May 2012
Vol. 37, No. 3
Inside
AIC News 5
FAIC News 6
Allied Organizations 8
Sustainable Conservation Practice 9
People 12
In Memoriam 12
Courses, Conferences, & Seminars 17
Annual Meeting 2012
Exhibitors & Sponsors 22
BPG Discussion Groups continues on page 3
BPG Discussion Groups:
That was Then, This is Now
By Penley Knipe, Nancy Ash, Scott Homolka, Stephanie Lussier, Sarah Reidell, and
Kristen St. John
With its emphasis on outreach and advocacy with allied professionals, AIC’s 40th Annual
Meeting in May 2012 seems the right time and place to revisit the origins and evolution
of the Book and Paper Group (BPG) discussion groups. This is especially true for the
first group formed, the Library Collections Conservation Discussion Group (LCCDG),
which started in Albuquerque at AIC’s 1991 Annual Meeting. This topic is also timely
as the Book and Paper Group considers adding a third discussion group: Art on Paper
Discussion Group, (see box on page 4) and as other Specialty Groups ponder the
discussion group model as a way to best serve diverse constituents. As the conservation
community matures and expands, interactive and collaborative programs like discussion
groups are an effective way to create inclusive content.
Library Collections Conservation Discussion Group (LCCDG)
The origins of LCCDG within AIC in the late 1980s and early 1990s are complex. Book
conservators had other parallel venues to gather and exchange information but were
eager for opportunities to contextualize the AIC annual meeting presentations and were
fueled by the dynamic meeting style of other cultural organizations such as the American
Library Association (ALA).
The Library Collections Conservation Discussion Group first formed as an
outgrowth of a liaison relationship between AIC and the ALA in 1990. LCCDG grew
for two years under the informal and vibrant leadership of Robert Espinosa, before
Maria Grandinette and Randy Silverman became the first co-chairs in Albuquerque
in 1991. In the intervening 21 years, there have been 14 different co-chairs in 10 pair-
ings. The first two pairings oversaw LCCDG activities for 12 years; Grandinette and
Silverman from 1991–1999, and Ethel Hellman and Meg Brown from 1999–2003.
Since the 2004–2005 pairing of Heather Caldwell and Beth Doyle, the chairs have
instituted a voluntary rotation and two year participation policy that mirrors similar
practices instituted by ALA and other non-profit volunteer organizations. This policy
ensures fresh and enthusiastic participation by BPG members, especially by early-and
mid-career conservators.
LCCDG was AIC’s first non-SG group of individuals interested in similar topics to
formally convene at an AIC annual meeting. The history of LCCDG has been excel-
lently described by Brown and Hellman in the AIC News (2004, vol. 29, no. 3) and the
BPG Annual (2001, vol. 20 p. 43–48) with full details on the range of past sessions and
topics. Early long-form sessions were designed to make the annual meeting presenta-
tions more practical and to take book repair “out of the basement.” Of particular note
was the session held in Buffalo in 1992; a day-long post-conference program devoted to
classifying treatments by type and application as well as evaluating and describing specific
repair techniques. Samples were prepared by conservators and vendors in an attempt to
Albuquerque Convention Center/
Hyatt Regency Albuquerque
Albuquerque, New Mexico
www.conservation-us.org/meetings
MAY 8 –11, 2012
Albuquerque
New Mexico
Connecting to Conservation:
Outreach and Advocacy
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Fellowships, Positions Available, and Classified Ads
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IC NEWS STAFF
Lisa Goldberg, Editor
Eryl P. Wentworth, Managing Editor
James Martin, Editor, New Materials & Research
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AIC NEWS
From the Executive Director
2
AIC NEWS
, May 2012
As this issue of AIC News reaches your homes or work
places, many of you will be preparing to leave for AIC’s
40th Annual Meeting, taking place in Albuquerque,
New Mexico. This year’s theme of outreach, which was
selected by popular vote, has attracted a record number of
submissions for presentations. It has inspired us to stretch
in many ways—to accept many more papers, to try many
more concurrent sessions, and to encourage new formats.
We are eager to see how a somewhat restructured Annual
Meeting works for you and look forward to reading the
post-meeting evaluations that will help us to determine our approach to future meetings.
There is much to celebrate this year and much to reflect on as AIC celebrates an
important anniversary. Be sure to join us at the Members Business Meeting where, over
breakfast, you will learn of the current state of AIC and its Foundation, and help us create
the vision of where you’d like to see AIC at its 50th anniversary.
I look forward to the opportunity to speak with as many of you as possible, and I
welcome your ideas for future directions.
—Eryl P. Wentworth, AIC and FAIC Executive Director
ewentworth [at] conservation-us __ org
Angels Projects in New Mexico
Tuesday, May 8, 8:00
AM
– 5:00
PM
This year, we will be hosting two Angels Projects: one project co-sponsored with
ASG at San Miguel Chapel in Santa Fe, and one at the Sandoval County Historical
Society in Bernalillo.
SANDOVAL COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
AIC members will perform conservation and preservation services at the Sandoval
County Historical Society. These services will include such activities as examination
and rehousing of the Historical Society’s archived materials, as well as documentation
and securing of photos used for educational purposes.
SAN MIGUEL CHAPEL
San Miguel Chapel is one of the oldest
religious buildings in the United States.
The chapel’s historic significance includes
archaeological remains that date from
pre-contact times to the 20th century, as
well as Spanish Colonial woodwork and
historic paintings.
The day will be spent learning traditional
earthen building skills, including making
adobe bricks, and helping to preserve an
adobe treasure.
Photo Credits
San Miguel Chapel,
Taken 6/29/02 by Pretzelpaws
Wikimedia Commons.