Conservation for Archivists Training Day (ARA SW Region)
Monday 6 November, Gloucestershire Heritage Hub/ Dunrossil Centre
Contact: southwest@archives.org.uk
10:00 am – 15:00pm
This day is designed for lone-archivists and volunteers with little or no conservation training. It consists of a practical hands-on workshop, a tour of Gloucestershire Archives stores and a 'Conservation Question Time panel' - a chance to bring your tricky problems to the experts! Please note that while there is a charge to attend in person, it is possible to attend the panel and South West regional meeting virtually for free.
Costs
Conservation for Archivists day - £10 ARA members
Conservation for Archivists day - £15 non-members
Conservation Question Time in partnership with Section for Archives and Museums (SAM). Virtual attendance only from 14:00 – 15:00 – free
South West regional meeting - free
Please book through Eventbrite:
More details:
Practical hands-on in person training with Cath Nichols:
What will I learn?
The session is designed to give an introduction to what conservation is and what it means to an archivist, taking into account the constraints of budget, staffing and spaces used.
Topics covered:
• What conservation is – people’s understanding of the term and definitions, explaining the difference between preventive and interpretative conservation
• Causes of deterioration of collections in archives including mixed materials
• An archivist’s role in preventive conservation – what to look out for and how to deal with it.
• Preservation on a budget – Making the most of what you already have!
• Using repository space to its full potential – what to think about when organising your collections
• Guidelines – what they should be and who should be using them
• The glove debate – the different types of gloves and what they should be used for
Attendees will -
• Be able to explain the difference between the two types of conservation and when each of them are appropriate.
• Be able to spot certain kinds of degradation and know what course of action to take
• Be able to return to their archives and reassess their repositories if appropriate
• Be able to provide handling guidelines for reading room researchers and repository staff
• Be able to identify materials and know which gloves to wear…..or not
Activities
The training will be delivered using Powerpoint, with images and examples. Attendees will also be given a ‘space plan’ activity to have a go at. This will give you a chance to contemplate what is important when deciding where to store collections. Examples of items suffering from damage will also be brought along to the session, to help demonstrate some of the issues that archivist face.
This training session will be followed by a tour of the building, in particular strong rooms passive environmental controls with conservators, Rachel Wales and Ann Attwood. (Gloucestershire Archive Conservators).
In the afternoon, a 'Conservation Question Time' panel will be held in partnership with SAM - this is a chance to ask those little troublesome questions you were afraid to ask. If you can, please email in photographs and questions before hand to: southwest@archives.org.uk
Lastly, the day will finish with the ARA South West regional meeting - a chance to hear from the committee and from fellow archivists from across the region. This session can be attended virtually.
Refreshments will be provided. Please note that lunch is not provided, however there will be space to eat a packed lunch and various cafes are available within walking distance.