Have you ever opened a mysterious box in collections storage and found live gunpowder? Worked with moldy books for a little too long? Found mouse droppings on incoming manuscript collections? Been in the room with something radioactive? You’re not alone. This virtual webinar on hazardous materials in museum and archive collections will delve into the reality of caring for real or potentially dangerous collections. Our presenters will share four case studies of hazardous materials they’ve encountered on the job and discuss how they triaged in the moment and enacted protocols for future situations. We will hone in on how to balance human safety and collections longevity while working with materials that pose risks to staff, visitors, or other objects.  

Presenters:

Erica Donnis has more than twenty-five years of experience working as an archivist, museum curator, and collections consultant. Currently a Congressional Papers Archivist and Associate Professor at the University of Vermont, Erica leads the team working on the arrangement, description, and preservation of Senator Patrick Leahy’s papers. She is the President of the Collections Care & Conservation Alliance, a member of the Vermont Historical Records Advisory Board, and serves on the steering committee for the Society of American Archivists' Manuscript Repositories Section.

Katharine F. Grant is the Collections Manager at the Vermont Historical Society, caring for a collection of over 30,000 objects. She has more than a decade of curatorial, collections care, and archival experience, with expertise in American material culture. Prior to working with the Vermont Historical Society, Katie has held positions with the Heard Libraries at Vanderbilt University, the Trustees of Reservations historic collections team, and Winterthur Museum. Katie also currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Willard House and Clock Museum. 

Webinar attendees will have the opportunity to pose detailed follow up questions at a virtual Conversation with Colleagues on Thursday, October 1st from 12:00-1:00 pm EDT. All those who register for the webinar are invited to attend.

Pre-registration is required and a Zoom link for the meeting will be sent to you closer to the meeting date. Space in the workshop is limited to 100 participants. Please register by 9am Wednesday, September 23rd.  We cannot guarantee that late registrants will receive the link to the webinar.  You will, however, get the link to the recording.

If you can’t make it to the live event, you can still register for the workshop and we will send you the recording once it becomes available.

The cost of the virtual workshop is as follows:

$15 for anyone who wishes to attend

If you have applied for and been accepted as a Professional Affiliate Member of the CCCA or have made a donation of at least $25 this year as a Friend of the CCCA:  $10

If you have applied for and been accepted as an Emerging Professional or Student Member of the CCCA:  FREE

Details &  registration at https://collectionscarealliance.org/workshops-events

You can pay with a credit card without setting up an account. If you need to pay by check please email us at collectionscarealliance@gmail.com

Your workshop fees and additional donations help our growing community of conservation and preservation professionals aid regional cultural heritage organizations in the care and conservation of their collections and materials.  As a non-profit corporation registered in the state of Vermont, the CCCA relies on the support of our membership and community to help us develop and promote affordable opportunities for training and networking and to improve the long-term preservation of these vulnerable collections. Thank you!

WHEN REGISTERING, PLEASE BE SURE TO SCROLL UP: YOUR CART WILL BE IN THE UPPER RIGHT HAND CORNER. CLICK ON IT TO COMPLETE THE REGISTRATION PROCESS. THANK YOU!