Conservation and Cataloging 101

Recently at Fanshawe Pioneer Village I had the opportunity to work on conserving and cataloging some new artifact acquisitions.  Shanna, the curator, gave me a few lessons and let me loose to learn by doing.  I documented my first real curatorial experience to share with all of you.  Enjoy!

This is what waited for me at work last week.

Tin trucks! Before adding them to the collection, 

these artifacts needed to be cleaned and cataloged.

My supplies

First step is to remove as much dirt and debris 

with brushes.  Unfortunately since these toys 

were covered with grime, the brushed did little 

more than move the dirt around.

Next I used a soft cloth to removed more dust.

This is a solution of orvus and water.

I'm not sure the ratio, as Shanna 

mixed it for me in advance.

Just a little of this solution on a soft rag to get it 

damp does wonders.  Check out that dirt from just 

one side of the truck.  I went through a lot of rags.

For all the nooks and crannies I used q-tips.  

I went through even more of these than rags.

Immediately after cleaning, I went over with a dry rag.

I cleaned the trucks in sections, with some 

being more challenging/time consuming than others

Finally all shiny and clean! 

(It took me two full days to do all five.)

After they were clean we did a photo shoot.  

Part of this was for cataloging the items later, 

and some for the museum newsletter 

which often features new acquisitions.

This is one of my favorite shots.

 Next was cataloging.  I entered the new artifacts 

into the PastPerfect database.  Notice the tape 

measure for including dimensions, and the 

research to discuss the history of the trucks.

Every new artifact is given an accession number.  

This number is also written on the item so it can

be easily identified in the collection database.

The first step is putting a layer of clear lacquer on the truck.

 

Then the number is applied with a quick-drying ink.  

I used India ink which I applied with a nib pen.

This took quite the steady hand, but once the ink was dry 

I covered the numbers with another layer of clear lacquer.

  Unfortunately, until the new Visitor Centre is built, there 

is no place to display the trucks.  So into storage they go.

Two days of work complete with many   

conservation and cataloging lessons learned.

Some of you may have noticed that I didn't wear gloves during this process.  Now that these artifacts have been accessioned, you would typically wear gloves when handling them.  However, when cleaning gloves can actually cause more harm by not allowing a firm grip, leading to dropping the artifacts. This is why I do not have on the typical white gloves during the cleaning process.

Fanshawe Pioneer Village

One of the things i like about the UWO Public History grad program (other than it being a one-year non-thesis program) is that we have the opportunity to do a research assistantship rather than a teaching assistantship.  Even better, we have the opportunity to complete this RA at one of the local historical institutions.  Earlier this summer, our program director contacted us with a list of institutions and research projects form which to choose.  I submitted my top three, and waited to hear back.  I was thrilled to be placed at my top choice: Fanshawe Pioneer Village.

Now, those of you that are familiar with my work experience know that I worked at Greenfield Village for several years.  FPV is a similar living history institution, although it is smaller in scope.  To quote their mission, "Fanshawe Pioneer Village will partner with the community to educate about the past, collect and preserve local history and accurately interpret one century of time from 1820 - 1920."  They collect an preserve objects and building to tell the story of the founding and settlement of London up to 1840 and the settlement and rural development of the former townships of Westminster, London, West Nissouri, North Dorchester, Delaware and Lobo 1790 to 1920.

This year I will be working with the Director of Operations/Curator.  I am excited and a little apprehensive because I do not have any curatorial experience.  However, I have decided that I want to diversity my museum work outside the comfort zone of interpretation and special events.  Many smaller museums require their employees to be jack-of-all-trades, so the more varied my skills the better.  It sounds as if I will involved in two projects.  I'll be working on digitizing their collection records - which is also good registrar experience - as well as assisting in closing down the buildings and reopening them in the spring.  With the latter, I will get some hands-on artifact experience as well.

My first day was this past Friday, and wasn't quite sure what to expect.  It started out with the typical new job paperwork, and some training videos to watch as well as reading to do.  In the afternoon, one of the educational program employees took me on a guided tour of the Village.  Following the tour, I was given a crash course in PastPerfect, the collections management software most Canadian museums use.  It was practically an avalanche of information to absorb!

Everyone was welcoming and it seems like a wonderful work environment.  I believe I lucked out and am in for a great time, and a fantastic experience to add to my resume.