Collections Care Supervising Conservator

Collections Care Supervising Conservator

New York Public Library, United States

Job location: Long Island City, NY, USA

More info: URL

Description
Overview:

Within the New York Public Library’s Barbara Goldsmith Preservation Division, the Collections Care unit is responsible for treatment, repair, and stabilization of general collections in various formats; creation of protective enclosures and housings; deacidification; collection surveys; integrated pest management; emergency preparedness and response, including mold remediation; and promotion of preservation policies and standards. The unit is batch production oriented, and provides a high volume of quality deliverables. The program’s development and outreach activities align with the Preservation Division’s efforts to safeguard the Library’s collections and support the Library’s strategic priorities for widespread and ongoing physical and digital access. Continue reading…

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The purple Codex Rossanensis: spectroscopic characterization and first evidence of the use of the elderberry lake in a 6th century manuscript

I pre-print dell'intervento di ieri alla'Accademia dei Lincei di Marina Bicchieri sono già disponibili on line sul sito della Cornell University.



[1404.6414] The purple Codex Rossanensis: spectroscopic characterization and first evidence of the use of the elderberry lake in a 6th century manuscript: "The purple Codex Rossanensis: spectroscopic characterization and first evidence of the use of the elderberry lake in a 6th century manuscript

Marina Bicchieri
(Submitted on 25 Apr 2014)
The Codex Rossanensis is a 6th century Bizantine illuminated manuscript written on purple parchment and conserved at the Museo Diocesano in Rossano Calabro, Italy. It is one of the oldest surviving illuminated manuscripts of the New Testament. The challenge of the analysis of the Codex Rossanensis lies in the lack of analytical information on the pictorial media used in the Early Middle Ages. Even though old-medieval illuminated manuscripts have been deeply studied from the historical standpoint, they have been rarely described in their material composition. This paper presents the results obtained during the measurements campaign (June 2012 - November 2013). The spectroscopic analyses performed by Raman, micro-FTIR and XRF allowed for the complete characterization of the pictorial palette, the inks, the support and the material used in a previous restoration treatment. To the author knowledge the article shows the first experimental evidence of the usage of the elderberry lake in a 6th century illuminated manuscript."



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The San Gemini Conservation and History of Book Structures Course – a teacher’s view by Flavio Marzo | International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works

The San Gemini Conservation and History of Book Structures Course – a teacher’s view by Flavio Marzo | International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works:

The San Gemini Conservation and History of Book Structures Course – a teacher’s view by Flavio Marzo

Submitted by Barbara Borghese on 17 Apr 2014

San Gemini Preservation Studies is a summer field school that organises lectures, research, fieldwork, workshops and fieldtrips in the disciplines of historic preservation, restoration and conservation. It is located in central Italy, in the city of San Gemini in Umbria. Flavio Marzo, tutor of one of the courses, talks about his teaching experience

The programme is the result of the collaboration between scholars from various international universities, institutions and local preservation groups, fostering a multidisciplinary approach to historic preservation. All the academic activities are run in English.
In 2013, a new course on the history of book structures and their conservation was added to the curriculum in order to complement the one already existing focusing on the conservation of art on paper.
I was the tutor of the course - I am a book conservation manager at the British Library and have been working in London since 2005 having moved from Italy where I graduated in book and paper conservation.
I have been teaching book conservation and running workshops since 2006, and in 2011 I was approached by Max Cardillo, Director of the San Gemini Preservation Studies Programme, who offered me the opportunity to start a new course on history of book structures and their conservation/restoration.
It was obviously an extremely interesting and flattering offer but also a very challenging one. Teaching is complex, especially without a ‘proper’ academic background; teaching conservation is even more complicated because you have to be able to create a successful and appropriate balance between theory and practical exercises most of all make it reach a professional standard.

My past teaching experiences focussed on organising short workshops customised for professionals interested in practising specific historical bookbinding techniques; the course I was asked to prepare for the San Gemini School was a month-long introduction to the conservation and history of book structures, a very different proposition altogether!
The first year being now over, I can say that, after receiving feedback from my students that the challenge was quite successfully overtaken.
The aim of the course is to offer people from different backgrounds an exhaustive overview of what book conservation and book history.
One month can be a very short time when you’re trying to condense information that could easily fill a three year course with, so what I decided to do was to collect as much material as possible from my past professional experiences and to organise it in a way that was meaningful to and understandable by students with different level of expertise and backgrounds.
I believe that a good balance between theory and practice is essential if you want to gain a real understanding of book structures. The physicality of books is still perceived as a secondary feature; for many institutions it is not yet a priority to provide training on conservation and preservation issues.
Therefore I organised the classes in the mornings of presentations about the history of the book and the theory of restoration/conservation and afternoons of practical workshops.
Morning theoretical sessions were supported by video and audio material specifically prepared for the course
Luckily in 20 my year’s career I have been able to collect a vast amount of material and documentation comprising of interesting case studies from the various collections I have been working on (Italy, UK, Greece, and Egypt). This has been the source from where I collected and organised the material that I have decided to share with my students. There is a lot that can be taught from literature but many of the things I talk about come from my personal working experience.
The course has been structured to cover the history of the codex from its appearance in the western world up to modern times. The majority of the material used has western roots but I also included material on eastern and Islamic traditions.
The first weeks were spent mostly on the history of western book structures and the production of facsimiles of historical sewing structures.
The use of different materials and techniques and their impact on the final result were examined and discussed along the way, including the making of dummies and the comparison with known available literature sources.

In this first year we were able to create four different facsimiles of historical sewing structures up to their full coverings and decoration.
It was a real challenge and I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the amazing commitment of my students and the quality of the final results. On top of the practical sessions that included the making of the

facsimiles, the course gave us the opportunity to work in the local historical archive, where an absolutely amazing historical collection of manuscripts and printed books is kept and preserved.
Working on originals consisted of preparing detailed condition and structural assessments of some of the most interesting pieces housed in the archive. Those items were analysed and possible conservation treatments proposals were drawn up.
This exercise proved extremely useful because it gave the students the opportunity to work along with professional conservators while also providing the chance to observe and study original material and their physical features, practiced previously on the facsimiles (some of the manuscripts in the collection date back to the XIV century).
After the assessment different kind of protective enclosures for library and archive material were created by the students, some to be kept with their own facsimiles and other, prepared with archival material, to be used for the housing of the original manuscripts previously analysed.
Along with the visits to the local archive, all the different aspects of preventive and non-invasive conservation techniques were presented to the students through presentations and discussions. Environmental control practices, minimal and in-situ interventive techniques, re-housing solutions and pest control monitoring exercises were described and discussed with the students during the morning sessions.
Preventive conservation trainings, focussing on handling techniques, together with the theory of workflows optimisation in libraries, were also topics covered during the last two weeks.
An on-going digitisation project involving the local archive collection has also provided the opportunity for the students to develop and apply some tools on how to mitigate possible risks associated with digitisation processes.
Together with my own month-long contribution to the course, other colleagues from British and Italian institutions were brought in to share their experiences and to teach specific topics like parchment conservation and box-making techniques.
At the end of the month, a visit to the Vatican Library conservation studio was organised. This trip gave the students the opportunity to speak to other book conservators in their working environment and to visit a fully equipped professional book, paper and parchment conservation studio.

I am obviously very happy about my experience but I am even more satisfied as a result of the feedback I received from my students.
The heterogeneous background of the students from emerging professionals to seasoned practitioners created an atmosphere filled with very different expectations.
Regardless of backgrounds and expectations, everyone was able to gain a new perspective on library and archival material and gained new knowledge that was relevant for their own specific needs.
Some of the students will decide to join the conservation profession, other will use what they have learned to care for the collections they are responsible for, and some will simply add a new skill to their academic curricula.
However the aim of the course was not to form fully trained book conservators but simply to change the perception of books and their physicality and give an understanding of what it’s involved in caring for them. I hope and believe that we achieved that aim.

For more information about the courses and how to book for future sessions go tohttp://sangeministudies.info

All images used in this article are courtesy of Flavio Marzo, all rights reserved

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L’IMPIEGO DELL’HANJI, LA CARTA DI GELSO COREANA WORKSHOP SULLA CONSERVAZIONE DELLA CARTA Biblioteca Trivulziana e Laboratorio di Restauro Castello Sforzesco, Milano 5-6 giugno 2014

 

L’IMPIEGO DELL’HANJI, LA CARTA DI GELSO COREANA

WORKSHOP SULLA CONSERVAZIONE DELLA CARTA

Biblioteca Trivulziana e Laboratorio di Restauro

Castello Sforzesco, Milano

5-6 giugno 2014

 

Bando per la presentazione di candidature alla borsa di studio per restauratori di carta con una media esperienza (almeno 5 anni)  

In occasione del 130° anniversario dei rapporti diplomatici tra Corea e Italia, il Consolato Generale della Repubblica di Corea (Corea del Sud) e la Biblioteca Trivulziana del Castello Sforzesco di Milano sono lieti di supportare la partecipazione di restauratori di media esperienza al progetto “L’impiego dell’Hanji, la carta di gelso coreana, nel workshop sulla conservazione della carta”

 

Luogo del workshop:

Il Workshop si terrà presso il Laboratorio di Restauro della Biblioteca Trivulziana, Castello Sforzesco a Milano. La partecipazione è consentita ai 10 restauratori che verranno selezionati dal Comitato organizzativo del workshop.

 

Scadenza  per l’invio delle domande

Il termine ultimo di presentazione delle iscrizioni è il 12 maggio 2014. Tutte le domande devono essere presentate elettronicamente (via email) entro le ore 17.00(CET) di lunedì, 12 maggio 2014. I documenti devono essere presentati in formato in PDF o Microsoft Word secondo le seguenti istruzioni:

nell’oggetto della mail dovrà essere indicato “L’impiego dell’Hanji, la carta di gelso coreana workshop sulla conservazione della carta – Inserire il PROPRIO NOME”. Le domande dovranno essere inviate amilano@mofa.go.kr

Criteri per l’invio delle domande

Le domande per le borse di studio dovranno includere i seguenti documenti:

-            Una lettera motivazionale indirizzata al Comitato (una pagina)

-            CurriculumVitae redatto secondo il Formato europeo (http://europass.cedefop.europa.eu/en/documents/curriculum-vitae/templates-instructions)

Le domande dovranno essere inviate entro il 12 maggio all’indirizzo e-mail: milano@mofa.go.kr

Obiettivo delle borse di studio e idea del workshop:

Le borse di studio intendono supportare i restauratori di libri e opere su carta, italiani e stranieri di media esperienza (almeno 5 anni), che parteciperanno al workshop. Questo workshop di due giorni offre una compensione teorica e pratica della storia della carta di gelso dell’Asia nordorientale, riservando una particolare attenzione alla carta coreana Hanji e al suo utilizzo nella attuale conservazione della carta occidentale.

Obiettivo del workshop:

Il workshop prevede di fornire ai restauratori gli strumenti per identificare ed apprezzare le caratteristiche della carta di gelso dell’Asia nordorientale, e per comprendere il suo grande contributo nella pratica moderna di conservazione della carta occidentale. Le carte coreane, cinesi e giapponesi sembrano avere caratteristiche simili, ma ad un'occhiata più attenta alle materie prime e ai metodi di lavorazione emergono le differenze. Ai partecipanti sarà offerta una breve panoramica sugli sviluppi principali della storia della produzione della carta nell’Asia nordorientale, unitamente ai metodi di produzione contemporanea. E’ prevista una presentazione di immagini al microscopio delle fibre di diverse carte dell’Asia nordorientale ed una spiegazione su come distinguerle e identificarle. Questa presentazione sarà seguita da uno studio di diversi campioni di carte create utilizzando varie materie prime, procedure e metodi di asciugatura. I partecipanti potranno poi imparare come applicare questa conoscenza, basata sulle ricerche attuali, nella scelta delle carte più appropriate nel trattamento di un oggetto. I partecipanti possono portare le proprie carte asiatiche utilizzate per i trattamenti di conservazione.

 

Il programma giorno per giorno

 

Giovedì 5 giugno 2014

h.09.00

Arrivo dei vincitori alla Biblioteca Trivulziana e Laboratorio di Restauro, Castello Sforzesco, Milano

Mattina:

Questa sezione teorica introdurrà ai restauratori selezionati la storia e le caratteristiche dell’arte cartaria coreana, cinese e giapponese, in aggiunta ad una panoramica sulla produzione contemporanea di carte dell’Asia nordorientale. Ai partecipanti saranno mostrati alcuni dei fattori che possono modificare la qualità della carta durante il suo processo di fabbricazione. Immagini al microscopio delle diverse fibre della carta dell’Asia nordorientale saranno presentate con set di diversi campioni di carta, in modo che i partecipanti possano studiare le carte di prima mano  ed esaminare le fibre, la formazione del foglio, il contenuto  alcalino e il risultato dei diversi proccessi di produzione e metodi di asciugatura.

Nella seconda sessione, i partecipanti costruiranno un pannello per l’asciugatura in stile asiatico usando un supporto a nido d’ape (Tycore), rivestito di carta di gelso coreana Hanji e collato con dispersione acrilica. Questo tipo di pannello per l’asciugatura è relativamente facile da realizzare ed è leggero e resistente. I pannelli per l’asciugatura possono essere utilizzati per asciugare oggetti quando hanno bisogno di essere essiccati distesi o quando non possono essere sottoposti a pressione. Questa tecnica è stata sviluppata partendo dall’utilizzo di un muro, o di un tavolo, o di un karibari board nella tradizione della conservazione coreana, cinese e giapponese.

Pomeriggio:

I partecipanti realizzeranno una carta di piccole dimensioni utilizzando strumenti semplici e frammenti di carta occidentale fatta a mano e Hanji. Questa pratica non solo aiuterà i partecipanti a capire le tecniche basilari di produzione della carta, ma contribuirà anche alla creazione della propria carta di risarcimento con il giusto peso e colore.

I partecipanti esamineranno diversi materiali per la colorazione della carta di gelso, come acquerelli, colori acrilici e coloranti reattivi per fibre. I partecipanti potranno realizzare campioni di carte pretonate, utilizzando materiali diversi di cui verranno discussi vantaggi e svantaggi in termini di colore,  stabilità, applicabilità e convenienza.

I partecipanti studieranno come utilizzare l’Hanji per spianare le carte occidentali. Spianare alcuni oggetti realizzati con la carta occidentale è spesso difficile perché essa ha fibre corte e sono sensibili all’umidità. A differenza delle caratteristiche di tessuti non tessuti in poliestere, la carta di gelso può essere usata per facilitare le procedure di spianamento, grazie alle sue fibre lunghe e ai suoi diversi gradi di elasticità.

Dopo aver fatto asciugare l’Hanji incollata sul pannello di asciugatura, i partecipanti applicheranno una dispersione acrilica sull’intero pannello. Tale applicazione rende il pannello più resistente all’umidità e all’abrasione.

 

Venerdì 6 giugno 2014

h.09.00- 13.00

Laboratorio di Restauro della Biblioteca Trivulziana

Durante la mattina, i partecipanti apprenderanno alcuni dettagli per i risarcimenti e foderature utilizzando la carta tradizionale coreana Hanji. I partecipanti fodereranno un oggetto in carta occidentale con della Hanji di leggera grammatura. Apprenderanno le tecniche di asciugatura degli oggetti foderati utilizzando il pannello di asciugatura che essi avranno realizzato. I partecipanti utilizzeranno anche molteplici strati di Hanji con della gelatina per risarcire lacune alle pergamene.

Educatore ospite: Minah Song

Minah Song è un’esperta Senior della conservazione di Opere d'Arte su Carta presso il Conservation Center for Art and HistoricArtifacts (CCAHA) di Philadelphia, USA. Ha conseguito un master in Storia dell’Arte dell’Asia orientale presso l’Academy of KoreanStudies in Corea e un Master in Conservazione presso il Camberwell College of Arts di Londra, UK. Lavora su una gran varietà di opere d’arte in carta, mappe, disegni architettonici, materiale archivistico, pergamene e oggetti asiatici. Tra i suoi progetti di ricerca:

“Permanence, durability and uniqueproperties of Hanji” redatto con Jesse Munn (“AIC Book and PaperAnual”, Vol. 32, 2004: 127-136);

“Conservation of a group of Early 19th century Chinese Export Flora Paintings (presentato all’IncontroAnnualedell’AICnel 2007);

“The History and Characteristics of Korean Books and Bookbinding”- in “Journal of the Institute of Conservation”, Vol. 32, no. 1 2009:53-78);

“Can West meet East?- Different Approaches to Conservation of East Asian Art” presentato alla conferenza “East Asian Art: Historic Context & Modern preservation of paper-based Works Conference”, 2010);

“Korean paper, Hanji, its History, Techniques and Properties” presentato alla conferenza “Paper from the East Conference” di Londra, 2011);

“Handmade Asian Papers from a Conservator’s point of view” (“Guild of Books Worker’s Journal” in attesa di pubblicazione).

 

Pranzo

 

h.15.00  

Bibiloteca Trivulziana (evento aperto al pubblico)

Nel pomeriggio il workshop terminerà alla Biblioteca Trivulziana presso il Castello Sforzesco con un momento di discussione libera e riflessione.

Tutti i partecipanti, unitamente alla autorità dei due Paesi, nonché al pubblico e alla stampa interessati all’evento, avranno la possibilità di vedere il Codice Trivulziano di Leonardo da Vinci, conservato presso la Biblioteca Trivulziana ed esposto qui per questa occasione speciale insieme ad una copia del JIKJI, il primo volume esistente stampato a caratteri mobili in metallo (1377), originario della Corea e conservato presso la Biblioteca Nazionale di Francia.

https://www.bncf.firenze.sbn.it/biblioteca/laboratorio-di-restauro-conservazione-libri-manoscritti/

restauro del libro: Periodici sulla conservazione e il restauro del patrimonio culturale consultabili on-line

restauro del libro: Periodici sulla conservazione e il restauro del patrimonio culturale consultabili on-line:



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Handle with Care: Using Collections - Collection Care blog

 "Handle with Care: Using Collections"

Handle with Care: Using Collections

Poor handling is one of the main causes of damage to library and archive collections. The damage is accumulative occurring over many years, and is not always immediately apparent. Conservation work is costly and can mean that certain items are not accessible for long periods. All users have responsibility for the care of collections, and information and advice on how to handle collections should be available to all users. If you are unsure about how to handle an item here at the British Library, then don’t hesitate to ask our very experienced staff in the Reading Rooms.

There are guidelines published by the Preservation Advisory Centre outlining the differences in handling protocol for books and bound volumes; documents and letters; maps, rolls and charters; prints and drawings; photographs; papyrus; and even globes. There is such a variety of material available for consultation that it is well worth reading through carefully. Loose items should always be kept in order, seals should be supported with flat foam, the surface of photographs should never be touched, papyrus leaves mounted in paper should be turned by the supporting paper, and although gloves are not recommended for flat material, they are required for touching certain materials such as lead seals or the surface of globes.

Collection Care icons have been designed for use in the British Library reading rooms and we share them under a creative commons license. Heritage organisations are encouraged to use them freely in their own publications. Image files can be copied from the Collection Care icon page or higher resolution .eps versions are available on request (collectioncare@bl.uk).

- See more at: http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/collectioncare/#sthash.COiZg2ML.Zen6UR38.dpuf

Handle with Care: Using Collections - Collection Care blog:



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Periodici sulla conservazione e il restauro del patrimonio culturale consultabili on-line

http://beniculturali.regione.fvg.it/crcr_r/index_d.asp?CSez_ID=HOME&Cont_ID=885

COURSE ANNOUNCEMENT Reducing Risks to Collections China 2009

Reducing Risks to Collections APRIL 8TH, 2014 COURSE ANNOUNCEMENT Reducing Risks to Collections China 2009 Dates: 21 July – 8 August 2014 (3 weeks) Place: Tianjin, China Organizers State Administration of Cultural Heritage (SACH), China Chinese Academy of Cultural Heritage (CACH) ICCROM

2014 – Autocensimento online dei precari del MiBACT e delle istituzioni culturali degli Enti locali | Associazione Bianchi Bandinelli

 Autocensimento online dei precari del MiBACT e delle istituzioni culturali degli Enti locali"

Da questa pagina : 2014 – Autocensimento online dei precari del MiBACT e delle istituzioni culturali degli Enti locali | Associazione Bianchi Bandinelli

è possibile compilare la propria scheda per l’autocensimento:

Pochi minuti del tuo tempo per un grande obiettivo!

L’Associazione Ranuccio Bianchi Bandinelli accoglie sul proprio sito e sostiene, attraverso il lancio di un questionario, l’iniziativa di autocensimento dei professionisti dei beni culturali che collaborano dall’esterno con il Mibact e con le Istituzioni culturali degli Enti Locali. L’indagine ha la finalità di individuare con chiarezza il numero dei precari del settore e le relative diverse forme contrattuali di lavoro atipico e parasubordinato.

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