Sharing knowledge

Niccolo Caldararo <caldararo [at] aol__com> writes

>About 30 years ago Robert Organ proposed an venue for conservators
>to share their work.  He called it the National Institute for
>Conservation.  This institute would preserve all the treatments of
>conservators the world over as a resource to present and future
>conservators.  ...
>...

I think it has to be considered that 30 years after Organ's
proposal for sharing knowledge in conservation we are still in need
of a dedicated site where one can find the full text publications,
and reports--with related illustrative materials--upon which
generally rely the accuracy and the scientific value of the
publication--and which gives an opportunity to a public discussion
with the author.

The Web in fact offers many opportunities to obtain information on a
particular conservation topic--the DistList being among the most
valuable tools in the informative system about conservation--but
most of the web conservation resources are limited when it comes to
providing illustrated argumentations within a discussion.

Palliative solutions are sharing materials in the cloud and
electronic mailings. They certainly reduce the audience, since they
are not within the offered online functionalities, but have the
advantage of preserving, somewhat, confidentiality and copyright.

I tried to gather information on the site N. Caldararo referred to.
Apparently it has existed since 2008 and has about 3 million
subscribers.  I could not enter the site to learn about its
functionalities; it is apparently dependent on a subscription that
is given mainly to researchers working for approved institutions(?).

But as presented by N. Caldararo subsequent funding having been
obtained for this interesting web site, it will integrate
conservation of cultural heritage within a multidisciplinary
information system.  This may provide benefit to the field of
conservation if uploading material respects some rules.  Keep in
mind that one should not initiate a deadly competition with
publication on paper; that should evidently remain the only source
reference.

Slim Khosrof


                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 27:5
                 Distributed: Wednesday, July 10, 2013
                        Message Id: cdl-27-5-005
                                  ***