Artifact Handling Workshop
This workshop will address the safe handling of flat and three-dimensional objects. You will learn how to prepare work areas, good, better, and best practices for moving various types of artifacts, and identifying potential conservation concerns before handling. You will be introduced to materials useful for day-to-day art and artifact handling and get hands-on experience handling items safely for storage, display, and digitization. We will bring items from our study collection to use as examples and provide personal protective equipment and other handling supplies for participants. Special attention will be given to what to do with hazardous materials, and handling for digitization.
This workshop addresses Focus Area #1: core competencies in preservation for continuing education and career development of the Foundation for the Advancement in Conservation’s (FAIC) Held in Trust Report on education, professional development, and leadership.
About our instructors:
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.
As the Digital Archives Specialist, Kaitlyn Pettengill conducts digital preservation assessments and assists with digitization planning for collecting organizations. She advises organizations in the ongoing development, implementation, and operation of their digital preservation programs as well as on recommendations for the development and implementation of digital preservation strategies, technologies, and procedures.
Prior to joining the CCAHA staff in 2024, Kaitlyn worked as the Digital Projects Coordinator for the Atwater Kent Collection at Drexel University and as the Digital Services Archivist at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Before turning to digital archives as her field of study, she was a tour guide at Eastern State Penitentiary and Buckingham Palace.
Kaitlyn earned an MLIS from San José State University, where she specialized in Digital Collections and Digital Asset Management. She also holds an MA degree in History of Art from the Courtauld Institute of Art in London and a BA in Art History and English Literature from Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA. Kaitlyn has been a Certified Archivist through the Academy of Certified Archivists since 2019. She currently serves as the elected Secretary for the Delaware Valley Archivists Group.