Onsite conservation

Flexible solutions delivered into your collection

The traditional approach to collection conservation is often all or nothing: severely damaged items are selected for full treatment, while the majority of material—exhibiting varying degrees of physical wear and structural deterioration—remains untreated.

This leads to several common consequences observed across most collections:

  • Many collections (particularly books and archives housed in cities) are unacceptably dirty. Dirt is not only unsightly but is acidic and causes cellulose decay. Its presence increases dust levels within the storage areas, which are then transferred throughout the collection.

  • Collections of bound volumes are allowed to become physically damaged, although not to the extent that they require immediate rebinding. Over periods of time, the backlog of slightly damaged and dirty material increases, and eventually the problem becomes too large to be tackled through traditional workshop-based conservation and rebinding.

  • Framed pictures are often exhibited for so long within the same context that they are taken for granted, and are no longer examined critically by members of staff. However, it is usually the one thing that visitors observe, so it is important for them to be well presented and appropriately mounted in archival quality board. Removing works of art from their frames in order to remount can usually be undertaken within the collection, with mounts, new glass and backboards prepared beforehand in our studio.

To tackle this problem, conservation methods have been developed to clean and repair damaged material on site. Referred to in the past as refurbishment, but also known as in situ conservation, this approach is particularly effective when applied to library and archive collections. It involves the removal of dirt and dust from text blocks and book covers; the repair and consolidation of damaged pages; the repair and support of broken binding structures; and the wrapping and enclosing of the most degraded items to prevent further decay while awaiting full binding treatment.

Working within the collection reduces transport, packing, and insurance costs, and ensures that all items remain accessible. Control of the collections stays with the custodian, who can liaise directly with conservators about treatments, storage, and any other issues that arise during the ongoing conservation programme.

I am always surprised by how many dirty, damaged, and poorly mounted works of art on paper adorn the walls of organisations—even those that demonstrate a strong commitment to conservation in other areas. Since framed works of art represent the public face of an institution, they can unintentionally convey a lack of care for collection preservation and, at the same time, reduce the longevity of many valuable items. The issue is rarely a lack of intent; more often, the pictures have been on display for so long in the same context that they are taken for granted and no longer critically assessed by staff. Yet this is often the first thing visitors notice, so it is important that works on display are clean and mounted using archival-quality materials.

Removing works of art from their frames for remounting is a relatively simple process that can usually be carried out on site. This reduces transport and insurance costs and ensures continued access to the collections. While the pictures are out of their frames, there is also the opportunity to perform basic cleaning and repairs, much of which can also take place in situ. As part of any remounting and cleaning programme, Preservation Solutions can also organise the professional rehanging of picture collections to rotate items and minimise the cumulative effects of environmental exposure.