Preservation Services at Dartmouth College: American Institute of Conservation 43rd Annual Meeting

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

American Institute of Conservation 43rd Annual Meeting

The American Institute of Conservation recently held its 43rd annual meeting in Miami, Florida
from May 13 - May 16, 2015.

The AIC Web site states their mission:

“As the only national membership organization in the United States dedicated to the preservation of cultural material, the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works plays a crucial role in establishing and upholding professional standards, promoting research and publications, providing educational opportunities, and fostering the exchange of knowledge among conservators, allied professionals, and the public.”

Annual meetings are structured for both general and specialty sessions. The general session talks target broad areas of interest and information on current conservation concerns, while the specialty sessions aim for more detailed talks in the specific subject areas such as: objects, paintings, electronic media, photographs, and book and paper. This year’s theme was “Practical Philosophy- Making Conservation Work". I was fortunate to have my abstract - "The Brut Chronicle: Revived and Reconstructed", accepted for presentation to the Book and Paper group. The topic of my paper was based on a treatment I had done for the Brut manuscript, which was acquired by Rauner Library in 2006. The presentation covered the history of the manuscript, the conservation options, and how my interaction with scholars and its intended use informed the eventual treatment, and then details on the final outcome. Preparing for the talk was a lot of hard work and I relied on the help of my colleagues for input and critique. In the end it went well and I am pleased with having been able to share my ideas and treatment with the book conservation community.

Deborah Howe: The Brut Chronicle: Revived and Reconstructed

As a side note, I was able to go on a behind the scenes tour of the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens. It is an incredible house with beautiful gardens and I would highly recommend a visit there if you find yourself in Miami.

Written by Deborah Howe.

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Contributors

Deborah Howe Is the Collections Conservator at Dartmouth College Library. She's been involved in the book community for over 20 years. She is a member of the Guild of Book Workers and teaches classes in the Book Arts program.

Ryland Ianelli Is a cartoonist and Project Specialist in the Dartmouth Preservation Services department. He graduated from Reed College with a BA in Art History in 2008 and, more recently, from the Center for Cartoon Studies with an MFA in Cartooning in 2010. In addition to his work in Preservation and the Digital Production Unit, he is currently drawing and writing for various independently published comics and anthologies.

Barb Sagraves has been head of Preservation Services since its creation in 1995. She is a graduate of the University of Michigan SLIS program, has an MA in Medieval History from Michigan State University, and a BA in History from the University of Oklahoma. In her role as department head, Barb has overall responsibility for the preservation program and policies at Dartmouth College Library and is in charge of the Book Arts Program.

Jenny Mullins has been the Digital Preservation Librarian for Dartmouth College Library since May of 2014. Prior to coming to Dartmouth, she preserved video and audio collections, helped build a digital repository and worked in book and paper conservation labs. Jenny is a member of ALA and co-chair of the Preservation Metadata Interest Group for 2015-17.