Handling Guide for Non-Conservators

A handbook for non-conservators working in museums has just been
published by the Western Association for Art Conservation (WAAC). It
presents guidelines for the proper handling of objects in cultural
history and natural history collections.

The guide is ideal for distribution to museum staff, researchers,
docents, volunteers, visitors, or students who are working with
collections but have not received training in contemporary practices for
handling museum artifacts.

The 41-page paperbound booklet was written by The Arizona State
University's conservator, Nancy Odegaard, and illustrated with humorous
cartoons by conservation technician Grace Katterman. Each page has a
paragraph of text and a bold cartoon that reinforces the message. Topics
include working in storage rooms, eating and smoking, using two hands,
dealing with accidents, examination and note taking, photography,
discovery of insects or mold, moving collection objects, personal health
risks, special handling considerations for different kinds of artifacts
such as glass, photographs, musical instruments and metals, and more.

"A Guide to Handling Anthropological Museum Collections" and the Spanish
translation, "Guia para el manejo de colecciones antropologicas de
museos," costs $8.95 per copy; 10 or more $6.60 each (shipping outside
USA extra). Make checks to "WAAC" and place order with Nancy Odegaard,
Arizona State Museum Conservation Dept., The University of Arizona,
Tucson, AZ 85721 USA.

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 6:11
                   Distributed: Sunday, July 26, 1992
                        Message Id: cdl-6-11-001
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