Online course on cleaning

Time Sensitive Northern States Conservation Center announces an
online course for the start of 2009:

MS 217: Museum Cleaning Basics
Instructor: Gretchen Anderson
Dates: January 5 through February 14, 2009
Price: $425
Location:  <URL:http://www.museumclasses.org>

Cobwebs in the gallery, dust on the dinosaur skeleton, mice in
storage--a dirty museum results in poor visitor experience and poor
collections preservation. In a museum, cleanliness really is next to
godliness. Museum Cleaning Basics explores everything you need to
know about cleaning your collections. Participants learn when to
clean--and when not to clean. They also learn how to make those
decisions. Topics range from basic housekeeping to specific
techniques for specific objects. You will learn why cleaning is
important and how to prevent damage when cleaning. We will look at
specific techniques that minimize damage while getting the work
done. And we will discuss when to call in a specialist, such as a
conservator. Students will create a housekeeping manual for their
institution.

Course Outline:

    Introduction
    Agents of Deterioration
    Health and safety for the object and for you
    Equipment and supplies
    Cleaning techniques
    Documentation
    Spring Cleaning: Housekeeping Manual
    Conclusion

Logistics: Participants in Museum Cleaning Basics work through
sections at their own pace. Instructor Gretchen Anderson is
available for scheduled email support. Materials and resources
include online literature, slide lectures and dialog between
students and online chats led by the instructor. The course is
limited to 20 participants.

Museum Cleaning Basics runs four weeks. To reserve a spot in the
course, please pay at

    <URL:http://www.collectioncare.org/tas/tas.html>

If you have trouble, please contact

    Helen Alten <helen<-a t->collectioncare< . >org> or
    Eric Swanson <eric<-a t->museumclasses< . >org>

The Instructor:

    Gretchen Anderson, Objects conservator Gretchen Anderson learned
    her craft at the American Museum of Natural History, the
    Smithsonian's Conservation Analytical Lab, the Canadian
    Conservation Institute, Getty Conservation Lab, the Los Angeles
    County Museum of Art, and the Minnesota Historical Society. She
    established the conservation department at the Science Museum of
    Minnesota in 1989. She is the co-author of A Holistic Approach
    to Museum Pest Management, a technical leaflet for the American
    Association for State and Local History and established a
    rigorous IPM program for the Science Museum. Ms. Anderson is a
    member of the American Institute for Conservation and the
    Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections. She
    lectures and presents workshops on preventive conservation, IPM,
    cleaning in museums, and practical methods and materials for
    storage of collections.


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 22:37
                 Distributed: Friday, December 19, 2008
                       Message Id: cdl-22-37-023
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