Modern organic materials

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I am currently undertaking an internship with Nottingham City
Museums, England (funded by the Conservation Unit of the Museums &
Galleries Commission). One of my projects involves looking at the
way in which museums are tackling the problems of the relative
instability of many plastics and rubbers.  As objects manufactured
in whole or in part from modern organic materials are forming an
increasingly larger part of museum collections, the need to address
the multitude of problems associated with their care & conservation
is becoming more pressing.

Information from museums who are actively addressing this by various
means would be very much appreciated.  This could for example
include the creation of special storage conditions, documenting the
presence of these materials in collections using a variety of
techniques or the preservation of information by other means, before
the object is lost.

I am particularly interested in assessing whether it's practicable
for a museum with a varied but small collection of objects
comprising modern organics and with limited resources, to introduce
dedicated housing/storage for these materials.  Also, I hope to
formulate guidelines for the documentation and conservation of these
objects within the collections held by Nottingham City Museums and I
would like to hear from any museum, regardless of size or funding if
they are trying to address this problem.

Libby Finney
Conservation Intern
Nottingham City Museums & Art Galleries
+44 115 935 0659

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 10:73
                Distributed: Tuesday, February 18, 1997
                       Message Id: cdl-10-73-011
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