Category Archives: FAIC

FAIC’s Emergency Response & Salvage Wheel

Posted on by
Reply

The Foundation for Advancement in Conservation (FAIC) offers a tool to guide responders to an emergency that affects our cultural heritage. In case of an emergency, the most important action is to stabilize the artifacts to avoid further damage until they could be properly treated by a conservator.

A very useful tool to guide the first responders is the FAIC’s Emergency Response & Salvage Wheel. The two-sided-wheel lists on one side the steps of the emergency response, on the other side the appropriate action to stabilize 9 types of artifacts.

The cost is $10 ($5 if you buy 10 or more).
https://store.culturalheritage.org/site/index.php?app=ecom&ns=prodshow&ref=FAIC-1

Emergency Response & Salvage Wheel from FAIC website

After stabilizing the artifacts, do not attempt treatment. It is very important that you contact an experienced conservator.
For a list of Professional Associates and Fellows of the American Institute for Conservation, please visit:
https://www.culturalheritage.org/membership/find-a-conservator

Before pests become an emergency…

Posted on by
Reply

Two important websites to guide you in understanding how to prevent infestations or control and eliminate pests once they’ve unintentionally entered your collection.

  1. The MuseumPests Working Group was formed by collection managers, conservators, entomologists and other professionals for the implementation of integrated pest management in museums, libraries, archives, and other collection-holding institutions: https://museumpests.net/
    Main sections:

2.  What’s Eating Your Collection is a website by the Birmingham Museums and Art Gallery dedicated to integrated pest management with guidance to its implementation and to the identification of the insects that you may find with recommendations in case you need to take action.
http://www.whatseatingyourcollection.com/
(Note: this website requires Flash)

July 9 Free Webinar on HVAC

Posted on by
Reply

The Foundation for Advancement in Conservation (FAIC) is offering a series of webinars through its Connecting to Collection Care program.

On July 9, 2 – 3:30 pm (EDT) the topic will be temperature and humidity control through heating, ventilation and air conditioning.  If you are considering upgrading your system or would like to gain a better understanding of the parameters you can modify to optimize your existing system, follow the link for additional information and to register:

HVAC Installation, Renovation, and Collections Environments – An Introduction

Discussion will include an introduction to updates in the 2019 American Society for Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) Handbook – Applications, Chapter 24: Museums, Galleries, Archives, and Libraries.