Hands On: Practising Emergency Response

The 37th annual Canadian Association for Conservation conference was held in Winnipeg in May 2010. Conservator Lisa May attended a two-day pre-conference workshop entitled “Advanced Issues in Emergency Preparedness and Response”. As part of this workshop, Jane Dalley from Heritage Conservation Service (Winnipeg, MB), instructed a hands-on component. Workshop participants experienced how to handle, stabilize and clean water damaged items.

This was just one part of the workshop. Lectures and discussion to share experiences and questions were an invaluable aspect, but hands-on practice opportunities are rarer. Thanks go to the Canadian Conservation Institute, helped by local organizer Ala Rekrut from the Archives of Manitoba for presenting this professional development opportunity.

A significant part of the conservator’s job is cleaning. At the Manitoba Museum, our numerous open dioramas require regular vacuuming. The larger dioramas require a team of staff including the Conservators, Diorama Artist, Exhibit Assistant, and whichever Collections Assistants we can round up. We try to get to every diorama once a year.

The vacuuming must be done carefully, so parts are not pulled off. That’s why we use screens, and vacuums that are portable and have adjustable suction.

Sometimes, for vacuuming small and/or fragile artifacts or specimens, we put screening over the vacuum nozzle, or use micro-attachments made for cleaning computers and other electronic equipment.

Dirt and dust can be damaging. They may attract insect pests, can be aesthetically disfiguring, or obscure important information, and can even cause physical harm by, for example, microscopically tearing fragile threads on an old textile.

The most important thing we remember is to remove as much dirt and dust as possible, without harming the object.

Collections Assistant Nancy Anderson took numerous photos to enhance the conservation documentation. The interior fabric, a luxurious velvet, had undergone previous conservation treatment by Parks Canada conservator Lorrie Storr. Tim completed his examination and the cariole was returned to its exhibit location at the end of the day. All in all, many people were pleased!

As well as temperature and RH, the Conservator also conducts pest monitoring. At the Manitoba Museum, we mostly check for insects. Sticky traps in storage and laboratory areas are checked; if a large number of insects are seen, we investigate, looking in the surrounding area more thoroughly. We often find one or two insects on the trap; one or two doesn’t indicate a problem, but is considered a normal condition. And not every insect is one that will feed on our collections.

Museum pests can include mice and squirrels, as well as insects. Although we have had a few problems with mice in the past, our current pest monitoring program focuses on insects.

As part of their training, Conservators learn about different aspects of the museum environment – temperature, RH, light, atmospheric pollutants – and how these can interact with objects to cause damage and deterioration. Conservators also learn about museum pests, and must become familiar with the common pests they will encounter. We keep examples of insects found in the Museum, for reference and comparison.