and filming; then there are issues that involve the use of images from the collection for commercial purposes. But these policies should also cover onsite filming with specific guidelines so that the rules are clear to your staff and the production company or independent photographer / film / TV person. Such guidelines should encompass what you normally require for rentals – things such as restricting where food and drink can be served, liability insurance, use of your museum services (electricity, bathrooms, security, etc.), and most importantly, staff monitoring and the power of staff to halt activity that may damage the collections or the building. Much of this can be anticipated in advance – such as not allowing the use of fog machines that put out a fine aerosol of dispersed oil that gets on everything, or the use of duct tape on sensitive historic or important surfaces where it may pull paint off, or covering floors with protection if they are using heavy equipment (tracks and dollies) that may mar the floors or carpets. You also should build in guidelines for using hot lights (lights that generate a lot of heat) on sensitive objects in the collections, and it is paramount to have a DONT TOUCH policy in regards to all collections unless specific things are negotiated in advance. You may want to restrict filming to certain parts of the building or collections – and you certainly want to restrict access of the film crew to areas where they are allowed to store equipment and where they need to film – no wandering should be allowed.

You also want to be helpful – so having an informational package that you can email a producer and also send to your state film office that provides information to production companies. Photos of the buildings / grounds / rooms / collections are important for the location scouts and producers, as well as a floor plan with locations of power outlets. Having a designated area for storage of equipment, rooms that can be used for make-up and dressing, bathrooms, and parking for vans and trucks is also desired. You want to facilitate all the onsite logistics for the producers so having this in advance can make the difference between your institution being chosen or losing the opportunity to another one.

Depending on the needs of the production you also need to understand how the filming will impact your museum or historic site and whether you can stay open at the same time or if you have to close your doors to visitors while it is going on. This may affect your rental rates (called location fees in the film and TV industry). And some productions may want to use your staff for expertise (in the case of many TV productions) or as actors (both film and TV). So you should have a package of staff head shots (photographs) and short bios to send to a producer if they express an interest in having the staff involved – if there are good videos of your staff giving talks all the better.

A good friend of mine who is a major Hollywood Film and TV Art Director once told me, “Film crews are pigs!” You always have to keep in mind that the people who work for production companies are intensely focused on getting the shots they need for their project. They usually do not have a museum or preservation outlook whether they are in a museum or even shooting in a private home or business. They are tasked with working very fast, efficiently, and for often many hours. The producers know that they have insurance so if some damage occurs during filming they just assume the insurance covers it. You have to be aware of this and take responsibility to have a protection plan and also have staff empowered by contract to protect the building and collections. If these things are worked out far in advance then often creative solutions can be found to keep the producers happy and your institution as well.

 And if you really want to know what goes on when Hollywood shows up at your museum, you can check out the Smithsonian’s page  all about  “Night at the Museum:  Battle of the Smithsonian”

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/Night-at-the-

Ask ASM

Question:  I was wondering what your thoughts are on placing a lightweight easel with rubber on the base on a desk (in this case, an artifact in the permanent collection) to display a lightweight piece of foam board with a diagram on it. Is it acceptable to place such an easel (without sharp edges on its base) on an artifact? If it is absolutely necessary for it the poster to be displayed (it has important information on our new museum plans) and it is requested that it be displayed on the artifact, do you think a compromise such as placing a cotton muslin cloth below the easel where the base pieces touch the artifact is a reasonable solution? While it would be more desirable to display the easels elsewhere (for aesthetic and professional) reasons, space is limited and some may really desire this location.

ASM:  My opinion is that putting a barrier between the easel and the desk would make it OK to display a piece of foam core.  I think the main issue would be with the feet of the easel somehow affecting the finish on the desk.  Rubber has sulfur in it and can be reactive.  Without the rubber there is a danger in scratching it.  So I would say, rubber with the muslin cloth down first.  If you don’t like the way the muslin looks you could always just put Mylar disks beneath the rubber feet.

Shaking the Money Tree

Conservation Assessment Program

Applications for the 2013 Conservation Assessment Program (CAP) are now available.

http://www.heritagepreservation.org/CAP/application.html

The postmark deadline for applications is Monday, December 3, 2012. To be added to the CAP application mailing list or for more information, email the CAP staff or call 202-233-0800. Learn more about CAP here:

http://www.heritagepreservation.org/CAP/index.html?utm_source=Update+e-Newsletter&utm_campaign=d51b29301c-Update+Summer+2012&utm_medium=email

Museum Assessment Program

The Museum Assessment Program (MAP) helps small and mid-sized museums strengthen operations, plan for the future and meet national standards through self-study and a site visit from a peer reviewer. IMLS-funded MAP grants are non-competitive and provide $4,000 of consultative resources and services to participating museums.

MAP provides guidance and growth in the following areas:

• prioritization of goals
• focus on mission and planning
• communications between staff, board and other constituents
• credibility with potential funders and donors

The program offers four assessments:

• Organizational
• Collections Stewardship
• Community Engagement
• Leadership (full cost only)

Each assessment can be completed in less than a year. Costs to participate range from free to $750. Applications are accepted twice per year with deadlines of July 1 or December 1.

NEH

Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections (SCHC) helps cultural institutions meet the complex challenge of preserving large and diverse holdings of humanities materials for future generations by supporting preventive conservation measures that mitigate deterioration and prolong the useful life of collections.

Apply for planning grants of up to $40,000 (with an option of up to $50,000) to bring together interdisciplinary teams that might reevaluate environmental parameters for collections and examine passive (non-mechanical) and low-energy alternatives to conventional energy sources and energy-intensive mechanized systems for managing collection environments.  Testing, modeling, or project-specific research may help applicants better understand collection environments and formulate sustainable preservation strategies; therefore, with planning grants you might measure energy consumption; use blower door tests to identify air leaks in buildings; create mock-ups of lighting options; test natural ventilation methods; conduct thermal imaging of buildings; test the effect of buffered storage enclosures on moderating fluctuating environmental conditions; re-commission small-scale climate control systems; or adjust the operating protocols for climate control systems.

Apply for implementation grants of up to $350,000 to manage interior relative humidity and temperature by passive methods; install heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems; install storage systems and rehouse collections; improve security and the protection of collections from fire, flood, and other disasters; and upgrade lighting systems and controls to achieve levels suitable for collections that are energy efficient. Projects that seek to implement preventive conservation measures in sustainable ways are especially encouraged.

Guidelines: http://www.neh.gov/grants/guidelines/SCHC.html

FAQs: http://www.neh.gov/files/grants/sustaining-cultural-heritage-faqs_2012.pdf

For more information:  http://www.neh.gov/grants/preservation/sustaining-cultural-heritage-collections

IMLS

The web conference schedule for the FY2013 Museums for America grant program is as follows:

To participate in a web conference, a few minutes before it is scheduled to begin, log into:

https://imls.megameeting.com/ωpage=guest&conid=MFA_and_NLG_Webinar_for_Potential_Applicants

Or here:

http://www.imls.gov/applicants/detail.aspx?GrantId=11

Then, using any touchtone phone, call 1-866-299-7945. When prompted to enter a passcode, enter 9910420#.

For more information:  http://www.imls.gov/applicants/detail.aspx?GrantId=11

Spotlight on Grant in Aid

The Juneau-Douglas City Museum’s Oversized Collection Storage Expansion and Environmental Monitoring Project improved the museum’s ability to serve the community by providing safer, cleaner and more secure storage for the museum’s growing collection of accessioned objects. Project funds were used in two phases; first, to purchase and erect a new storage rack in the collection storage room, purchase archival materials to equip the storage rack, purchase a new flat file, and replace an aging data logger system.

The second phase entailed the purchase and fielding of new Image Permanence Institute PEM2 dataloggers to monitor the environment within the facility.The project began in early 2012 in the collections storage room of the City Museum.  Project Director Addison Field, Intern Victoria Brown, and grant-funded contractor Joe Sears moved all accessioned objects that were in storage in the existing space, to temporary storage locations in other areas of the facility.  Old storage pallets and racks were removed.  An existing flat file was moved out of the area.  A dust and fume barrier was built around the storage area, then the area was cleaned and painted.

During this process, loose and deteriorating floor tiles and cove molding were discovered.  When feasible, this material was removed.  It was evident that the spaces behind and beneath these deteriorating products were providing a damp place where pests were living.  Refreshing the walls and floors had an added benefit later in the spring when a water leak was spotted when it pooled on the floor beneath a broken window tile in the ceiling above.  In the past it is likely that such a leak may have gone unnoticed. After the storage area was cleaned and painted, the intern and contractor erected new industrial shelving that was purchased from McMaster-Carr.  The shelving was put into place, lined with formaldehyde free MDO and double-walled, archival corrugated board.  One existing flat file was put back into its location, and a new flat file purchased from Archival Supply was populated. Following these changes to the physical storage configuration, the intern, contractor and project director began the process of moving objects back into storage.  The opportunity to inventory and update object locations, clean objects, make new storage mounts, update catalog records and take additional object photographs was fully utilized.

After the objects were put in place, a contractor made a dust cover to encapsulate the new storage shelves – a different contractor from the one from which had provided the estimate at the beginning of the project.  This contractor was less expensive and as a result, a second dust cover for a separate object storage rack in a different part of the facility was made.  The dust covers were fabricated with tyvek and designed to custom fit each of the racks.  The intent is to provide a dust and light barrier that will provide added safety for the objects.After objects were repositioned on new racks there was additional space for object storage.  This will allow the JDCM to better serve the community by providing additional space in which to store new donations.  Importantly, the new shelving provides safer storage for collections through a solid barrier between collections objects and an air handling unit installed directly above the storage rack. This unit is serviced by maintenance personnel regularly.

Phase two of the project was the fielding of a new Image Permanence Institute PEM2 environmental monitoring system.  The system was brought on-line in the spring of 2012 and though they are still gathering data, it has been a clear success.  Within a month after fielding the new system and setting up the data management package there was data to make some basic and relatively straightforward object preservation decisions.  For example, after several months it became clear that the environmental conditions inside the compactor storage vault were better suited for storage of furniture with laminated surfaces rather than the large over-size object storage racks in the basement.  The slow and incremental process of relocating some of the sensitive objects from the basement shelves to the compactor storage unit has begun.The JDCM learned this summer that they received a National Endowment for the Humanities grant to install an integrated HVAC system in the facility.  The IPI environmental monitoring system will be invaluable as the organization moves forward, allowing the Museum to move away from the old “set point” paradigm of environmental management used in the past, to a new, zone management system that the City Museum and the new HVAC system will transition into.

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Professional Development/Training Opportunities

Racist Stereotypes & Cultural Appropriation in American Sports
National Museum of the American Indian

Thursday, November 1, 2012
6 AM to 1:45 PM AKST

Join commentators, scholars, authors, and representatives from sports organizations for a series of panel discussions on racist stereotypes and cultural appropriation in American sports. Explore the mythology and psychology of sports stereotypes and mascots, examine the retirement of “Native American” sports references and collegiate efforts to revive them despite the NCAA’s policy against “hostile and abusive” nicknames and symbols, and engage in a lively “community conversation” about the name and logo of the Washington, D.C., professional football organization.
Live webcast at:  http://nmai.si.edu/multimedia/webcasts/.

Upcoming C2C Online Community Webinars

In November, there will be two more opportunities to catch a webinar and live chat event on the Connecting to Collections Online Community. On November 7 at 10:00 pm (AKST), the Community will host speaker Connie Bodner, senior program officer for IMLS. Bodner will review and answer questions regarding the IMLS grant program Museums for America.

Then, just in time for the holidays, on November 28 at 10:00 pm (AKST), the Community will host a discussion on policies aimed at protecting collections during special events—from galas to rentals.

http://www.connectingtocollections.org/meeting/

Registration Open for AASLH’s Basics of Archives

Proceed at your own pace through this online course covering the basics of archival management and practices.

The course is made up of five lessons:

• Archives and Archivists
• Acquiring Your Collections
• Processing Collections
• Housing Your Collections
• Access and Outreach

The course is web-based and takes 15-20 hours to complete. There are no required times to be online. You may finish the course anytime during the four-week course period.

• Register now and take the course anytime between
  October 29-November 30, 2012
• $85  members / $160 nonmembers

To learn more, visit the Basics of Archives webpage.

Enrolled in StEPs?
This workshop may help institutions achieve the standards in the Audience and Stewardship of Collections sections of AASLH’s StEPs Program.

Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums

Call for Session Proposals for the 2013 International Conference of Indigenous Archives, Libraries, and Museums (November 1, 2012 Deadline)

 The Association of Tribal Archives, Libraries, and Museums invites you to propose a workshop, session, keynote, or poster for the 2013 International Conference of Indigenous Archives, Libraries, and Museums to be held June 10-13  at the Santa Ana Pueblo-owned Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa in the Albuquerque, New Mexico area.  The four-day conference brings together cultures from across the nation and around the world to exchange best practices for indigenous archives, libraries, and museums.  The conference features a minimum of six pre-conference workshops, two pre-conference tours, 50 concurrent sessions, two general sessions, three keynote luncheons, and a post-conference Town Hall-style meeting.  Conference tracks focus on library, archive, and museum collections, programs, and services, as well as specialized topics such as cultural tourism, advocacy, oral history projects, language programs, digitization, preservation, and fundraising.  The conference is funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Oklahoma Department of Libraries.

To view past conference programs and/or submit a proposal before the November 1 deadline, visit www.atalm.org.  Please direct questions to atalminfo@gmail.com

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Intern Report

The Wandering Intern: A Tale of Travel, Rust, and Bald Eagles

by Emma Dailey, Collections Intern – The Valdez Museum & Historical Archive, Summer 2012

Intern and Bush Pilot Extraordinaire

What makes a Museum Studies graduate student pack up her bags, leave the city she knows and loves, and travel to Valdez, Alaska for a summer internship? I must say, I have been asked this question more times than I can recall; first it was my family, then my classmates and professors in Washington, D.C., and then finally the good people of Alaska themselves. The only response I can give is that I love traveling and having new experiences. I am no newbie to the world of internships; I have now done four museum internships. Additionally, they were all in different cities, different states even.

First there was a local history museum in Buffalo, New York. This was followed by a corporate history museum at the Wells Fargo headquarters in San Francisco, California. Then, it was national women’s history at the Sewall-Belmont House & Museum in D.C. And now, I find myself in the last week of my internship here, at the Valdez Museum & Historical Archive. So, how do they stack up against one another?

The Valdez Museum is *shock* not the smallest museum I have been at! That prize goes to Buffalo. However, not surprisingly, Valdez is by far the smallest community I have found myself in. This has its advantages and disadvantages. For the first time I was able to walk the whole commute to work. Score one for exercise! However, it seems to rain a lot there and I lacked the proper footwear for wet weather. Minus one for that, I’m afraid.

What about navigation? You would think that’d be a piece of cake compared to D.C. or San Fran. Well, yes and no. If a visitor is willing to put in the time and leg muscles needed to walk the entire town, making a mental map is doable. However, trying to find something via local directions (“take a left at the dock, but if you pass the seafood place, you’ve gone too far”) or my iPhone’s map (“No, sir, I’m not in Anchorage”) is more challenging than anticipated. “But surely Emma,” you ask out loud, “Surely D.C. or San Francisco or even Buffalo must be harder to navigate?” First, I can’t hear you, so stop talking to yourself. Second, not necessarily. Buffalo is a really confusing city in which to drive and the public transportation is wanting. However, I grew up there so I’ve learned to cope. The other two cities though? Piece of cake. And I’m not just saying that to sound like a stuck-up city slicker. Great public transportation and detailed maps (and a phone that doesn’t get confused about where you are) all make it smooth sailing.

How does Valdez compare in the beauty department? Well, Buffalo is a pretty ugly city so that’s out of the running. San Francisco is more neat and trendy than beautiful for the most part.

San Fran: Traveling in Style since 1890

D.C. is gorgeous, plain and simple, but mostly architecturally.

Man

Valdez has not been a disappointment though. What the town lacks in austere neoclassical and colonial buildings, the landscape makes up for with its breathtaking natural beauty.

Nature

And the weather of each location, Emma? Well, Valdez summer is exactly like San Francisco winter. Buffalo winter is brutal. D.C. summer is sunny but outrageously hot and humid. Huh. I guess I haven’t had much luck there. C’est la vie. Let’s just move on to wildlife. Alaska wins, no competition. Buffalo has…um… squirrels? San Francisco does have the sea lions on Pier 33, but they also have hipsters so I think they cancel each other out.

West Coast Hipsters

And D.C. has pigeons and politicians. Since I’ve been in Valdez, however, I’ve seen sea lions, seals, sea otters, dolphins, a moose, and bald eagles. Lots of bald eagles. They seem to be akin to the pigeons of D.C. Oh, and I also saw rabbits, and learned that there are some, err, disagreements regarding their presence in town.

Public Enemy No. 1

“That’s all fine and dandy, Emma, but what about your actual work?” you ask. Buffalo had me cataloguing everything from WWII helmets to 1870s vegetable peelers. I also worked with the educator. Wells Fargo had me combing through archives and doing research. At the Sewall-Belmont I catalogued over 2,000 photographs from the 20th century suffrage movement. And Valdez? I had never before seen so many rusty mechanical parts. It was certainly a learning experience! I needed to teach myself about Model-Ts, Ahrens fire engines, and OX-5 airplanes before I could even identify parts to catalogue them. It has to be the most demanding cataloguing I did, but it was great real-world experience! Now if I ever find myself with a box of rusty engine parts in the future, it will be easy-peasy!

okay, I’m not perfect

All-in-all, every single one of my internships has been fantastic. Hands-on work and friendly staff make my experiences worthwhile. And being able to travel and see new sights keeps the homesickness at bay.

Well, except for missing my pets, but who could blame me there?

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Professional Time Wasting on the Web

XTRATUFS = “SORT-OF-TUFs?”

http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/alaska-senator-gets-tough-xtratufs

Preserving photos of the 1910-1913 British Antarctic Expedition’s tragedies and triumphs
http://www.ccaha.org/about/news/2012/09/28/preserving-the-photographs-that-document-the-tragedies-and-triumphs-of-the-british-antarctic-expedition-1910-1913

Ever at a loss to describe or critique art?  If so, you’ll appreciate the Instant Art Critique Phrase Generator….

http://www.pixmaven.com/phrase_generator.html

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Contents:

“Oh, the Humanity!” – Disasters in Museums

 Tune in to any cable news network. Every week there’s a new disaster. Hurricanes. Earthquakes. Tsunamis. War. Flesh-eating bacteria. Zombies (remember June’s CDC “Zombie Apocalypse” story?)

This summer saw floods in Florida, wildfires in Colorado and, closer to home, flooding, washouts and mudslides in British Columbia, the Yukon and the Northwest Territories, Canada. Last summer, political protests in Cairo led to vandalism and looting of the Egyptian National Museum, home to some of the world’s most precious antiquities, some 120,000 artifacts in all. A year later, curators are still assessing the extent of the damage.

In the wake of these and other recent events, cultural institutions have learned, often the hard way, just how important adequate preparation can be to effective disaster response—not to mention just how heroic staff and community efforts can be to collections preservation.

A few examples:

For two straight days in June 2008 flooding inundated Iowa’s Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, submerging some of the collection in a foot of sewage. It took a year for staff to reinstall the galleries and return the remaining collection to proper storage—one painting at a time. Community members, businesses, government agencies and foundations also joined the recovery effort; CRMA was even ultimately able to lend a gallery to the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, which lost its primary building in the flood.

In a similar instance with a decidedly Alaskan twist, in 2009, record flooding of the Yukon River devastated the beautiful, historic town of Eagle, Alaska – itself a National Historic Landmark. When floodwaters—and ice chunks(!)—threatened the century-old customs house, site of Eagle Historical Society & Museum, town residents passed the entire collection of frontier-era artifacts, one-by-one, through a window as the building filled with water. Some did so as their own homes and possessions floated away.

Customs House Eagle, Alaska Photo: Jean Turner

Here in Juneau that same summer a rainstorm ripped through a construction bubble at the Alaska State Archives and flooded the entire collection. Thanks to state and local efforts, meticulous staff recovery techniques and widespread community support, as well as a group of volunteer conservators who happened to be in town for the Western Association for Art Conservation’s annual meeting, the entire collection was saved. (Read ASM Conservator Ellen Carrlee’s “Anatomy of an Archives Flood” at http://ellencarrlee.wordpress.com/2009/10/13/anatomy-of-an-archives-flood.)

Chris Hieb moves wetboxes in the Alaska State Archives. Photo: Damon Stuebner

Some museums, such as the Saskatchewan Western Development Museum—which lost its roof in a 2003 windstorm—and the Oakland Museum of California—which suffered damage during the 1989 earthquake—even made exhibits of their disaster response. In fact, the Museum of Alaska Transportation and Industry (MATI) in Wasilla owes most of its collection to a 1973 fire that destroyed the Alaska Transportation Museum in Anchorage. Other surviving objects are displayed at the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum in Anchorage.

Truth be told, most collections disasters are smaller in scale. The most common risks to museum artifacts: dust and mold contamination, custodial neglect (i.e. artifact mishandling), UV/light exposure and incorrect environmental conditions. In other words, little things can cause big damage, especially if ignored while preparing for more catastrophic events.  Small or large, natural or manmade, effective disaster response is determined by effective disaster preparedness.  Unfortunately, most cultural institutions are unprepared to handle disasters. Not only are staffs not trained in recovery efforts, but they are often unaware of OSHA health and safety requirements. In other words, disaster preparedness means more than learning how to pack wet books.

Increasingly, cultural institutions are implementing tools borrowed from the insurance industry to identify risks to their collections, codify preservation procedures, reduce the potential for disasters that can be avoided and mitigate the effects of those that can’t.

The first step is conducting a risk assessment. Formal or informal, extensive or on a portion of a collection, risk assessment tools prioritize preservation efforts in an attempt to limit, or even prevent, damage.

Risk assessment determines:

• Percentage of a collection susceptible to specific risk
• Resulting loss of value
• Likelihood of a disaster event
• Extent of the event, worst-case to best-case scenario

Obviously, not all disasters can be prevented. Institutions and staff must be prepared to assure the safety of personnel, visitors, collections and data. For this, libraries, archives, museums, historical societies, or any other collection-holding entity should develop a disaster plan.

A disaster plan allows an institution to:

• Prevent or mitigate disasters
• Prepare for the most likely emergencies
• Respond quickly to minimize damage if disaster strikes
• Recover quickly while continuing to provide services to the community

Four Basic Rules of Museum Disaster Response

1. Minimize additional damage – don’t begin recovery until the disaster is over; once it is, begin sorting immediately so additional damage isn’t done by walking on collections; don’t be satisfied with damage appraisal until you have checked EVERYTHING. Even seemingly unaffected items may have suffered damage. For example, films and tapes inside containers can be far more damaged than the container’s condition might appear.
2. Document the disaster and your recovery (not just for your insurance company and superiors—who knows, it might make a nice exhibit one day)
3. Think before doing – too many people rush into recovery. The first rule of recovery is “do no harm.” That means care and thought, as opposed to fast action.
4. Care for yourself and your staff – disasters often do damage far beyond the obvious, and that extends to emotional damage to museum staff. Look out for them—and yourself—as carefully as you look out for your collection.

In almost every case, you’ll want to call in preservation and conservation experts to assist in salvaging your collection. And remember: human life is far more valuable than any collection. First thing to consider in any disaster situation is safety.

The American Museum of Natural History offers a comprehensive list of risk management and disaster planning websites, tutorials, readings and other information with copious downloads and links to resources. Visit and bookmark http://collections.paleo.amnh.org/9/risk-management-and-disaster-planning; well worth your time.

Northeast Document Conservation Center offers a customizable online disaster planning service, dPlan, geared toward small and medium-sized institutions without in-house preservation staff. Learn more at www.dplan.org

Museum SOS (www.museum-sos.org) is also an excellent hub for disaster preparation and response, as is Heritage Preservation (www.heritagepreservation.org) which offers a wide variety of free and pay disaster preparedness resources.  There is a new post on the Connecting to Collections blog about the Pocket Response Plan.  Check it out here http://collectionsconversations.wordpress.com/2012/08/28/pocket-response-plan/

For something with more home state appeal try the new Library Guide for Disaster Information Resources from the Alaska State Library

http://lam.alaska.gov/disaster_resources

General Resources Online

Coping with Disasters (MedlinePlus)

After any type of disaster, people feel relieved to be alive. But then they often feel stress, fear and anger. Most people will also find that they can’t stop thinking about what happened. Learn how to cope with these emotions effectively.

Disaster Apps and Mobile Optimized Web Pages

During a disaster, mobile devices may be your only way to connect with others. Learn how to use NLM’s disaster apps and mobile optimized web pages before disaster strikes.

Disaster News

Check out this RSS feed to the CDC’s Emergency Preparedness and Response site.

Disaster Preparation and Recovery (MedlinePlus)

Preparing for a disaster can reduce the fear, anxiety and losses that disasters cause. Be prepared.

Personal Preparedness

Explore this list of NLM resources on all types of man-made and natural disasters.

Ready.gov

Maintained by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), this site is designed to educate and empower Americans to prepare for and respond to emergencies including natural and man-made disasters. The three tenets of Ready.gov are: (1) build an emergency supply kit, (2) make a family emergency plan and (3) be informed about the different types of emergencies that could occur and their appropriate responses.

Special Populations: Emergency and Disaster Preparedness

Certain populations have unique needs during emergencies and disasters. Be prepared to help these groups.

Sources of Emergency and Disaster Health Information from the U.S. Government

Discover these sources of emergency and disaster health information.

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Ask ASM

Question:  We found a really cool object (that IS accessioned), but are debating how to handle it. We definitely want to keep it, but we’re uncertain about how to handle its contents.  We have a nurse’s syringe kit. That kit still contains strychnine sulfate, etc.  We are curious about storage for this item. Tips, ideas, and/or contacts would be appreciated.

ASM:  Editor’s note:  normally the responses to a museum query follows from one line of thinking.  Occasionally there can be differing responses amongst museum professionals.  Here are several responses to this query that show there is sometimes more than one way to think about things.

Response 1:  My suggestion would be to dispose of the “medicine” at the toxic waste dump after reading the MSDS sheets for the different chemicals.  I would then pack each piece individually, marking each as part of a whole.

Response 2:  Would you scrape the poison off South American darts? My feeling is this: any true museum professional who accidently stuck themselves with the darts would relish the opportunity to fully document the use of poison darting from the point a view of a monkey, and would take notes for as long as they could as the poison took hold. Personally, I would love to leave this life via some exotic mechanism that expands our knowledge of history and culture.

Seriously, we don’t know what research interests will arise in the future. New technology even in the past couple years has greatly expanded our ability to analyze materials. Do we know if there are intact nurses’ kits preserved somewhere else, in case someone is looking for samples of certain antiquated drugs or chemical preparations?

In this increasingly digital age, filled to the brim with simulacra, the only thing separating museums from Disney World is authenticity.

Response 3:  I remember how thrilled I was when, as a child exploring my great grandfather’s old ranch in eastern Oregon, I (literally) stumbled into a root cellar and found rows and rows of mason jars filled with the fruits of a harvest long forgotten. The energy from those hot, dusty summers of toil preserved in translucent batteries. Some had clearly gone bad, but others were amazingly fresh looking. Empty jars are just not nearly as evocative. I feel the same way about other such items. For research, keeping contents, dangerous or not, might be very important, so unless it’s leaking toxicity, ticking, or too otherwise too intrinsically dangerous to have around (a large glass jar with ill-fitting cap full of mercury comes to mind…something that we deaccessioned and disposed of), I think the best approach is to simply contain and label it accordingly.

Response 4:   I know I am in the minority on this one, but I always wonder why these “dangerous or potentially dangerous” materials are not considered a part of the artifact.  If I were the curator, I would containerize the artifacts and the constituent parts in multiple layers of housings with careful labels and signage, perhaps skull-and-crossbones signs too.  I would make a detailed note in the database record and in the hard copy file about exactly what the chemical is and what its threat is, as well as info about what to do if someone is exposed.  However, I get the impression that current museum practice often involves getting rid of toxic materials.

Response 5:   In most museum settings, there are enough restrictions on access to these types of materials that they can be safely stored or displayed.  I also believe that in some cases getting rid of the hazardous part is not that easy and sometimes involves destroying or damaging other parts of the artifact.  Obviously if it is oozing or deteriorating because of the contents (such as canned goods for example) then it is advisable to get rid of the contents.

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Shaking the Money Tree

Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections (SCHC) helps cultural institutions meet the complex challenge of preserving large and diverse holdings of humanities materials for future generations by supporting preventive conservation measures that mitigate deterioration and prolong the useful life of collections.

Apply for planning grants of up to $40,000 (with an option of up to $50,000) to bring together interdisciplinary teams that might reevaluate environmental parameters for collections and examine passive (non-mechanical) and low-energy alternatives to conventional energy sources and energy-intensive mechanized systems for managing collection environments.  Testing, modeling, or project-specific research may help applicants better understand collection environments and formulate sustainable preservation strategies; therefore, with planning grants you might measure energy consumption; use blower door tests to identify air leaks in buildings; create mock-ups of lighting options; test natural ventilation methods; conduct thermal imaging of buildings; test the effect of buffered storage enclosures on moderating fluctuating environmental conditions; re-commission small-scale climate control systems; or adjust the operating protocols for climate control systems.

Apply for implementation grants of up to $350,000 to manage interior relative humidity and temperature by passive methods; install heating, ventilating, and air conditioning systems; install storage systems and rehouse collections; improve security and the protection of collections from fire, flood, and other disasters; and upgrade lighting systems and controls to achieve levels suitable for collections that are energy efficient. Projects that seek to implement preventive conservation measures in sustainable ways are especially encouraged.

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 Spotlight on Grant in Aid

The Sheldon Museum in Haines Protects Its Exhibits

Even with “Do Not Touch” signs near most exhibits, visitors to the Sheldon Museum seemed to have a hard time not touching the artifacts on display. In recently changed permanent exhibits, more artifacts were exposed and vulnerable. After much discussion and research, the staff decided that Plexiglas walls could be an attractive, unobtrusive solution.

Townsite and Gold rush exhibit before. Photo: Jerrie Clarke

Additional vitrines for the museum’s pedestals were also needed. Not all of our pedestals were supplied with covers, and a few years ago volunteers built an additional seven pedestals for the Six-Week Spotlight, local artist shows.

Staff consulted ASM Curator of Museum Services Scott Carrlee and local carpenter Gordon Whitermore about design and construction, and purchased Plexiglas sheets and vitrines. A volunteer had offered to transport the Plexiglas from Seattle to Haines but when the time came, was not able to bring the items, so the original plan and budget had to be adjusted. After shipping, there was not enough left to build walls in the upper gallery. However, the shipping was less than the cost of the upper gallery walls so we were able to purchase additional vitrines and sheets of Plexiglas to replace the broken Plexi on two “Sleeping Beauty” cases that are used in temporary exhibits and on four multi-plex panels on which additional information about local history is given.

Townsite and Gold rush exhibit. After. Photo: Jerrie Clarke

Mr. Whitermore designed the walls, purchased the wood and hinges for the frames from the local hardware store, and then constructed the walls. His invoices included the cost of the materials he purchased. The walls are attractive and professional-looking, and the artifacts and photographs are protected. Vitrines now top our pedestals and protect objects on permanent and temporary exhibit. The three-dimensional art displayed by our local artists during the Six-Week Spotlight solo and duo shows are now also better protected. We have received many comments indicating that the new Plexi walls add to the professional look of the permanent exhibits. The Six-Week Spotlight artists are delighted to be able to protect their three-dimensional art under the vitrines on the pedestals. The museum staff is delighted and grateful to have the ability to better protect the museum artifacts and art as well as those on loan for temporary exhibitions.

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Event at the Sheldon Jackson Museum

July 19-21 the Sheldon Jackson Museum held a fish skin workshop sponsored by the Alaska Humanities Forum, the Friends of the Sheldon Jackson Museum and the Sitka Sound Science Center.

For a slide show of the event click here.

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Alaska Museums in the News

Copiously illustrated book traces Alaska Arlines’ colorful past

http://www.adn.com/2012/09/01/2608486/copiously-illustrated-book-traces.html

Ziegler painting donated to UAS library

http://juneauempire.com/art/2012-08-16/original-ziegler-oil-painting-donated-egan-library-uas

The Mysterious Death of Robert Kennicott

http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/aroundthemall/2010/08/the-mysterious-death-of-robert-kennicott/

3D sculpture brings history of Kennicott back to life

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/video/3-D-Scanning-Bringing-History-Back-to-Life.html

Living with the Old Things

http://www.nps.gov/akso/beringia/beringia/library/Living-with-old-things.pdf

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Professional Development/Training Opportunities

Creating and Funding Preservation Projects to Enhance Collection Care

Where:  Anchorage Museum, Reynolds Classroom, 625 C Street, Anchorage, AK 99501

When:  October 17, 2012, 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Sponsored by Western States & Territories Preservation Assistance Service (WESTPAS)

Workshop instructor: Gary Menges

Do you want to get a preservation grant to take care of your collections? Many institutions have used grant-funded projects to enhance the level of care they can provide for their collections, and sometimes even to jump start their preservation programs.

“Creating and Funding Preservation Projects to Enhance Collection Care” is a one-day workshop that begins with identifying and setting priorities among collection needs. With a clear sense of needs, the second part of the workshop reviews sources of grant funding available to your institution. The third part of the workshop addresses the key preservation questions asked on grant applications – participants answer the questions on behalf of their institutions, building the elements of a proposal for their own collection. The workshop emphasizes working collaboratively with colleagues to develop and receive feedback on project proposals.

By the end of the workshop day, participants will have:

• Outlined a preservation project proposal specific to their institution
• Identified possible funding sources
• Tested their ideas with other workshop participants

Who should attend:  Administrators and staff responsible for care of the collection in all types of libraries and archives, with an emphasis on small-to-medium sized institutions without preservation grant writing experience. By registering for the workshop, the institution commits to supporting the attendee(s) to achieve the workshop’s goals to develop and submit proposals for preservation projects to enhance collection care. When possible, TWO attendees from an institution should attend so they can work together on project development.

Cost:  No charge to the institution. WESTPAS is funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Registration:   Pre-registration required. Register online at: WESTPAS workshop http://tiny.cc/ZePOL

For registration assistance contact: Alexandra Gingerich gingerich@plsinfo.org for general & content information contact Gary Menges, menges@uw.edu

October is Archives Month, and Archives & Special Collections at the UAA/APU Consortium Library will be celebrating by offering four FREE workshops!

Descriptions are below.  All workshops are open to the public and will be held at the UAA/APU Consortium Library.  Space is limited, so register soon!

TO REGISTER FOR A WORKSHOP: Email archives@uaa.alaska.edu or call 907-786-1849. No registration is necessary for the Archives Roadshow workshop on October 27th.

Saturday October 6 – Preserving & Identifying Photographs
10:30am – 4:30pm.  UAA/APU Consortium Library Room 307. Maximum 25 participants.
Presenter: Megan K. Friedel, Archivist
Do you have shoeboxes stuffed with photographs? Are most of them unidentified and undated? Do you want to learn how best to store, preserve and identify them so that they last for future generations? This full-day workshop will teach you how to identify and date significant photo and negative types from the 19th and early 20th centuries; best practices for storing and preserving a wide range of photographic material, including slides, glass and film negatives, photo albums, scrapbooks and more; hands-on exercises in identifying the format and subject of photographs; and one-on-one consultation with a UAA archivist to help you determine the needs of your photo collection. Participants should bring 2-3 photographs from their collections to share with the class.

Saturday October 13 – Making Book Enclosures
10:30am – 12:30pm. UAA/APU Consortium Library Room 307. Maximum 20 participants.
Presenter: Arlene Schmuland, Head of Archives & Special Collections
Do you have worn books that you need to keep? Can’t repair them? Need to protect some of your rare volumes? This two-hour, hands-on training will show you how to make quick and simple book enclosures from sheets of folder-weight paper. You’re welcome to bring a book of your own or we’ll have some on hand for you to wrap for us.

Saturday October 13 – Introduction to Scanning and Organizing Digital Photographs
1:30 – 4:30pm. UAA/APU Consortium Library Room 307. Maximum 20 participants.
Presenter: Mariecris Gatlabayan, Archivist
Bytes, pixels, resolutions… oh my! The idea of scanning or organizing digital photographs can be overwhelming, so grab a bunch of your photographs and participate in this half-day workshop. The workshop will provide an introduction to scanning, resizing, editing, and organizing photographs, as well as guidelines on how best to preserve digital photographs to ensure long term access for future generations. Participants will have the opportunity to scan and edit a few of their photographs. As a result, please bring a USB drive or media on which you can save your scanned images.

Saturday October 27 – Archives Roadshow
1:30 – 4:30pm. UAA/APU Consortium Library Room 307. NO REGISTRATION NECESSARY.
Got old stuff? Want to know what it is, what historical value it has, and how to preserve it? Bring your photographs and negatives, moving image and audio recordings, letters, diaries, manuscripts, and other family or personal papers, and meet one-on-one for free consultations with archivists from UAA, the Anchorage Museum, Alaska Moving Image Preservation Association, National Archives, and other institutions. No monetary appraisals will be given, but we’ll help you find resources for valuation and conservation. There will also be a behind-the-scenes tour of the Archives & Special Collections collections vault at 2:30pm and a raffle for a free in-home consultation with an archivist!

Heritage Preservation Announces Fall Live Chat Schedule

• “Why Do Old Books Smell and Other Adventures with Odors in Collections” – Wednesday, September 26 at 10 am AKST Eastern with Tara Kennedy, Preservation Field Services Librarian, Yale University Library
• “Tour of the Canadian Conservation Institute’s Online Light Damage Calculator” – Wednesday, October 17 at 10 am AKST with Stefan Michalski, Senior Conservation Scientist, Preservation Services, Canadian Conservation Institute, Department of Canadian Heritage
• “Museums for America: Grants from IMLS: An Overview of the Program Including New Guidelines for 2013” – Wednesday, November 7 at 10 am AKST Eastern with Connie Bodner, Senior Program Officer, IMLS
• “Protecting Collections During Special Events” – Wednesday, November 28 at 10 am AKST Eastern with Barbara Heller, Director and Conservator of Special Projects, Detroit Institute of Arts

Registration is not required to participate in these live chat events. Simply go to the C2C Online Community Meeting Room (http://www.connectingtocollections.org/meeting/) and provide your name and location.

 Digital Curation Resource Guide Created

This resource guide presents over 200 selected English-language websites and documents that are useful in understanding and conducting digital curation. It covers academic programs, discussion lists and groups, glossaries, file formats and guidelines, metadata standards and vocabularies, models, organizations, policies, research data management, serials and blogs, services and vendor software, software and tools, and training. It is available under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.

The Digital Curation Resource Guide complements the Digital Curation Bibliography: Preservation and Stewardship of Scholarly Works, which was released in June.  http://digital-scholarship.org/dcpb/dcb.htm

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Intern Report

Kaleigh Paré, Masters student in Museums Studies at the Harvard University Extension School, interned this past summer at the Pioneer Air Museum in Fairbanks. 

My first project upon arrival at the Pioneer Air Museum was to determine what from its 2011 Museum Assessment had been accomplished already and what still needed to be done. I spoke with both the Director and the Secretary of the Board and made notes accordingly in my copy of the report. From there I began to research and write a Mission Statement, a Collections Policy, an Integrated Pest Management Plan, and a Code of Ethics. During the June board meeting, I presented my plans for the summer to the Governing Board and collected their email addresses so that I could send them the policies I wrote for approval.

In addition to writing administrative documents, my other major project was working with PastPerfect. After I loaded the database onto the desktop computer, I instructed certain members of the staff in how to use the program as well as basic cataloging. We also participated in an official PastPerfect online training program. This included the Director, two of the younger staff, me, and a board member from the Tanana Railroad Museum, from across Pioneer Park. During the July board meeting I briefly showed the board members how to use PastPerfect as well.

Finally, I spent most of the last few weeks spread out on the floor of the office going through the boxes and folders of donor information that do exist for the museum. I tried to pull out what I could on recognizable objects. However, donations such as engines I had more difficultly with since I do not possess the knowledge to differentiate between all the different types of engines in the collection. I spoke with the Director about this and he noted that he would be able to identify them and with the help of some of the younger staff, enter the catalog information into PastPerfect. Therefore, I cataloged what I could and established a tripartite accession system (with year and FIC number for those objects found in the collection), as well as file folders for the individual objects’ paperwork. I ordered archival tags for labeling the objects with their object IDs but they had not come in the mail by the time I was due to leave. As a result, I left in my notes  instructions to number and attach the tags to the objects already cataloged, as soon as the tags arrive.

As in my concluding notes for the Board President and Director, I listed what I accomplished and  my list to the next intern of projects I would have undertaken had I had the time – the purchase of supplies such as gloves and archival tags which would be helpful when budgets permit, instructions for continuing the cataloging over the winter, and book and web resources they may find helpful. I put this together with a binder of the documents. All of the documents were also saved to the desktop so that they may be edited in the future.

I hope this gets the PioneerAirMuseum off to a good start. I had an amazing summer and I know I will be back to visit!

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 Professional Time Wasting on the Web

LEGOs save Egyptian Mummy

http://www.itv.com/news/anglia/update/2012-09-08/museum-restores-mummy-using-lego

Elderly woman destroys 19^th century fresco with DIY restoration

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/art/9491391/Elderly-woman-destroys-19th-century-fresco-with-DIY-restoration.html

The Horse that went outside

http://youtu.be/CtAyZYZyVfw

Demo how to write in hieroglyphics

http://oi.uchicago.edu/museum/special/writing/

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Contents:

Portable XRF arrives at the Alaska State Museum

As many of you may have heard, the Alaska State Museum was able to purchase a Bruker Portable X-Ray Fluorescent Analyzer through a generous grant from the Rasmuson Foundation.  For some background leading up to the purchase you may want to read Ellen Carrlee’s blog posting on the subject.   http://ellencarrlee.wordpress.com/2011/11/18/xrf-why-should-we-get-one/.

Portable XRF Unit in Lab

You may be wondering what this instrument can do for Alaskan museums.  This unit (which is being used at more than a hundred museums worldwide) rapidly identifies elements that compose objects or materials that are on the surface of objects.  This non-destructive analysis does not harm the object in any way.  The results can help identify the components of natural and cultural artifacts which can lead to proper attribution, dating, interpretation of meaning, as well as understanding technological processes, deterioration, and contamination.  One of its most important functions will be to identify pesticide residues on museum objects.  In the past, many museums applied pesticides such as arsenic, mercury and bromine compounds in a well-meaning attempt to protect artifacts from insect damage.  Although this is no longer a practice today, there is still a legacy of pesticide residue on museum objects that presents a danger for museum staff and patrons.  These types of residues are difficult and time-consuming to identify with other types of analyses.  This problem becomes especially acute when museum artifacts are repatriated to Alaska Native cultural centers and are used in ceremonies.  Use of taxidermy specimens in public programs is another realm where past pesticide contamination has been problematic for Alaskan museums.

So how does it work?  As with most things in physics, it’s complicated.  There are some good web resources that explain the science behind the technique.   A great website is http://www.learnxrf.com/.  The portable XRF shoots a small, controlled beam of x-rays at an object.   The x-ray knocks an electron out of its orbital.  When an electron from a higher orbital drops down to replace the missing electron it is going from a state of higher energy to a state of lower energy.  By doing so it emits energy at a characteristic wavelength for that specific element.

The XRF analyzer records this energy and displays it on a computer graph.  The XRF works especially well at identifying heavier elements with more electrons. These materials include metals, minerals, and glass.

Having the power to identify materials not only reveals new data for interpretation, but opens new possibilities for questions to ask.  It provides museums and cultural centers with a fresh way to connect science to history, culture, and collections.  The XRF unit is part of the outreach services provided by Alaska State Museum to all non-profit museums and cultural centers in the state.  This robust, durable portable XRF unit is designed for use in the field and fits into a small case for easy travel.  Three mechanisms for delivery include: (1) Part of the frequent on-site consultation services performed by Scott Carrlee, the ASM Curator of Museum Services (2) Samples could be sent to the Alaska State Museum for analysis (3) The unit could be loaned to institutions where staff have the appropriate training.    One Alaskan cultural entity has already taken advantage of a professional site visit to incorporate the XRF into a public program.  This was reported on in the previous ASM Bulletin http://museumbulletin.wordpress.com/2012/07/18/alaska-state-museums-bulletin-54/#4

There will be two sessions at the Museums Alaska conference in Sitka in October that will be dedicated to learning about the XRF.   Bruce Kaiser, the Bruker chief scientist for museums and universities, will present a full day workshop on October 10^th and on Friday October 12^th there will be a session that examines how the XRF is being used in Alaskan Museums today.  If you are interested you should be sure to sign up for one or both sessions.  You can find out more about them at the conference website.   http://museumsalaska.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/ma-session-preview.pdf

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Ask ASM

Question:  We have caught a few mice in our museum.  What are your thoughts on a resident cat?  Do any other institutions you know of utilize such methodology?

ASM:  There are occasionally institutions that have cats and defend their use against the professional majority who say they are inappropriate.  Typically these are semi-outdoor institutions like historic farms or railroad museums.  Occasionally a historic house museum will have one, but it is in violation of museum best practices.  A museum that had a resident cat, for example, would not be likely to achieve accreditation.  Our museum would not likely approve loans to a museum that had a resident cat.  Every few years the topic comes up on a listserve I subscribe to, and the arguments against cats usually include:

• allergies, including residual allergens after the cat left
• urination/ territory marking/ spraying
• scratching
• illness
• hairballs
• fur and dander pollutants
• fleas, fur, dander as food source for bad bugs
• tripping hazard
• aggression/ biting humans
• phobias
• liability
• unprofessional environs
• interacting negatively with legal service animals
• leaving dead mice and birds
• food and water needed for cat attract bugs and pests
• no guarantee cat will be an effective mouser

So on the whole I would say that the negatives outweigh any possible benefits of having a cat on the premises.  You are better off using mousetraps to get rid of the problem.

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Shaking the Money Tree

Applications for the 2013 Conservation Assessment Program (CAP) will be available October 1, 2012.The postmark deadline for applications is Monday, December 3, 2012. To be added to the CAP application mailing list or for more information, email the CAP staff or call 202-233-0800. Learn more about CAP here:

http://www.heritagepreservation.org/CAP/index.html?utm_source=Update+e-Newsletter&utm_campaign=d51b29301c-Update+Summer+2012&utm_medium=email

Legislative updates:

In draft legislation, the House Appropriations Subcommittee recommends a $227.317 million budget for the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) for the 2013 fiscal year. If enacted, it would represent an approximate 2% reduction from IMLS’s FY 2012 appropriation. The House of Representatives report that accompanies recommended legislation is not yet available.

The Senate Subcommittee has recommended the same amount requested by IMLS for Fiscal Year 2013. It approved IMLS’s consolidation of the Conservation Project Support program with the Museums for America program. For more, including a possible January 15, 2013 deadline see Heritage Hotline.

The House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee recommended a $132 million budget for both the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the National Endowments for the Arts (NEA) for the 2013 fiscal year. This is a 9.6% cut from 2012. No funds were allocated for Save America’s Treasures. More information is also available at Heritage Hotline

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Spotlight on Grant in Aid

Seward Museum Moves Forward with Move

Immediately, upon receiving news that their grant request for professional assistance with planning and preparing their collection to move to a new facility had been granted, the Seward Museum began coordinating with Angela Demma, cultural resources consultant. Angela went to Seward in October 2011 to become familiar with the museum collection and make plans for the volunteer training.

The week of February 27–March 2 was chosen as the week to configure the packing area, train staff and volunteers, and initiate the program. Library museum staff began ordering supplies, materials and equipment as listed in the grant application. In preparing the grant request, staff had developed a list of volunteers willing to become trained in packing techniques. Although the original plan called for a week-long training for all, cooler heads prevailed. They identified “experts” (staff and local hard core volunteers) and “crew” those who were new recruits and/or unfamiliar with the collection. Once the training was completed the crew would be assigned to work with at least one expert, thus insuring that someone was familiar with the museum and there would be continuity in the process. Angela spent 1 ½ days with the experts configuring work space and becoming familiar with the equipment and procedures. Everyone participated in Angela’s training session, entitled “Seward Museum: Handling, Packing and Moving Resources,” after the training schedules were set and the work began.

As of June 30 there have been 437 items packed and ready for the journey to their new home. The grant funds paid for the materials and equipment to prepare the collection for the move. However, the greatest benefit to the community has come from the number of people who are now involved with the museum. Eighteen people have been trained to handle the collection, and almost 400 hours of volunteer time has been put in for packing. The opportunity to help with the move has enabled them to learn about the collection and the rich and exciting local history. Most importantly, these people have developed a relationship with the museum that will be nurtured.

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ASM on the Road

Houston We have a Problem!

Ellen Carrlee goes to the Johnson Space Center

In July, I had the opportunity to visit NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.  Generally, school groups and the public visit Space Center Houston , but I had the opportunity to join a VIP tour (similar to their “Level 9 Tour” mentioned on the website) given to foreign dignitaries, politicians and celebrities.  For the sake of those colleagues whose passion for space exploration dwarfs mine, I diligently documented the experience.

Click on any image below to view as a slide show.

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Alaska Museums in the News

Alaska philanthropist Mary Louise Rasmuson dies at age 101

Besides the foundation, Rasmuson extended her personal philanthropy to institutions like the Anchorage Museum and the Alaska Native Heritage Center, an educational and cultural center in Anchorage

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/obituaries/alaska-philanthropist-mary-louise-rasmuson-dies-at-age-101/2012/07/31/gJQAqmWtNX_story.htmlg

A new short film – Tsimshian Ceremony and Celebration – from the Living Our Cultures exhibition, of the Artic Studies Center

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKeWHBrCNto&feature=plcp

The Kodiak Maritime Museum to Use Guide by Cell’s Audio Tour Service for “When Crab Was King: Faces” Exhibit.

http://www.melodika.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=335219&Itemid=54

University of Alaska Museum of the North’s curator wanted to create an exhibit where museum visitors can learn about what goes into the process of making the works on display, as well as seeing the finished products.
http://www.newsminer.com/view/full_story/18545526/article-Making-art–University-of-Alaska-Museum-exhibit-focuses-on-the-creative-process?instance=home_features_lead_story1
Amos Wallace collection donated to Walter Soboleff Center
http://juneauempire.com/art/2012-07-12/amos-wallace-collection-donated-walter-soboleff-center

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Professional Development/Training Opportunities

NEDCC

The Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) is offering a number of inexpensive webinars this fall.  Topics such as care of photographs and prints or digital curation may be of interest to Alaskan museums.  To find out more go to their website here:  http://www.nedcc.org/education/training.calendar.php#group

Museumwise

Museumwise is pleased to offer a slate of Collections Care and Preservation Online courses that provide basic, practical training at a low fee (starting at only $65!) Our 4-week mini courses are designed for staff, volunteers, board members, and interns at small to mid-sized museums. Courses can be taken at your own pace, with 2-3 hours of work time per week to be completed at your convenience. The courses also offer interaction with qualified instructors and assignments are based on your own collections.

Courses to be offered starting September 2012 include:

4-week NEW Care and Handling of Costumes and Textiles

6-week Collections Management 101

Courses to be offered starting February 2013 are:

Introduction to Reformatting

Climate Control for Small Institutions

Conservation and Preservation of Photographs and Albums

Basic Preservation, Care & Handling of Paper Based Materials
For more information or to register for these courses visit: http://www.museumwise.org/services/online-courses

Questions? Email me (stephanie@museumwise.org) or call 800.895.1648

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Intern Report

Sarah Cloutier who is working on her Masters in Art History with a concentration in Museum Studies at the University of North Carolina Greensboro, interned at the American Bald Eagle Foundation in Haines AK.  Below is her report. 

During the 8 weeks I have spent in Haines at the American Bald Eagle Foundation and Natural History Museum I have become very familiar with the collection and the problems that needed to be taken care of so that they could work toward their goals of becoming an accredited museum. I had a lot of fun in the 8 weeks I spent there. Cheryl, Dave, and Dan were very helpful and supplied me with everything I needed in order to do my job.

I was able to enter all the taxidermy specimens, the sea life exhibition, and all the educational objects that are in view of the public into Past Perfect, as well as the geological exhibition. I was also able to write up a disaster preparedness plan which is located with the collections management plan.

I re-organized the geological display by numbering them and creating a guide for visitors to follow in order to identify all the rocks in the museum’s collection. In addition, I wrote up some more specimen labels that were missing and created a family exploration guide that I hope they will continue to use. I also went on two fieldtrips, to the Haines Ferry Terminal and the Malaspina to check on the specimens housed there. I was able to clean the specimens on the Malaspina and write up new labels for the display. The specimens at the Haines Ferry Terminal were inside a sealed display case and there was no available access to it.

Cleaning the specimens was very interesting and I have to say it was kind of fun. I have learned a lot about working in natural history museums and about the animals that are at the American Bald Eagle Foundation and found throughout the Chilkat Valley. This was a very rewarding experience and I truly enjoyed the work environment and I hope I was able to help them meet their goals. On Saturday I showed Cheryl how to use Past Perfect and she felt comfortable with it in order to keep up with the collection as new specimens come in. She knows that she can contact me if anything comes up that she needs assistance with.

I kept track of all my hours and I worked on average 40 hours a week with 320 hours completed. I hope this is what you were looking for and that it helps you to understand everything that I did while at the American Bald Eagle Foundation. If you have any further questions please let me know!

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Professional Time Wasting on the Web

An Artifact or a Payday?

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/22/sports/baseball/donors-seeking-to-monetize-memorabilia-put-museums-on-guard.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

Museums Are Already Social Enterprises

http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture-professionals-network/culture-professionals-blog/2012/jul/23/museums-social-enterprises-finance-development?newsfeed=true

A Little Loved Statue to be Exiled to a Brooklyn Cemetery

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/22/nyregion/civic-virtue-much-maligned-statue-may-be-moving-to-brooklyn-graveyard.html

At Getty Museum, Revelations of Art Via Tech

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13576_3-57481129-315/at-getty-museum-revelations-of-art-via-tech/

Native Americans Work to Revitalize California’s Indigenous Languages

http://oaklandnorth.net/2012/07/23/native-americans-work-to-revitalize-californias-indigenous-languages/

PEZ Museum Will Make You Flip Your Lid

http://www.californiareport.org/archive/R201207271630/c

Blog posting on interesting relationship between a museum and a family of dentists

http://collectionsconversations.wordpress.com/2012/07/31/cementing-relationships/

How the State House’s cultural treasures have vanished, piece by piece
http://thephoenix.com/boston/arts/141880-how-the-state-houses-cultural-treasures-have-vani/#ixzz22L3h90EG

Puget Sound orcas: Pollution, noise and loss of salmon leave their future uncertain

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090809/NEWS01/708099834/1005/BIZ

Lost, damaged: Questions remain about what happened to artworks donated to WSU

http://www.winonadailynews.com/news/local/article_9a383eaa-d3b5-11e1-9aa0-0019bb2963f4.html

The Curse of the Outcast Artifact

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/15/arts/design/antiquity-market-grapples-with-stricter-guidelines-for-gifts.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all