In May 2000, CCI once again consulted delegates at the annual meeting
of the Canadian Association for Conservation of Cultural Property
(CAC) about possible directions for future CCI research.1 This feedback
also provided an indication of the current concerns of the conservation
community. The top 10 suggestions are shown in Table
1.
Although it is not a research topic per se, CAC members again cited
advocacy as their most important priority for CCI. This is a clear
indication that the conservation community wants to see CCI as a
frontrunner in the promotion of conservation to Canadians. CCI agrees,
and is actively considering how best to promote the concepts and
practices of preservation and conservation within government, the
heritage community, and the public.
The concern for the future of the conservation profession is also
evident, with the need for both succession planning to safeguard
current conservation and preservation knowledge (no. 2) and adequate
training programs and employment opportunities for new conservators
(no. 5) being mentioned. This is an ongoing problem that cannot
be solved overnight. However, when the Queen's University Master
of Art Conservation program celebrated its 25th anniversary in March
2001, CCI used the event to solicit input from the preservation
community about future directions for conservators, including issues
related to training and development.
With regard to iron gall ink, identified as the third most important
priority, there has already been a considerable amount of research
in Europe where collections are faced with it either fading or eating
through paper. Although similar work has not as yet been undertaken
in Canada, a starting point might be to make the current information
more accessible by gathering it together.
The issue of architectural reproductions was also identified as
an area of growing interest. Again, it may be worth exploring what
research has already been undertaken in other countries. As architectural
reproductions and iron gall ink are primarily archival issues, CCI
will be discussing them further with the archival community.
Knowing which issues are most important to the heritage community
will help CCI to develop a balanced research program that meets
the identified needs. Unfortunately, a lack of expertise in some
areas, coupled with commitments to other research projects, means
that some of the topics may not be included for several years. In
the meantime, CCI remains committed to listening and responding
to your suggestions.
- A similar consultation was conducted at the 1999 annual meeting
of the CAC; see CCI Newsletter
No. 24 (November 1999), On the Road to Discovery: CCI Investigates New Directions for Future Research, for details.
Table 1 Summary of suggestions for CCI research by delegates
at the CAC annual meeting, May 2000
Rank |
Idea |
1 |
Increase public awareness and advocacy about conservation
and the role of conservators in heritage preservation. |
2 |
Apprenticeships/fellowships to enable the transfer of knowledge
and skills from older and soon-to-be retiring conservators to
younger ones. |
3 |
Iron gall ink: the deterioration process, evaluation of current
treatments, storage applications, etc. |
4 |
Architectural reproductions (blueprints, diazotypes, blueline,
brownline): stability, storage, and treatments. |
5 |
Increased opportunities for new conservators. |
6 |
Recommendations for construction materials for architects,
engineers, etc. for building new (or renovating old) museums,
archives, libraries. |
7 |
Analysis of the materials used by contemporary artists and
the creation of an online database of the results. |
8 |
Research into the deterioration mechanisms of rubberized
fabrics. |
9 |
Analysis of the stability of digital output media (such as
dye sublimation prints). |
10 |
Research into non-aqueous deacidification spray and the effects
of residues on aging and future treatments. |
|