Preservation 101
This course introduces you to preservation basics with a special focus on affordability, achievability, and sustainability. It is appropriate for staff and volunteers at collecting institutions of all sizes, including museums, historic sites, archives, libraries, and galleries. Students seeking extra-curricular or continuing education are also encouraged to attend. Topics include storage and housing, environmental regulation and monitoring, exhibition guidelines for preservation, essential preservation policies and procedures, and the basics of prioritizing preservation needs.
Through this course, you will:
- Understand the threats to preservation through the 10 Agents of Deterioration
- Explore the factors that constitute the preservation environment
- Understand the building envelope and other layers of protection needed for preservation
- Consider how priorities, policies, and procedures function as effective preservation tools
- Find the balance between preservation and access to your collection
- Recognize the importance of digital preservation as part of your overall preservation strategy.
- Learn how to apply preservation standards in an affordable and sustainable manner at your institution.
This course addresses Goal #3—expanding access to education, professional development, and leadership opportunities—of the Education, Professional Development, and Leadership section of the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation’s 2023 Held in Trust report.
Instruction will be provided through recorded videos, online resources, and live Q&A sessions. Participants are expected to be active in course discussion boards, complete relevant assignments, and attend live sessions. A certification of completion is available after fully completing course materials.
We are offering tiered pricing based on student, unaffiliated, group, and member status. While most course content can be completed at any time, an introductory session on Monday, November 3, as well as open Q and A sessions at the end of each week (November 7, 14, and 21) will take place via Zoom meeting. Optional office hours are available each Thursday (November 6, 13, and 20) All times for these sessions will be from 2:00-3:00pm ET, and the intro and Q and A sessions will be recorded. Online course content will be available beginning on Monday, November 3 at 9:30am ET and will be available for six weeks following the conclusion of the course.
A limited number of full registration scholarships will be offered on a first-come, first-serve basis. To apply, contact Greg Stuart, Education Program Manager, for more information.
About our Instructors:
As Director of Preservation Services Dyani Feige works with libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural organizations to conduct needs and risk assessments, assist in disaster planning, and help develop policy and planning documents for collections. She also develops and presents education programs on preservation and conservation concerns.
Before joining the staff of CCAHA in 2010 as Preservation Specialist, Dyani worked in the Brooklyn Museum Libraries & Archives. She has also worked in the New York Public Library’s Preservation Division; for the Conference Board; and in the Special Collections & Archives at Kent State University. Dyani received her MS in Library and Information Science with a Certificate in Archives at Pratt Institute and her BM in Music Business from New York University.
In her position as Preservation Specialist, Katie Lowe conducts onsite preservation needs assessments, space assessments, and risk assessments and assists with preservation, storage, and emergency planning at cultural heritage organizations across the country.
Katie is a public historian with thirteen years of experience in museums, community programming, non-profit work, and education. She has held positions at The Holocaust Awareness Museum & Education Center, Pennsbury Manor, The Mercer Museum, The Zebulon B. Vance Birthplace, Old Salem Museum & Gardens, and The Mediation Center. She received her B.A. in History and Education from Ursinus College and her M.A. in History and Museum Studies from UNC Greensboro. She is currently Secretary of the American Association of State and Local History's Field Service Alliance, a member of the American Library Association's Preservation Outreach Committee, and Acting Secretary for the board of the Museum Council of Greater Philadelphia.