I work where? I wish I had a dollar for every time a writer used the word “bowels” to describe a library or archive. At best it conjures an image out of The Raiders of the Lost Ark. Boxes haphazardly put down anywhere on the floor just waiting for some researcher to miraculously stumble upon … Continue reading It Came From The Bowels
By Rachel Penniman, Conservation Specialist In conservation there are so many different materials to learn about and each one has specific and unique properties that can impact how we approach a treatment. It’s impossible to know everything about every material. So any opportunity to cross-train or broaden a skillset can allow a conservator to better … Continue reading See one. Do one. Teach one.
Today is the last day for Phebe Pankey, our HBCU Library Alliance/University of Delaware Winterthur intern. The past two months have flown by. We have thrown a whole semester’s worth (maybe more) of information at Phebe in eight weeks. She has learned a lot of new skills and has applied those skills to projects in … Continue reading Farewell Phebe!
It’s that time of year again when we report our annual statistics to our administration. We thought we would share these with you, too. 1,093 Book Repairs (down 38% from last year) 1,066 Pamphlets (down 38%) 1,392 Flat Paper (down 87%) 5,975 Protective Enclosures (down 15%) 66 Disaster recovery 8 Exhibit mounts (down 64%) 746 … Continue reading FY 2018 By The Numbers
As part of her 8 week summer internship, we’ve been trying to give Phebe some experience in the different kinds of collections care activities that Conservation Services regularly undertakes. This week, we took a break from enclosures and treatments to talk about collection assessment. The Rubenstein Library holds a collection of papers from Bobbye S. … Continue reading Poster Assessment
Conservator Erin Hammeke has been working with History of Medicine Curator, Rachel Ingold and SMIF Research and Development Engineer, Justin Gladman to facilitate the scanning of our 22 ivory manikins using a High Resolution X-ray Computed Tomography Scanner (Micro CT scanner). These high resolution 3-D scans allow us to see internal components of the manikins, thoroughly document them and their … Continue reading Micro CT of Many (Mini) Manikins
From the NCPC Press release: Significant Preservation: Inventories and Assessments for Strategic Planning North Carolina Preservation Consortium Annual Conference William and Ida Friday Center for Continuing Education University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill November 7, 2014 Inventories and assessments of heritage collections and sites are vital for meaningful strategic planning that conveys the importance … Continue reading Upcoming NCPC Conference: Significant Preservation: Inventories and Assessments for Strategic Planning
Today we got to use our new sit-stand table to roll out a Japanese scroll. We are excited about our new tables, they replace low tables that were immobile and difficult to work on. These have wheels and fit through the doors, so they can go anywhere in the lab and can adjust from a … Continue reading Quick Pic: Examining Scrolls
This month on the 1091 Project we are talking tours. I recorded eight official tours so far this fiscal year. These included tours for library donors and prospective donors; the Library Council, a group of faculty that meet with the library’s Executive Group during the school year; and most recently to the Alumni Association during … Continue reading 1091 Project: Secret Lives of Conservation Labs
By Erin Hammeke, Senior Conservator I’ve just finished the most challenging and enjoyable treatment of the year for me: a ledger book from the 1880’s that was later repurposed as a scrapbook for a Duke Tobacco card collection. The collectors cards were included in packs of Duke Tobacco and most of this collection appears to … Continue reading What’s In The Lab: Duke Tobacco Cards
