2023 Webinar Archives

Fire is one of the greatest threats to museums and other cultural properties. Safeguarding these institutions and their collections requires fire suppression systems in addition to effective fire prevention measures. This presentation will provide an overview of the various types of fire suppression systems appropriate for cultural properties, including wet, dry and pre-action sprinkler systems, as well as water mist, total flooding clean agent, and hypoxic air systems. We will look at their benefits and drawbacks, as well as the practical application for small and mid-sized institutions of these systems in the museum environment.

The Poison Book Project investigates potentially toxic heavy metals used in 19th-century, mass-produced Euro-American bookbindings, a common object type found across small and mid-sized institutions. This webinar will share practical advice on how to identify these potentially toxic books, as well as health and safety recommendations institutions large and small can use when they have identified poison books in their collections.

If you have suspicions that arsenic may be present in your collection, this webinar will review methods for detection, personal protective equipment, and how to work with these collections safely and effectively. Examples of the types of objects that contain arsenic, either through application of residual pesticides or by manufacture, include medicinal kits, geological specimens, dyed textiles, Indigenous materials with a museum history, and natural history specimens. This webinar builds from the Connecting to Collections, 2016’s “Arsenic and Old Lace: Controlling Hazardous Collection Materials” and will include and expand pertinent information.