M.S.I.S Candidate, University of Texas-Austin, School of Information
C.A.S. Conservation Candidate, Kilgarlin Center for Preservation of the Cultural Record
Summer Fieldwork 2006: Robert H.H. Hugman’s San Antonio Riverwalk: A Texas Treasure, with Lessons in Project Management
Treatment ReportPowerPoint PresentationWebsite(Coming Soon)
Preservation Needs Assessment Survey of the Pre-1945 USGS Topographical Maps at the Perry-Castenada Library, University of Texas-Austin
As part of a Management of Preservation Programs course, Fletcher Durant, Megan Durden, and Kayoko Shimanuki, three graduate students in the School of Information conducted a needs assessment survey of the Pre-1945 United States Geographical Survey (USGS) Topographical Map Collection located at the Perry-Castañeda Library (PCL) at The University of Texas at Austin. This collection, part of the larger Map Collection in the basement of the PCL, consists of approximately 5,690 maps. These maps are among the most heavily used items in the collection.
Recommendations for improving the physical condition of the collection include: expanding and improving the current housing of the maps so that collection is stored solely in chemically stable metal flat files, with ten maps to a folder and three folders to a drawer; oversized maps should be moved to oversized flat files; and brittle and breaking maps should be encapsulated in Mylar sleeves, halting the current practice of lamination.
Current Research: The Role of Functionality in the Treatment Decision-Making Process
This research will examine the role of the book as a “functional object” in the conversation between conservators and curators regarding treatment decisions in research library collections. Successful treatments must balance material strengths with curatorial notions of use. However, current conservation theory provides only partial insight into approaches that integrate the limitations of functionality into treatment considerations. This paper seeks to investigate the place of functionality in contemporary theory and discuss current practices in research library collections.
The initial approach will analyze the role of function in contemporary theory, as expounded by Cesare Brandi and Salvador Munoz Vinas, examining the theoretical approaches that can be meaningfully applied to the decision-making process for book treatments. Next, research will investigate the practical considerations of use in the treatment of general and special collections material at the University of Texas Libraries and the Harry Ransom Center. The final area of research will be a case-study of use-based treatment decisions in the treatment of KCPCR 06-92, a tight-joint, quarter-bound copy of Viollet-Le-Duc’s Histoire d’Une Fortresse [1874] from the Architecture and Planning Library’s Paul Phillipe Cret Collection. The supposition of this research is that the role of functionality in treatment decision-making processes necessitates compromises between the curator, who determines institutional use, and the conservator, who determines the limits of operability.
Bibliography (Coming Soon)
Binding and Repair Manual for Book Labs I&II
Instructions for the coursework of the Book Lab I&II courses at the Kilgarlin Center, including: Four-Flap Wrappers, Two-Hole Link Stitch Textblock Sewing, Rounding and Backing, Various Case Constructions, and Cloth Rebacks.
Albumen Prints: Their History, Conservation, and Care
Much of the legacy of 19th century photography is found in albumen photographs. As many as 80% of the surviving prints from the 19th century are albumen prints, and these prints are extremely susceptible to the ravages of time and poor care. It is estimated that as many as 95% of all albumen photographs are suffering moderate to severe deterioration. While further collection surveys have likely uncovered more albumen prints since these figures were published in 1982, the deterioration of albumen prints stems from albumen chemistry and the physical mounting of the images and it is unlikely that substantial numbers of newly discovered images would be free from damage.
Albumen is the collective name for albumin proteins dispersed in water, as is found in the whites of chicken eggs. When the albumen is mixed with chloride, applied to paper, and sensitized with silver nitrate, it forms a photo-sensitive surface that produces rich tones and highly detailed images. The growing understanding of the historic and aesthetic importance of these photographs had led to a steady stream of published literature on the subject over the past twenty-five years, including a very comprehensive website developed in 2000. This paper will use those resources to present an introduction to the history, manufacture, identification, conservation, and care of albumen photographs.