Environmental Agents
Museum London
421 Ridout Street North, London
Monday September 18 & Tuesday September 19, 2006
Bilingual Presentation
Registration fee: $195 (OAAG Members & Students), $250 (General)

This is an introduction to the strategic preservation of the collection 
against agents of deterioration, especially those environmental ones, 
such as light, relative humidity and atmospheric pollutants. The module 
will be in the form of a traditional presentation, group exercise, 
visit to a storage facility and/or exhibit and exercises using 
computerized equipment.

Learning Outcomes
Understand preservation principles;
Understand the effects of relative humidity, temperature, light and 
pollutants on objects;
Quantify the degree of preservation of objects in a given environment;
Implement a preservation strategy based on an analysis of priorities, 
costs and benefits.

Agenda

Preservation principles and assessment
Background and examination of the notion of standards versus 
guidelines. Preservation parameters such as object integrity, its 
current access (visibility) and its future access (preservation).Notion 
of preservation target and assessment of the degree of preservation of 
collections by using risk management concepts.

Light
Sensitivity of objects to light and UV rays. Notion of dose. 
Preservation assessment of objects against radiation. Guidelines on 
lighting levels. Reflection and glare problems.

Relative humidity and temperature
Sensitivity of objects to humidity and temperature fluctuations. 
Preservation assessment of objects against humidity. Guidelines. 
Control strategies.

Pollutants
Sensitivity of objects to various airborne pollutants in buildings. 
Preservation assessment of objects against pollutants. Guidelines. 
Control strategies. Preservation assessment of a collection
Preservation assessment using a simple computer program. Introduction 
to preservation indexes.

Improved preservation through a costs and benefits analysis.
Set action priorities based on preservation assessment results. Select 
strategic options based on a costs and benefits analysis. Prepare a 
preservation plan.

Visits to a collection storage room and/or an exhibit gallery
Application of concepts learned in class. Assessment of a site’s basic 
environment.

Facilitators

Jean Tétreault studied at the University of Montreal, where he received 
a Masters Degree in Science (analytical chemistry). In 1989, he joined 
the Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI), where he is currently 
working as an adviser and researcher on environmental condition 
directives, pollutants, exhibit and storage products and strategy on 
the preservation assessment of collections. Mr. Tétreault was the 
President of the Canadian Association for Conservation of Cultural 
Property from 1995 to 1997 and the principal author of directives on 
pollutant concentrations in museums and archives included in the 
“Museums, Libraries, and Archives” chapter of the 2003 ASHRAE 
Application Handbook. He has also presented numerous papers in Canada 
and Europe on exhibit and storage products. He is currently the acting 
manager of the Preventive Conservation Services Division of the CCI.

Clifford Cook received a Chemical Engineering Technology Diploma from 
Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Sciences in Ottawa. He joined CCI 
in 1978 and researched methods to preserve waterlogged wood and 
wood/metal composites. In 1987 he moved to the Historic Resource 
Conservation Branch of Parks Canada as an archaeological conservator. 
Cliff has recently returned to CCI as a Project Development Advisor in 
the Preventive Conservation Services. His teaching experience includes 
CCI workshops and college and university courses. He has presented and 
published papers on a variety of conservation topics.

To register or for more information please contact Suzanne 
Carte-Blanchenot at 416-598-0714, [log in to unmask] or sign up online 
at www.oaag.org.


	




Suzanne Carte-Blanchenot
Professional Development and Public Programs Coordinator
Ontario Association of Art Galleries
49 McCaul Street, Suite N2
Toronto, ON M5T 2W7
Tel: (416) 598-0714
Fax: (416) 598-4128
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
Web site: http://www.oaag.org