At the end of last year, two new handbooks were published, the second in November and entitled “Preventive preservation of textile works” by Þórdís Anna Baldursdóttir, editor. In December it was published "A Manual on Exhibition Design and Preservation of Museum Artifacts" in two parts by curator Nathalie Jacqueminet. Both projects received grants from the main allocation of the museum fund.
Numerous museums in Iceland preserve works of art made from textiles, and they come in a variety of forms. The introduction to the handbook on preventive conservation of textile works states that the key is to consider the condition and preservation of the works before they begin to deteriorate.
It covers, among other things, registration, condition monitoring, weaknesses in materials and technology, handling, packaging and finishing, freezing, cleaning, installation, environment and treatment of textiles in emergencies. Examples are given of packaging and installation of textile works, where conditions in museum storage and exhibition spaces must be taken into account.
A handbook on exhibition design and preservation by curator Nathalie Jacqueminet reviews important aspects of the exhibition preparation process. The handbook is in two parts, the first of which aims to examine how to display collections responsibly andavoid the risk of permanent damage. The manual can be downloaded here.
The second part of the guide is a kind of photo gallery where the author of the book has taken photographs steadily over the past 20 years with the intention of using them for educational purposes to look at what is done well and what could be done better, or simply for inspiration. These handbooks are a great asset to museum work and will undoubtedly be useful to diverse groups that work with and handle museum objects far and wide. The manual can be downloaded here.
The Museum Council's website contains a wealth of manuals and guidelines for accredited museums and people working in professional museum environments. There you can find information on things like volcanic eruption prevention, insect control in museum collections, and registration guidelines, to name a few. All guidelines are available on the Museum Council's website or can be downloaded in PDF format. here.