Useful websites and books

If you are interested in conservation you might find the following websites| and books| useful.

Websites

Conservation in museums and galleries

• The Smithsonian Centre for Materials Research and Education an overview of many common conservation problems
• Museum of Scotland details investigative work done on one of the mummies in the Museum of Scotland’s collection
• The British Museum Department of Scientific Research the site details methods and application of scientific analysis to objects in the collections of the British Museum
• Victoria and Albert Museum the V&A’s policies on various aspects of collections management
• Tate Conservation information about how conservators care for the Tate collection
• The Courtauld Institute of Art details their institutions collections, exhibitions and education programmes
• The Metropolitan Museum Conservation Section a guide to conservation projects and practices at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
• The Museums Libraries and Archives Council the site discusses "Benchmarks in Collections Care” and helps to assess storage. The site has many links to other useful information sources
• Conserve O Grams short, focused leaflets about caring for museum objects
• Indoor air quality in museums and archives this web site contains information on the deterioration processes in cultural heritage objects caused by the indoor environment
• 24 Hour Museum news, listings and features from over 3,000 museums, galleries and heritage sites

Conservation advice and information

• Conservation Online a large conservation resource dealing with many topics in depth
• Canadian Conservation Institute detailed descriptions of how to look after all types of objects
• The Scottish Museums Council fact sheets on various conservation issues
• Henri D. Grissino-Mayer’s Ultimate Tree-Ring Web Pages dendrochronology explained with images and examples
• The Plastics Historical Society lots of information on the history of plastics, collecting, and conservation issues, including results of a museum survey of plastics
• The Scanning Electron Microscope this site explains how the scanning electron microscope works. It has a large picture library of beautiful SEM images of many animals, vegetables and minerals with a great quiz. The site also provides set of teacher’s notes.
• British Conservation Information Network bibliographic database of the conservation information network
• Royal Microscopical Society the website of the Royal Microscopical Society
• Try Science a virtual science museum. The site has lots of fun interactives and is easy to use.
• Physics.org ask anything, and get an answer tailored to your age, and how much you know about physics already
• What’s that bug? a site where people can search to identify insects that they see. They can also post pictures and questions.
• Mould and Mildew a look at the organisms and fungi that cause problems in museums
• Care and Handling of CDs and DVDs information on the care and handling of CDs and DVDs. Information on how such media work, what they are made of and how they are made.
• The World of Scanning Electron Microscopy what is scanning electron microscopy (SEM)? How does SEM work? This site has all the answers. Fascinating information and a beautiful picture library
• Conservation Physics – Index an index of physics terms and principles relevant to conservation
• American Institute of Conservation Research and Technical Studies Subgroup the site presents current conservation projects undertaken by the American Institute of Conservation.
• Conservation and Authentication Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign information obtained by x-raying mummies, and the results of investigations on many interesting objects
• The McMichael Canadian Art Collection the website gives information how best to look after your artwork (paintings and works on paper) at home.
• The McCrone Atlas of Microscopic Particles the site provides material identification information and general microscopy imaging from one of the main names in microscopy. Featuring “Particle of the Week”. NB: A subscription is required for full access.
• WebElements periodic table the periodic table giving information about each element
• Abstracts of International Conservation Literature search literature on conservation topics
• BBC Science a portal website providing the latest scientific news
• Preserv'Art an interactive database on products and equipment used in preventive conservation
• Commonwealth War Graves Commission the site enables relatives to discover where service people killed in the world wars may be buried
• CA Models Stirling an introduction to rapid prototyping and 5 axis machining technologies
• The University of Northumbria, Conservation Section an institution that runs painting conservation courses
• The Conservation Register a list of accredited (usually private) conservators in the UK
• The Hamilton Kerr Institute an institution that runs painting conservation courses
• Sotheby’s auction house for art, antiques, books, jewellery, toys, dolls, and other collectable memorabilia
• Bonhams art auctioneers and valuers of art, pictures, collectables and motorcars
• The Ocean Planet a virtual reality tour of the exhibition held at the National Museum of Natural History (USA) in 1995-6
• Molecular Expression – Museum of Microscopy a historic exploration of these beautiful and functional instruments. Examples range from rudimentary sixteenth century Dutch designs, to the ornate microscopes of eighteenth and nineteenth century Europe, to the latest microprocessor-powered models.
• CCD (Charged Coupled Devices) Group at UCL find out how charge coupled devices (CDD) work and how they are used in digital cameras, video and infrared cameras.

Local interest

• BBC Local History - Liverpool articles, personal recollections, and audio and video footage covering Liverpool street names, characters, landmarks and language
• Local history section of Toxteth.net details about Eros in Sefton Park and other pieces of local historical information
• Liverpool libraries online archive Liverpool libraries archives made available online.
• The City of Liverpool Website information on the history, location and access to local parks
• Liverpool 08, European Capital of Culture a guide to Liverpool’s cultural activities
• Disused Stations Site Record information of the demolished stations of Liverpool’s overhead railway
• BBC Local History - Western Approaches underground Liverpool, the history of Derby House and Western Approaches - part of the BBC local history website
• Mike Royal’s Local History Pages local history of Liverpool and its hinterland
• Liverpool City Council Pages – Indexes online Liverpool marriage indexes online, and information on how to access other local records
• Liverpool History Society information on local history events taking place across Liverpool
• The History of the Florrie the history of a local building, and attempts to preserve it. Part of the 24 Hour Museum site
• Chester Archaeological Society the website of the Chester Archaeological Society
• The Victorian Web details literature, history and culture in the age of Victoriana. This page discusses George Frampton’s Peter Pan, and Alfred Gilbert’s Eros

Books

• Gilded wood, Conservation and History, D Bigelow, Sound View Press
• National Trust Manual of Housekeeping - practical advice for caring for objects, though in a country house context. The National Trust
• The Art of the Picture Frame, Jacob Simon, National Portrait Gallery
• The Book of Picture Frames, Claus Grimm, Abaris
• Framing in the Golden Age - Picture and Frame in 17th Century Holland, Pieter JJ van Thiel and CJ de Bruyn Kops, Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam (English edition publication by John Davies Framing Ltd)