The Collections Trust website has a huge selection of free downloadable collections care resources.

The Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI) has a comprehensive set of free downloadable resources available on their website.  This includes comprehensive guidance on the care of objects and collections which covers:

• Archaeological collections
• Ceramics and glass
• Electronic media
• Fine art
• Furniture, wooden objects and basketry
• Indigenous collections
• Industrial collections
• Leather, skin and fur
• Metals
• Musical instruments
• Natural history collections, feathers, quills, ivory and bone
• Paper and books
• Photographs
• Plastics and modern materials
• Stone and plaster
• Textiles and costumes

The conservation department at National Museums Liverpool is responsible for the care, conservation and technical research of objects in the service’s collections. Their website is a wonderful source of useful information and you can also contact subject specialists with enquiries.

If you need to find a professional conservator to help you then look at ‘Find a Conservator…’ on the ICON website which provides a direct link to the Conservation Register

The Preservation Advisory Centre at the British Library (now closed) produced a number of collections care advice sheets which can be downloaded for free here

Guidelines for the Care of Larger and Working Historic Objects was published by the Association of British Transport and Engineering Museums (ABTEM) in 2018

The Museum of London has a helpful set of collections care e-learning resources on their website which includes handling museum objects; introduction to museum pests; packing museum objects for storage and packing museum objects for moving.

The Hazards in Collections eTool provides detailed information on the most common hazards found in mixed collections

Museums Galleries Scotland have excellent collections care advice on their website

The Association of Independent Museums (AIM) have a set of free downloadable ‘Success Guides’ on their website which include Successful Collections Care, Successful Basic Interventive Conservation and Successfully Managing Archives in Museums

The post Collections Care Resources appeared first on MDEM.

Museum Site Visit Checklist Template:

This Museum Site Visit Checklist is a template to aid museum staff and volunteers who wish to undertake regular site visits at their museum for collections care and security purposes during the current Covid-19 outbreak.

Museum-Site-Visit-Template-Checklist-MDEM

The document is a guide to help individuals to prioritise their time, manage risk and ensure effective recording and handover documentation. It comes pre-populated with prompts to aid museums, but is also adaptable to specific circumstances.

It was created by Museum Development East Midlands in partnership with Collections Trust, Museum Development London and South West Museum Development.

Training Video: Caring for Collections In Lockdown

In this short training video Anita Hollinshead, Regional Collections Advisor for MDEM discusses what museums can be doing during lockdown to safeguard and care for collections. It highlights how to prioritise museum site visits, including a museum site visit checklist. It also looks at what work can be undertaken remotely and explores how to plan for the future.

Download the PowerPoint presentation: Caring-for-Collections-During-Lockdown

You can view this video on our Youtube Channel here.

If you would like further help in this area, please contact Anita Hollinshead.

The post Caring for Collections in Lockdown Training Film appeared first on MDEM.