The preservation and restoration of museum objects, including the scientific principles and techniques used to prevent deterioration and protect against damage.
Material Science: Understanding the chemical and physical properties of materials used in artifacts to assess their stability and durability.
Preservation: Understanding the fundamentals of preservation and preventive conservation, including environmental monitoring, pest management, and safe handling.
Conservation Ethics: Understanding the ethical considerations in conservation practice, such as the balance between intervention and retaining authenticity, and the methods of dealing with conflicts of interest amongst stakeholders.
Documentation: Creating detailed records of an artifact’s condition, history, and conservation treatments to ensure its preservation.
Condition Assessment: Identifying and analyzing an artifact’s structural and aesthetic issues, and developing a conservation plan.
Cleaning and Stabilization: Identifying appropriate methods and techniques for cleaning, repairing, and stabilizing artifacts.
Environmental Control: Developing effective strategies for controlling environmental conditions, such as temperature, humidity, and light exposure, to prevent deterioration.
Mountmaking and Exhibition Display: Creating custom mounts and display solutions for artifacts that ensure their safety while on exhibit.
Storage and Handling: Understanding proper storage techniques to prevent risk of damage during transport and storage.
Research and Technical Analysis: Conducting research and utilizing scientific analysis to understand the materials used in the construction of artifacts and their unique conservation needs.
Disaster Preparedness and Response: Developing protocols and procedures aimed at the protection of artifacts during natural disasters and emergencies.
Digital Preservation: Understanding digital assets and ensuring the preservation of digital materials that are a part of the cultural heritage.
Preventive Conservation: This type of conservation aims to prevent further deterioration of artifacts through environmental control, storage, and handling practices.
Emergency Conservation: This type of conservation involves the stabilization of an artifact in the event of an emergency, such as damage caused during natural disasters or theft.
Structural Conservation: This type of conservation involves the preservation of the physical structure of an artifact, including the repair of damage caused by physical trauma, corrosion, or other causes.
Surface Cleaning: This type of conservation involves the removal of dirt, grime, or other surface contaminants from an artifact without damaging it.
Reassembly and Reconstruction: This type of conservation involves the reconstruction of an artifact from fragments or pieces that have been broken or damaged.
Restoration: This type of conservation involves the repair, reconstruction, or replacement of missing or damaged elements of an artifact in order to restore it to its original appearance or function.
Documentation and research: This type of conservation aims to document the history, makeup, and condition of an artifact in order to better understand and preserve it.
Digital Conservation: This type of conservation involves the use of digital technologies, such as 3D scanning and modeling, to preserve and document artifacts.
Ethical Conservation: This type of conservation involves addressing the ethical implications of preserving artifacts, such as issues of cultural sensitivity, ownership, and repatriation.
Community Conservation: This type of conservation involves working with local communities to preserve and protect their cultural heritage, traditions, and artifacts.