Which to Use? Conservation, Preservation, or Restoration? Featuring our Ancient Order of Druids: Record of Minutes
By Shala Scarlato
Collections are a land of stories and mementos waiting for their time to shine. They sit in covered boxes so that outside elements don’t further degrade them. The question often asked is, “Why not just restore it?” That’s a good question. Why not?
To first understand why not, we must look at the concepts of conservation versus restoration. According to the International Council of Museums, there are three types of conservation: preventive conservation, remedial conservation, and restoration. The decision of which to use depends on the quality of the document or item as it comes in. Preventive conservation is when archivists place the item in a controlled and stable climate. Remedial conservation is when we attempt to stop current damage and reinforce the item. Restoration is when we must take more drastic measures because the item has lost significance or function.
For example, our well-worn Italian Ancient Order of Druids ledger. The spine is weak, some of the pages are loose, and a rodent seems to have taken an interest in the book at some point. Yet even with the failing structure, all the pages are there, and they can be read, once translated from the original Italian. We could send the book off to be rebound, but then small things like pieces of tobacco between the pages, coffee stains, and the stretched spine would be removed. These are characteristics of the book and how it was used. Instead of restoring the book, we preserve it in its form. Instead of rebinding the book, we allow it to stay in the form it was given to us, while keeping its history intact.
So, how does one share an item that is in such a state? With the Ancient Order of Druids ledger, we placed the book on a tray, then used fine paintbrushes to softly brush out dirt. Then we took photographs of each page and any loose pages within the book. Now the images of the pages have been compiled into a PDF, and it can be read and translated without causing any more harm or stress to the artifact. Preserving the artifact the way it came to us, with the information now available, without having to handle the fragile artifact.
