Conservation nomenclature

This items is posted on behalf of Jenni Cole, AWM

    I have a comment to make about Conservation/conservators, as
    they are treated in Library of Congress Subject Headings, which
    you may like to pass on to the AIC.

    In LCSH if you look for Conservation you will find the main
    heading is Conservation of natural resources. There is also a
    series of references eg to  Sculpture--Conservation &
    restoration.  Conservation of cultural property is buried under
    headings like these; also Motion picture film--Preservation &
    storage; or  Cultural property, protection of;  etc. The only
    heading for conservators is a reference to a legal usage. There
    is no identifiable grouping which gathers these disparate terms
    together is a way which says - this is what conservators are
    about. I don't believe L of C has no books about
    conservators--it's just that until now there has been no demand
    for a heading (or LC has ignored it).  The AIC may have enough
    clout in the US to be able to create this demand. It is up to
    conservators to improve / enlarge their public image so they
    (you) will be more widely recognised as a group with valuable
    contributions to make to cultural heritage.

    Best of British (or Yankee?)
    Jenni C.

David Hallam
Senior Conservator of Objects
John Treloar Centre for Conservation Science
Australian War Memorial
PO Box 345 Canberra City
ACT 2601 Australia
+61 6 243 4534
Fax: +61 6 241 7998

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 8:85
                  Distributed: Sunday, April 23, 1995
                        Message Id: cdl-8-85-003
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