Publications on Preservation
Books and Journal Articles
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A Revised Method to Calculate Desalination Rates and Improve Data Resolution
Chris White, Marilen Pool and Norine Carroll - 2010
Journal of the American Institute for Conservation, Spring/Summer 2010
Conservators at the Arizona State Museum Conservation Lab treat ceramics to remove soluble salts and to prevent ongoing salt damage in objects. The most appropriate method for removing soluble salts generally depends on dissolution and diffusion of the salts into a wash bath of distilled or deionized water. This article describes the desalination measurement process developed at the Arizona State Museum Conservation Lab. The revised technique allows for increased data resolution and accommodates variable increments of time between measurements. The revision potentially reduces the possibility of error introduced by the similar, earlier technique.
The authors have provided a worksheet (in both Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Access formats) to illustrate the methodology. See more information and photos, and download the worksheet.
Human Remains: Guide for Museums and Academic Institutions
Edited by Vicki Cassman, Nancy Odegaard and Joseph Powell - 2006
Cloth 0-7591-0954-0 / 978-0-7591-0954-4
$62.95
AltaMira Press
http://www.altamirapress.com/
"This important collection of papers provides discussion of and recommendations for the recovery, treatment, documentation, curation, and study of human remains, largely from the perspective of conservation and the long-term commitment to care of skeletons. The conservation point of view has been expressed in various literatures over the years, but nowhere has it been done so in such an interesting and comprehensive fashion, all under the cover of a single book. The various and thoughtful perspectives represented in this book gives much material for discussion about the central importance of conservation of the remains of ancestors. Although the book is intended mainly for institutions and the collections that may be under their care, this book is a must read for a wider audience-anyone who deals with human remains derived from any context.”—Clarke Spencer Larsen, Distinguished Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences and Chair, Department of Anthropology, The Ohio State University
Old Poisons, New Problems: A Museum Resource for Managing Contaminated Cultural
Materials
Nancy Odegaard, Alyce Sadongei, and Associates - 2005
ISBN 0759105154
$39.95
AltaMira Press
http://www.altamirapress.com/
Old Poisons, New Problems is a timely and welcome practical guide to identifying,
testing for, and dealing with contaminated cultural materials archived in
museum collections. With increasing indigenous involvement in the collection,
handling, and more recently the repatriation of cultural artifacts formerly
held in museum archives, there is an increasing need to educate both the museum
community and tribal members about the potential risks of pesticide contamination
on museum collections, and provide the means to test for, identify, analyze,
and safely handle these artifacts. Special features include worksheets for
performing basic tests, charts of scientific and historical information on
known pesticides, data resources, and illustrations. This book will be widely
used by members of the museum community, as well as the tribal groups, involved
with the managing of these collections.
A Guide To Handling Anthropological Museum Collections
Written by Nancy Odegaard
Illustrated by Grace Katterman
A Guide to Handling Anthropological
Museum Collections is a manual for researchers, docents, volunteers, visitors,
students, staff, and any other users of anthropological collection who might
not have received formal training in the contemporary practices for handling
museum artifacts. The Guide consists of 41 pages of text and humorous illustrations
of common "do's & don'ts" of collections' handling. Paperbound
and printed on acid-free stock.
Also available in Spanish: La Guía para el manejo de colecciones
antropológicas de museos.
- Individual copies...............$8.95 each
- Orders of 10 or more.........$6.60 each
Prices include shipping and handling in the US and Canada only. For overseas
orders, contact the address below for prices. Please, US funds only.
Make checks payable to WAAC or Western Association for
Art Conservation.
Send prepaid orders to (sorry, we do not bill):
Donna Williams
Williams Art Conservation, Inc.
5180 West Jefferson Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90016
Materials Characterization Tests for Objects of Art and Archaeology
(2nd Edition)
Nancy Odegaard, Scott Carroll, Werner S. Zimmt
ISBN: 1904982093
$70
London: Archetype
Books
http://www.archetype.co.uk
The first edition of this book was welcomed not only by the conservation profession but also by those working in archaeology and museums who need to know from what materials objects are made, the compounds that are associated with them or the characteristics of the materials used to package or store them.
This second edition includes modifications to several of the procedures described - tests for metals, inorganic compounds, organic and synthetic materials as well as several tests that help to characterize materials.
The tests are applicable to a wide range of object classes including metal, textile, leather, paper, plastics and architectural materials. In addition to presenting the detailed methodology for carrying out each test, the authors have evaluated the effectiveness of each test in order to assist the reader in selecting the most applicable test and interpreting the results.
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