Library of Congress Topics in Preservation Series (TOPS)

The Preservation Directorate of the Library of Congress announces
the 39th presentation in the Topics in Preservation Series (TOPS):

"Conservation of the Gandhara Scroll: A Successful Collaboration"
Pickford Theater, Madison Building 3rd floor
Library of Congress
101 Independence Avenue SE
Washington DC 20540

Wednesday, February 11, 2009
10:30-11:30 am

Holly Krueger, of the Library of Congress Conservation Division,
will discuss a uniquely challenging recent project: the unrolling
and stabilization of a birch bark scroll dating from the first
century A.D. The Gandhara scroll is one of several manuscripts
recently unearthed in Afghanistan, and is among the oldest known
Buddhist writings. The scroll is among the most fragile objects ever
encountered by the Library's conservators, as its long burial has
altered the physical properties of the cellulose of the support.
Consultation with colleagues at the British Library ultimately led
to an informative collaboration and a successful treatment for the
scroll.

The Topics in Preservation Series lectures are free and open to the public.
Upcoming presentations include:

    February 20, 2009
    Dr. Angela Geary,
    Haptic Virtual Reality Simulation Training for Conservation

    March 5, 2009
    Ms. Adrianne Lundgren
    The Conservation and Preservation of Nineteenth-Century
    Photographic Materials

    March 19, 2009
    Mr. Frank Abagnale
    The Art of the Steal (Identification of Forgeries)

For further details and updated information about the series, please
visit

    <URL:http://www.loc.gov/preserv/tops/schedule.html>

Diane Vogt-O'Connor
Chief, Conservation Division
Library of Congress
101 Independence Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20540-4560
202-707-6597
Fax: 202-707-1525


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 22:45
                Distributed: Tuesday, February 10, 2009
                       Message Id: cdl-22-45-003
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