The Opportunities and Challenges of Preservation Technologies

The pace of technology development in fields other than historic preservation has generally outstripped that of historic preservation, resulting in a predominant flow from those fields into historic preservation practice. This chapter summarizes some of the major trends in technology transfer and explores some of the issues that the increased use of advanced technologies brings to the practice of historic preservation. It also examines the relationship of the development of technologies for historic preservation to public policy.     

SOME ASPECTS OF THE CONSERVATION OF WORKS OF ART IN BUILDINGS OF NEW CONCRETE

Abstract

This paper deals with the materials used in conservation treatments in the first half of the twentieth century for the preservation and consolidation of wooden art objects from the Saxony region in Germany. The use of such materials must be seen as early attempts to find a conservation treatment for wood. The documentation of conservation treatments provides a reference to the application of oils and oil–resin mixtures. The results from the chemical analysis of samples of historic preservatives from the beginning to the middle of the twentieth century (so-called 'Puckelin') carried out by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis confirm the use of tung oil as a drying oil, whereas the use of linseed oil cannot be excluded. Colophony and, probably, amber varnish were used as resinous constituents. There are indications that a conservation material dating from the second half of the twentieth century most likely contained rapeseed oil.     

Building a Social Compact for Preserving E-Journals

In the shift of scholarly publishing from the print environment to online, the preservation of the scholarly record has become more complex, difficult, and uncertain. Current efforts are not adequate. Core criteria and certification processes have been developed for digital preservation repositories. Broad library support is crucial to the sustainability of third-party preservation archives. Publisher participation in third-party archives has grown, but coverage is incomplete and uneven, leaving some categories of materials well-covered and others vulnerable. Preservation programs need to coordinate their efforts and view themselves as collaborators rather than competitors. The task of preserving the digital scholarly record cannot fall to libraries alone—it requires a social compact among all involved parties.     

A perpetual motion machine: The preserved digital scholarly record

• Digital preservation will never be a solved problem: it needs constant reinvention, and is going to become harder over time.
• Scholarship is changing and this is affecting what needs to be preserved and what preservation means to the future of knowledge discovery.
• The diversification of outputs means that knowledge exists in a network of contextual metadata, data, software, standards and publications—requiring multilateral management of this complex knowledge graph.
• Preservation demands new skills, technologies and resources from librarians, publishers, funders and institutions—and more joined-up thinking about archiving.

     

Finding common ground and inherent differences: Artist and community engagement in cultural material and contemporary art conservation

Comparisons are often made between the conservation of cultural material collections, often described as ethnographic, and contemporary art collections, and indeed there are significant parallels. The stewardship of both of these types of collections can challenge traditional tenets of conservation, requiring conservators to ask themselves ‘What are we preserving?’ as preservation extends beyond the physical. The work must be placed in a broader conceptual context and the conservator must seek out those who are deemed to have the most authority – whether it is the artist, the artist's assistants and estate or the source community – to establish this context. Engagement with constituents creates valuable reciprocal relationships, which can benefit the artist, community, and museum. The relationships and the parallel practice of two seemingly disparate fields are examined using examples from the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) and the Yale University Art Gallery (YUAG). Conservators at NMAI, a living culture museum containing archeological, historic, and contemporary art collections, are in the unique position of working with community stakeholders with direct ties to historic collections and contemporary artists whose work is actively acquired by the museum. Conservators at YUAG, an encyclopedic museum with a pedagogical directive, are attempting to establish a more rigorous program of artist engagement to direct preservation and understanding of contemporary art collections.     

清末民政部与近代文物保护事业——兼及主事尚秉和之功迹

光绪三十二年,清政府进行大规模中央官制改革,民政部的设立就是其中的重要内容。民政部是清政府首次设立的专门统筹管理民政事务的机构,其职掌包括全国古迹的保存,具体由营缮司存古科负责。民政部主事尚秉和是存古科掌稿,是相关规章制度的拟定者。在民政部的推动下,清廷先后颁布了城镇乡地方自治章程、民政统计表等,其中都有保存古迹的内容。宣统元年,民政部更是制定了专门的保存古迹推广办法章程,包括调查事项6条和保存事项5条,成为各省保护古迹工作的指导。此时,各地开始执行古迹保护政策,取得了一些成绩,尤其是东南江浙一带。清末民政部制定的保护古迹规章制度在近代文物保护事业中有着重要地位,尤其对民国时期文物保护事业产生了积极影响。     

Microform—Not extinct yet: Results of a long-term microform use study in the digital age

This paper presents results taken from 2008 to 2010 of an ongoing microform use study. The number of titles used is evenly distributed over time with microfilm being the most used format and newspapers accounting for half of all usage. When publications are available electronically, users may still use the microform version. This study illustrates how microform and electronic collections are complementary—electronic materials provide better access but microform is better for preservation. Users prefer electronic materials but will also use microform when there is no online version available or when the online version is not an exact copy of the original.     

Geographic Information Systems in Historic Preservation

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are a rapidly developing suite of computer based technologies that allow the storage, manipulation, display and integration of a wide range of spatially based data. This chapter reviews some of the more significant applications of these technologies in archaeology and historic preservation and suggests future trends. It is arguably the case that space and time are the two central dimensions of our record of the past. Science has fundamentally influenced our understanding of this record through the development and improvement of ways to measure and understand time. GIS and related methodologies present methodologies that are improving our abilities to measure and understand space.     

Technologies for Wood Preservation in Historic Preservation

Because of the abundant forests of the world, wood is one of the most common materials found in historic buildings. Wood is relatively easy to fabricate into beams, columns, and roof systems using simple hand tools. However, because of its biological origin, wood is one of the most complex constructions materials. It is produced by thousands of different species of trees, and each type of wood has unique properties. Wood has an affinity for moisture and this can lead to biological deterioration caused by insects and decay fungi. This chapter presents information on understanding and preventing the mechanisms of wood deterioration in historic buildings. The chapter includes a discussion of wood preservation and technology, including wood finishes and wood preservative treatments, diffusible preservatives, and naturally durable wood species. A brief discussion about the repair of deteriorated timbers in buildings is also included.     

The Use of Computers in Cultural Resource Management

This chapter discusses computer software applications in the Cultural Resource Management field. It outlines some of the major areas of the field where computer applications may be productive, and discusses the nature of software development in the historic preservation field. Specific applications are identified and discussed in four areas: building support, archaeology, collections management, and multiple resource management. Each application is reviewed for its purpose, developer, technical basis and status.     

高校文库本校非正式出版物的收藏与管理

提出高校文库收藏范围广义和狭义概念,界定高校文库非正式出版物的范围,分析高校文库非正式出版物具有本校特色性、历史资料性、学术性、载体的丰富性和多样性等特点,探讨非正式出版物的藏品类型、管理保存方法、编目著录、开发利用等问题,提出高校文库非正式出版物工作应由收藏管理型向管理研究型转化。参考文献4。     

The Depository Library Community and Collaborative Participation in E-Government

Abstract

The continuation of the Federal Depository Library Program's historic information dissemination, access, and preservation roles are now dependent upon multi-agency e-government collaboration. The collections and research expertise of Federal Depository libraries are the critical features missing in current e-government service models. The authors propose that the public service and resource discovery features now available at FDLP libraries be coordinated nationally via an AskUS-FDLP Library Portal.     

Verbal aggression during disengagement of dating relationships

This study examined verbal aggressiveness in the disengagement of dating relationships, specifically focusing on the relationship between being trait verbally aggressive and using verbal aggression in breaking up, the perceived similarity of both partners in using verbal aggression in breaking up, and the relationship between using verbally aggressive messages and other disengagement messages in the ending of the relationship. Participants (N = 401) reported on their trait verbal aggressiveness, along with the verbally aggressive and disengagement strategies used during the termination of their relationships. This study found that people who were trait verbally aggressive were more likely to use verbally aggressive messages when terminating their dating relationships, that there is a perceived reciprocity effect of verbally aggressive messages in the termination of a relationship, and that verbally aggressive people use more disengagement strategies in general.     

COLOURMEN’S CANVAS STAMPS AS AN AID TO DATING PAINTINGS: A CLASSIFICATION OF WINSOR AND NEWTON CANVAS STAMPS FROM 1839–1920

Abstract

The role of colourmen’s canvas stamps in dating paintings is discussed. A series of 16 Winsor and Newton canvas stamps is illustrated in conjunction with a dating table, the resulting system being of practical use for dating paintings bearing Winsor and Newton canvas stamps.     

Bricks and Mortar,Era and Ambience

Abstract

Two historic house museums in the United States owe their preservation to the fact that they 'posed' for artist Andrew Wyeth, born in 1917 and still painting at the age of 86. Joyce Hill Stoner has based this article on her presentation at the American Institute for Conservation meeting in Miami in June 2002.     

Rescuing America’s literary heritage: The story of the library of America

The Library of America is a nonprofit publishing company whose mission is to renew and preserve the literary heritage of the United States. To accomplish this, the Library publishes the best American writing of the past. As part of the historic preservation movement, the Library attempts to make permanently available, at moderate cost, those books that have remained crucial to the formation of American culture. This is a slightly revised and updated version of an article from theGazette of the Grolier Club (1994) Number 46, reprinted by permission.     

“城市记忆工程”与档案事业发展研究综述

“城市记忆工程”缘起于中国文化名人开展的历史文化保护活动,档案部门结合自身的优势和需求将其进一步扩大.从实质上说,档案部门并不是城市记忆唯一的保护和传承者,文化、文物保护部门等各种活动主体和社会组织,都在自觉不自觉地做着城市历史文化的延传工作.本课题就工程目前开展的实践和研究现状进行一定的梳理,有利于我们对这一现象有一个更加全面、深刻的认识.     

New Method for Historic Rammed-earth Wall Characterization: The Almohade Ramparts of Malaga and Seville

ABSTRACT

The goal of this research is to propose a new method of characterizing rammed-earth walls. Based on their historic building materials properties, five broad test groups were established for the characterization: chemical and mineralogical composition, physical properties, mechanical properties, particle size distribution, and dating. These determinations can, in turn, be grouped into two different types: instrumental techniques such as XRF, XRD, and SEM-EDX, as well as adaptations of standard methods (mainly UNE-EN standards) for application to these materials. As case studies where the proposed method is applied, we present our research on the rammed-earth walls in the ramparts of Seville and Malaga (Spain), clearly showing the method’s capacity for comparing and differentiating different rammed-earth walls.     

2004-6-16 to 2014-8-15: The birth and death of a work by Gu Dexin

Conservators who work with contemporary materials are experiencing a paradigm shift that affects not only their role, but also the decision-making process associated with each unique work. Importantly, such actions sometimes contradict established preservation doctrine. This paper describes the challenging preservation efforts associated with a large-scale sculpture/installation produced in 2004 by Gu Dexin. Those efforts contradicted many of the standards and ethics of conservation, particularly considerations related to compromising the life of a given work. Ultimately, the decision made in this case led to the demise of that object. This paper will include information obtained from the various stakeholders — including the donor and the artist — and a compendium of the exhaustive considerations that facilitated the final decision.     

清代档案纸张保存状况及劣变原因分析

纸质文物保护处理方法的选择取决于对纸张本身材质、制作工艺、保存状况及劣变原因的了解。本文对一本劣变严重的清代档案,通过显微镜和扫描电镜观察、成分分析、pH值测定、及冷、热抽提试验,进行了科学分析研究。结果表明,档案纸张的纤维为稻草和青檀皮,其pH值偏碱性,纸浆曾经过石灰沤煮并且在抄造过程中使用了加填技术。档案纸张老化主要是因为水的影响,还有霉菌的侵蚀破坏。档案纸张的冷、热抽取物的溶解度远高于新纸,表明保存状况比较差。