Conservation and Preservation assessment plans - best practice model

28 Jun 2005

This section provides assistance in the development of a Best Practice Model for Conservation and Preservation Assessment Planning

Introduction

The preparation of conservation and preservation assessment plans is considered integral to the conservation and preservation of museum collections. Good conservation and preservation assessment plans involve assessment of priorities based on a knowledge of the significant items in a collection as well as records of the history and context of an object or objects within an organisation.

This is a summary of the 1999 report of the consultancy team engaged by the Collections Management and Conservation Working Party of the Heritage Collections Council to review existing models for conservation and preservation assessment plans, including risk analysis models, and identify best practice examples which can be promoted to museums, including through AMOL.

The consultancy team consisted of Artlab Australia, the History Trust of South Australia and the State Library of New South Wales.

The final project report is in two volumes, each of which can be fully downloaded in pdf format.

Volume 1: Development of a best practice model for conservation and preservation assessment plans for cultural collections

Volume 2: A best practice model for conservation and preservation assessment plans for cultural collections

Background to the Report

The consultancy related to the Collections Management objective of the National Strategy for the Conservation and Preservation of Australia's Cultural Heritage Collections, that is 'To ensure that collection management and access programs incorporate conservation and preservation procedures and practices'and specifically address Key Strategy CM4 that is to 'Review existing Australian and international models for conservation and preservation assessment plans, including risk analysis models and asset management, and promote the use of best practice examples'.

Objectives

The objectives of the project were for the consultancy to:

* review existing national and international models for conservation and preservation assessment plus;
* assess their applicability to the Australian museums sector;
* consult with conservators and heritage consultants undertaking conservation assessments in Australia;
* Document local and regional issues in relation to conservation and preservation assessment; and draft a report recommending best practice models.

Considerable debate occurred within the consortium about who would use the guidelines. In particular, should they be specifically for small and regional museums to use to prepare their own conservation plans or were they for the use of the heritage industry more broadly. The final consensus was that the guidelines would be for the use of the heritage industry more broadly and that they would be presented in a way that would allow both clients (collection custodians) and service providers (conservators, curators, historians, architects) to use them to understand each other's requirements, expectations and constraints.

The consortium anticipates that the guidelines, once refined through practical application, could be developed into an agreed formal industry standard. At the outset there was no intention to create a 'pro forma' approach to the guidelines, rather the approach was to define the fundamental principles which need to be addressed in preparing an assessment plan.

Project Methodology

The consortium applied a strategic planning methodology to develop the guidelines. Existing plans, models, systems and related material from international, national and local sources were reviewed and their applications, strengths and weaknesses assessed. A draft model was developed and tested against the requirements of Australian colleagues through a series of brainstorming workshops in Sydney and in South Australia. Through this process the opportunities and constraints for the application of the model were determined. The draft model was then further refined.

The project methodology, broken down into activities, was as follows:

* Undertaking a preliminary review of existing national and international models to develop draft assessment criteria. A list of organisations contacted is presented in Appendix 1 of the report. To assess the strengths and weakness of the models a standardised set of assessment criteria was developed (see Section 5 of the report).
* Conducting a brain storming session among/by the project team to develop a general strategic approach to conservation assessment planning.
* Developing draft assessment criteria for reassessing existing national and international models.
* In order to test the early conclusions of the project team, a workshop of industry representatives was held to examine how the model would be used, who would use it, and the assessment criteria for existing models.
* Undertaking a detailed assessment of existing national and international models.
*Developing design criteria for an Australian model.
* Developing the preliminary draft model outline. Based on the design criteria and drawing together the key elements of existing models, a preliminary draft model outline was developed. This would be used to illustrate the design concepts to participants in subsequent consultative workshops.
* Conducting workshops to consult with heritage industry about draft model outline. Two workshops were held to present the model design concepts to industry representatives from both large and small collecting institutions. Based on feedback from these workshops the model outline was further refined.
*Developing the final version of the model. The refined model was developed into its completed form by expanding each of the elements and developing examples to illustrate their meaning.
*Presenting the model to Collections Management and Conservation Working Party via Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts.
* Posting the draft model on the Australian Museums On Line website and inviting comment.
* Refining the web version and getting people to use and continue to provide feedback.

Consultative Process

The scope of the project placed some limitations on the extent to which widespread consultation could take place. Nevertheless, the project team felt that broad consultation was essential to the future acceptance of the model. A two stage consultative strategy was developed which could be adapted to fit a variety of conditions.

The initial and principal stage of consultation consisted of a series of three workshops held at critical times in the development phase of the project. The workshops were held at: the State Library of New South Wales, Sydney; the Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide; and the Copper Coast Council Town Hall, Kadina, SA.

A summary of the outcomes of these workshops is presented in Volume 1 of the report, with a list of workshop participants presented at Appendix 2.

The final stage of consultation will occur after presentation of the draft model. This process will consist of posting the model on the Australian Museums On Line website and inviting comments via e-mail from potential users. These comments will help shape the strategy for promoting the model to the industry and may also result in further refinement of the model.

Recommendations and Conclusions

During the implementation of the consultancy, especially in the process of widespread consultation, the project team found general enthusiasm for the review process and the development of a national model for conservation assessment for Australian collections. Similarly, both national and international organisations that provided information were keen to see the outcomes of the consultancy.

Small museums that were consulted were especially enthusiastic about the model because it provided them with a clearer opportunity to be involved in the conservation assessment of their organisations as opposed to "just being told what to do by visiting experts".

The model, which has been developed as the major outcome of the project, is largely an amalgamation of the best aspects of a number of existing systems. A number of outstanding examples of assessment plans were examined, including:

* The illustrated Burra charter : Making good decisions about the care of important places (P Marquis-Kyle and M Walker, Australis ICOMOS - 1994).
* Preserving natural science collections : Chronicle of our environmental heritage (National Institute for Conservation of Cultural Property (1993).
* Levels of Collection Care (Museum and Galleries Commission of the UK - 1998).
* The Conservation Assessment : A tool for planning, implementing and fundraising (Getty Conservation Institute/National Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Property - 1990).

The application of the above approaches and other ideas and suggestions to the development of an Australian model should lead to conservation assessments which are more transparent and accountable. Stakeholder consultation and broader terms of reference in the assessment process are strongly emphasised as ways of ensuring reports are more practical and have greater stakeholder support.

Though the brief for this project did not ask the project team to advise on the future use of the model, the team believes that the draft model should be seen in the context of a longer term strategy. Therefore, four recommendations are provided which indicate the teams suggestion for the future development of the outcomes of the project.

* The posting of the model on Australian Museums On-Line should be structured to provide an opportunity for industry dialogue and debate, which will further refine the model. Such debate will assist in the development of a focused campaign to promote the model to all sectors of the industry.
* The model should be presented in an illustrated booklet format, which is readily accessible to all users: museums and conservators. In particular, small and regional museums that will be the purchasers of conservation assessments should be able to refer to the booklet to inform themselves about the conservation assessment process and engage in constructive discussions with the service provider.
* Conservators will be the principal implementers of the model. To encourage adoption of the model by conservators nationally, the Heritage Collections Council should work closely with the Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Material to promote the model. It may be possible for the Institute to link the use of the model to its professional accreditation program.
* In the long term, and if there is industry consensus, the model should be developed into a formal industry standard. Such a standard will ensure a high level of quality in the preparation of conservation assessment plans to support and improve the preservation of Australia's cultural heritage.

Download

Enquiries

Joy Suliman
National Project Manager

Tel: +61 02 9217 0347

Email