Conference on conservation science funded

Conference to address Conservation Science for Libraries and
Archives

The Johns Hopkins Sheridan Libraries have been awarded $61,200 from
the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to convene a conference of
internationally recognized conservators and applied research
scientists to identify the most pressing conservation science issues
facing book and paper collections in U.S. libraries and archives.

Sophia Jordan-Mowery, the libraries' Joseph Ruzicka and Marie
Ruzicka Feldmann Director of Library Preservation, and Nels Olson,
an analytical chemist and former chief of the Preservation Research
and Testing Division at the Library of Congress, will co-chair the
conference, which will be held at Johns Hopkins on April 28-29.

   "Our nation's libraries and archives continue to provide access
    to rich book and paper collections," Jordan-Mowery said.
    "As such, preservation and conservation remain core
    responsibilities. While conservators and scientists have
    partnered on an ad-hoc basis to provide critical skills and
    techniques to address deterioration as well as an understanding
    of how materials age, a more programmatic approach is needed in
    order to advance the conservation science associated with book
    and paper collections."

   "We need to bring conservators, scientists, industry and the
    academic community together to identify, prioritize and develop
    sound, affordable strategies for the care of the nation's
    cultural heritage materials in book and paper format," she said.

The 24 experts invited to participate include senior conservators,
scientists from academic institutions and industry, from the United
States and Europe.

   "The Sheridan Libraries are well-positioned to launch the
    discussion of a national conservation science research agenda,"
    said Winston Tabb, Sheridan Dean of University Libraries at
    Johns Hopkins. "The libraries' conservation program has
    distinguished itself from others since its inception in the
    mid-1970s by providing ongoing apprenticeships and internships."

   "More than 600 individuals have been trained in the
    program--including bookbinders, conservators, and preservation
    administrators--many of whom continue to serve in some capacity
    in our nation's libraries and archives," Tabb said. "The
    university's highly regarded engineering program and its
    emphasis on research provide an ideal environment for exploring
    new strategic partnerships of the kind this conference is
    designed to stimulate."

Similar interdisciplinary and inter-institutional models for the
advancement of conservation science research already exist in the
United Kingdom and have been quite successful.

   "We are delighted to take the lead in developing comparable
    programs in the United States," Jordan-Mowery said.

   "At the conclusion of the conference a detailed set of specific
    proposals--directed to conservators, scientists, industry, and
    academic research programs in allied areas--will be advanced to
    address the research/development activities needed to conserve
    our nation's book and paper materials," she said.

Sonja K. Jordan-Mowery
Joseph Ruzicka and Marie Ruzicka Feldmann
Director of Library Preservation
The Sheridan Libraries
Johns Hopkins University
3400 N. Charles St.
Baltimore, MD 21218
410-516-4383


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 21:51
                 Distributed: Saturday, March 29, 2008
                       Message Id: cdl-21-51-001
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