Results of survey on digital technology for conservation documentation

Digital Technologies and the Management of Conservation
    Documentation

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation announces the release of the final
report, based on a 2008 online survey of conservation practitioners
worldwide, undertaken to better understand the range of current
conservation documentation practices as well as to uncover promising
new methodologies and widely shared needs for the use of digital
technology in the field.

The survey examined the growth in use of digital text and digital
images, of collection management systems, and of other commercial
and non-commercial solutions.

In addition to creating a snapshot of current information management
practices among conservators and conservation scientists, the report
shows that while the majority is using digital documentation to some
degree, the level of satisfaction with the systems currently in use
varies a great deal. The most successful are characterized by
flexible design, significant design input from conservators and
scientists, strong technical support, and dedicated funding and
staffing.

The survey and report are one component of a Mellon Foundation
initiative, conducted by the Museums and Art Conservation (MAC)
program, assessing the opportunities, challenges and implications of
managing and providing access to digital conservation documentation.

The report and other related materials can be found on the "Issues
in Conservation Documentation" pages of the MAC program's website,
at

  <URL:http://mac.mellon.org/issues-in-conservation-documentation>


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                  Conservation DistList Instance 23:2
                  Distributed: Thursday, May 28, 2009
                        Message Id: cdl-23-2-008
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