Climate control for the passive conservation of the romanesque painted wooden ceiling in the church of Zillis (Switzerland)

Abstract

Extensive investigations of the deterioration of the romanesque painted wooden ceiling in the church of Saint Martin in Zillis (Switzerland) have revealed three major active deterioration phenomena: (1) tented flaking of paint layers; (2) flaking of the wheat starch fixative together with parts of the paint layer; and (3) fungal growth. These deterioration processes correlate with the dynamics of the prevailing room climate. Both forms of flaking are mainly driven by fluctuations of the relative humidity (RH), whereas the fungal attack can be related to high average RH and stagnant air. Frequent daily fluctuations in RH of up to 20% in summer are due to visitors leaving the doors open, while fluctuations of up to 25% are related to heating in winter. Given the risks of new consolidation treatments, the aim is to slow the decay processes by influencing the climate in the room. Installation of automatic door-closers reduced fluctuations but led to a rise in RH and a reduction of air movement, causing greater fungal growth. Subsequently, an automatic air-exchange system triggered by absolute humidity values was installed to reduce excess humidity and to exchange stale air without producing major fluctuations in the relative humidity. This kind of 'climatisation' has the advantage of being highly flexible, allowing variation of the rate and scale of exchange; it is, moreover, truly reversible.     

The polychromed plasterwork of the Corral de Villalpando brothers. Historical study,scientific examination,conservation problems and possibilities of treatment

Abstract

Juan and Jerónimo del Corral, the former an architect and the latter a sculptor, developed their artistic activities in Castile during the second third of the sixteenth century. The originality of their work lies not only in their technique but also in their iconography: they combine the Spanish tradition of plaster work with the influence of the Italian Renaissance. This paper is a documentary and stylistic study of their work and discusses the problems of technique and conservation of the cupolas and walls of polychromed and gilded plaster relief. Due to its characteristics and its sensitivity to moisture, gypsum is a material which poses specific problems of behaviour and treatment. The various deteriorations it undergoes are shown as well as their causes and possible treatment. Scientific examination has been mainly directed towards the investigation of the support by IR and EDX spectrometry, the analysis of the polychromy by microscopy and the identification of the media by gas chromatography. The results show that the Corral brothers used a homogeneous technique for the plaster support, following the Hispano-Moresque tradition, whereas the polychromy shows various influences. As regards biological deterioration, two different groups of microorganisms were surveyed: bacteria and fungi. The results obtained in areas with and without polychromy and with various levels of moisture have been compared by different sampling techniques. Nitrifying and sulphate-reducing bacteria have been identified, which are responsible for the deterioration of stone monuments.     

Online event-based conservation documentation: A case study from the IIC website

There is a wealth of conservation-related resources that are published online on institutional and personal websites. There is value in searching across these websites, but this is currently impossible because the published data do not conform to any universal standard. This paper begins with a review of the types of classifications employed for conservation content in several conservation websites. It continues with an analysis of these classifications and it identifies some of their limitations that are related to the lack of conceptual basis of the classification terms used. The paper then draws parallels with similar problems in other professional fields and investigates the technologies used to resolve them. Solutions developed in the fields of computer science and knowledge organization are then described. The paper continues with the survey of two important resources in cultural heritage: the ICOM-CIDOC-CRM and the Getty vocabularies and it explains how these resources can be combined in the field of conservation documentation to assist the implementation of a common publication framework across different resources. A case study for the proposed implementation is then presented based on recent work on the IIC website. The paper concludes with a summary of the benefits of the recommended approach. An appendix with a selection of classification terms with reasonable coverage for conservation content is included.     

Climatological analysis in relation to the conservation of a sixteenth-century spanish polychrome wooden ceiling

Abstract

A sixteenth-century Spanish wooden ceiling was installed in the Morning Room of Hearst Castle in the early 1920s. Since that time, the adhesion between the ground/paint layer and its wooden support has weakened considerably. As a first step in designing an effective conservation program, it was necessary to assess the role of the environment in this deterioration process. Air movement patterns, humidity and temperature parameters, air pollutants, and the impact of approximately one million visitors per year on the microclimate were studied over a one-year period. Correlations between the various components of the study were mapped, including CO₂ concentrations vis-à-vis the number of visitors, and humidity and temperature changes in relation to tourists, air circulation patterns and variations in the external climate. As a result of this study, temporary measures were taken to improve the conditions of the immediate environment and proposals were made for more permanent solutions.     

Collaboration with the Business Career Services Office: A case study at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

This article presents a case study of the collaboration between the Business Career Services Office (BCSO) and the Business and Economics Library (BEL) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The collaboration with BCSO helped BEL to become a strategic partner to both the College of Business and to graduate Business students. A survey instrument used for program assessment demonstrated that library instruction helped students to realize the benefits of using library resources for their research and to feel confident in their research skills. This article suggests that instructional collaboration with student services can be a powerful tool to demonstrate the role of academic librarian as pedagogical partner, both to classroom faculty and to other campus constituencies.     

A study of the effects of conservation treatment on the Fanshawe Archive

Abstract

Valence House Museum (Dagenham, England) has, since 1963, housed not only a large collection of Fanshawe family portraits but also a very rich family archive which comprises estate and private papers from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries of at least two branches of the family. Of national and international interest are the papers of Sir Richard Fanshawe (1608-66) relating to his three embassies to the Iberian peninsula in the 1660s. Three documents from this collection were taken for conservation and treated using both aqueous and non-aqueous methods of deacidification. Prior to treatment, the papers were characterized using the techniques of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), electron spectroscopy for chemical analysis (ESCA or XPS), thermogravimetry (TGA) and thermomechanical analysis (TMA and DLTMA). Measurements showed that the three papers were similar in composition and were basically cellulosic materials with varying trace levels of Fe and Cu impurities. All three documents contained iron gall ink; the ink of the Dublin letter had an additional feature in the form of small bright specks which were characterized as a form of mica. After conservation treatment the papers were examined using the above techniques in an attempt both to determine and to quantify any changes which had occurred during the treatment process. Scanning electron micrographs showed that pronounced changes had occurred in the surfaces of the treated papers. With XPS it was possible to measure the change in the surface composition of the papers which occurred on treatlp.ent. It was also found that the treatment reduced the thermal stability of the papers in all three cases.     

Usage of electronic journals and their effect on interlibrary loan: A case study at the University of Nevada, Reno

As libraries increase their electronic journal collections, would dependence on interlibrary loan decrease? This paper reports a case study at the University of Nevada, Reno, University Libraries (UNR) focusing on the usage of the Elsevier online journal package and interlibrary loan (ILL) borrowing activities. It analyzes four-years' worth of UNR usage and ILL statistics, gathered between July 1999 and June 2003. It also provides observations and explanations from a perspective beyond statistics, at the level of library services and the campus demographic and research environments.     

Usage of electronic journals and their effect on interlibrary loan: A case study at the University of Nevada,Reno

As libraries increase their electronic journal collections, would dependence on interlibrary loan decrease? This paper reports a case study at the University of Nevada, Reno, University Libraries (UNR) focusing on the usage of the Elsevier online journal package and interlibrary loan (ILL) borrowing activities. It analyzes four-years' worth of UNR usage and ILL statistics, gathered between July 1999 and June 2003. It also provides observations and explanations from a perspective beyond statistics, at the level of library services and the campus demographic and research environments.     

The secrets of failing better: Accessible publishing at SAGE. A case study

Key points

• Accessibility is often misunderstood as a concept that is niche or of secondary importance.
• Reframing accessibility as improving the overall user experience instantly changes the perspective; accessibility becomes a critical requirement worthy of investment and resources.
• The single most prevalent complaint amongst librarians is the time it takes to get hold of accessible content.
• An accessibility roadmap provides structure and transparency for digital accessibility projects within the organization.
• Publishers' non‐compliance with accessibility standards will increase their risk of sales declines and legal complications over time.
• The SAGE A.C.C.E.S.S.I.B.L.E mnemonic offers suggestions on how to devise a successful accessible publishing programme.

     

When the road to academic success goes through the library: A case study at the University of Seville

University libraries are adapting to the new study, learning, and research needs of the university communities that they serve. In an environment of economic tweaking, a trend toward the performance of investments, the progressive digitization of resources and services, and easy access to information in digital format, universities are compelled to show that they are still cost-efficient for the institutions that they serve; in this case, the University. This paper will use a robust methodology based on multiple indicators and a broad database that takes into consideration other control variables of a socio-demographic, economic, and academic nature to analyze the impact that the library circulation service can have on student academic performance. Our results show that there is a clear positive relationship between the number of library loans that a student takes out and the various academic performance indicators used. Furthermore, the more intense the use that students make of the system, both in terms of time and renewals, the greater the academic success that they attain. Lastly, measures are proposed to exploit this positive synergy and realize university excellence.     

The conservation of wall paintings in Quito,Ecuador: two case studies

Abstract

Two projects undertaken as part of a Unesco project for the conservation of the cultural heritage of Ecuador are described. Wall paintings in the dome of the church of EI Sagrario in Quito had been damaged by watersoluble salts carried by penetrating rainwater. The dome was protected with a hydrophobic coating and allowed to dry out prior to treatment of the paintings. As part of a programme to train Ecuadorean specialists, paintings on the south wall of a cloister in the convent of San Diego were selected as a model of conservation work.     

Knowledge sharing practices: A case study at Malaysia’s healthcare research institutes

The main objective of this study was to investigate the perception of the researchers and officers within the National Institutes of Health Malaysia (NIH) about their understanding of knowledge sharing practices in their respective environment. Questions included: what are the perceptions of the respondents with regard to the knowledge sharing practices in their respective institutions? What are the benefits for knowledge sharing practices as perceived by them? What are their perceived organisational knowledge sharing practices motivating factors? Also, what are the hindering factors? The survey of the researchers and officers of the NIH was distributed to 400 respondents from the six research institutes under NIH: Institute for Medical Research (IMR), Institute for Public Health (IPH), Network for Clinical Research Centres (CRC), Institute for Health Management (IHM), Institute for Health Systems Research (IHSR) and Institute for Health Promotion (IHP). The responses indicated that knowledge sharing depends on the context of encouraging and rewarding the practices of organisational knowledge sharing. The findings suggest four factors – Environment and Infrastructure, Management Support, Culture and Technology – as significant determinants in influencing the organisational knowledge sharing practices among the employees. The study was limited to the perceptual aspect of the issue, specifically from the individuals’ opinions and sentiments.