Wet Salvage for Home and Community Collections
In commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the 1966 flood of the Arno River in Florence that was a catalyst for professionalizing the conservation field, we’re partnering with the University of Delaware on this webinar as part of a week-long series of programs. Join Associate Photograph Conservator, Ivey Barker, Senior Book Conservator, Eliza Gillian, and Preservation Specialist, Katie Lowe for a how-to on salvaging collections items that are typically found in home and community collections. Through a combination of presentation, video demonstrations, and discussion, we’ll tackle how to salvage objects like books, coated paper (such as magazines and other glossy media), and 20th century photographic materials in the event of a water emergency.
This webinar addresses Focus Area #1: Awareness and understanding of the impacts of climate change on cultural heritage of the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation’s Held In Trust Report on Climate Crisis and Environmental Impact.
About our speakers:
As Associate Photo Conservator, Ivey Barker assesses condition and treatment needs, documents findings in reports, treats a wide range of photographs, from daguerreotypes to digital prints, and contributes to outreach efforts. Ivey joins the staff from the Cleveland Museum of Art, where she was the Mellon Fellow in Photograph Conservation. She has held positions at the National Archives and Records Administration, the Image Permanence Institute, and the George Eastman Museum. Ivey received a MA in Photographic Preservation and Collections Management from the University of Rochester, in collaboration with the George Eastman Museum.
As Senior Book Conservator, Eliza Gilligan meets with clients, assesses condition and treatment needs, documents findings in reports, and treats a wide variety of bound materials, from incunabula to 20th-century artists’ books. Eliza formerly worked as a book conservator at the University of Virginia Library. She provided technical expertise for book repair, general collections care, exhibits, and digital services at the Library. She also performed conservation treatment on books and paper from the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library. Eliza received her graduate training in book conservation from the University of Texas at Austin, graduating in 2000. She has had internships in conservation labs at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, the Smithsonian Institution Libraries, and the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center. She was also a Kress Fellow at the Northeast Document Conservation Center. Her previous positions include Book Conservator at Michigan State University and Department Head for Preservation Services at the Smithsonian Institution Libraries.
As Preservation Specialist, Katie Lowe consults and educates on environmental management, collections move planning, space planning, general preventive care, emergency preparedness and response, Integrated Pest Management, and more. Katie has 7 years of experience in museums and additional backgrounds in social work and education, both of which inform her unique approach to preventive conservation. She is Secretary for the board of the Museum Council of Greater Philadelphia, Secretary of the American Association for State and Local History’s Field Service Alliance, and a Committee Member on the American Institute for Conservation's Emergency Response Committee. She received her BA from Ursinus College and her MA in Museum Studies and History (with a certification in Historic Preservation) from UNC Greensboro.