Earthquakes can be devastating to building structures and their contents for small and mid-sized institutions, resulting in extended recovery periods based on accessibility and structural reinforcement, and they affect numerous regions throughout the United States. During this webinar, part of AIC’s MayDay programming, experts will explain the science behind these natural phenomena, helping attendees understand…

Aiming to provide collections care professionals from small and mid sized institutions with practical strategies for effectively managing and preserving film and glass negatives, this webinar will emphasize pragmatic advice, resourceful solutions, and cost-effective measures to ensure the longevity and integrity of these valuable collections. Throughout the webinar, essential practices for the care of film…

Has your cultural institution hosted late night events with food and drink? Filmed TV or movie productions? Or perhaps had a motorcycle drive through the building that exhibit or store collections. Safeguarding collections can be a difficult task and determining which risks should be prioritized for mitigation is never easy. Compounding this, it’s becoming more…

What are Islamicate or Islamic Collections and how do we care for them within collecting institutions/ as collection care professionals? The answers are neither singular nor simple, including the vocabulary used to describe these collections. These collections can encompass the sacred and the secular, the utilitarian and the venerated, and multi-religious, multicultural and multiethnic landscapes.…

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the mental health movement in the workplace has been growing for several years. Beginning in 2022, AIC’s Health and Safety (H&S) Network has been working to better understand the mental stresses conservators face in the workplace and developing resources that meet the needs of the community. In…

Grooved audio media, such as wax cylinders, shellac discs, and vinyl records, can be found in many archival and museum collections at small and mid-sized institutions, often featuring significant historical moments and cultural expressions. However, these materials can be vulnerable to damage and deterioration if not properly cared for. In this webinar, we will explore…

Increasing awareness among museums, institutions, and tribal communities about the potential risks of pesticide contamination residues on cultural heritage collections is critical, especially with increasing Indigenous involvement in collection care and the formal repatriation of cultural heritage to Native communities. This webinar will include an overview, case studies, panel discussion, and an opportunity for participants…

Newspapers show up in almost every collection in some form or another: folded, bound, clipped, scrapbooked, or even used in artworks! At the same time, they are incredibly fragile, prone to disintegrating over time. How do we even begin approaching their preservation? This webinar will give you a place to start, explaining the reasons why…

Providing a safe environment for collections is one of the key tenets of preservation. This is because temperature and moisture have a direct impact on the condition of collections. Cultural institutions are often advised to collect temperature and relative humidity data to monitor the environment. The collection phase of this process is easy. Managing the…

Are you using dataloggers that are nearing the end of their lifespan and you wonder what you should replace them with? Or are you not yet using loggers and wonder how to get started? Are you looking to supplement your current program with additional capacity like monitoring light or vibration? Are you not sure what…

Recent disasters across the country have presented small and mid-sized institutions with the unique challenges of not only dealing with health and safety for people but how to deal with the collection materials. During this special May Day 2025 webinar, participants will:  Learn ways to protect volunteers, staff, and themselves  Find out ways to properly…

There are few repositories and archives that hold extensive collections of oral histories pertaining to people of color, let alone community stories that help tell more comprehensive stories, which speak to changes in the built environment or serve to reinforce cultural identity and collective memory. While some cultural institutions have made a concerted effort to…

Many small and mid-sized cultural institutions face challenging issues with collections containers that still have contents inside of them, whether they are solids or liquids.  Often these are assumed to be the original contents, but sometimes they may not be.  Solids and liquids present different challenges when it comes to preserving, identifying, and disposing of…

It is not uncommon for cultural institutions to have a quantity of sculpture located out of doors. However, because such works are installed outside, often on a permanent basis, they are especially at the mercy of such things as the elements, age, vandalism, and more. If long-term maintenance of outdoor sculpture is to be carried…

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an important part of protecting collections in cultural institutions. This webinar will provide a brief overview of IPM and focus on how to build support for it within your institution. Attendees will learn which tasks can be handled by staff and when it’s necessary to bring in a pest management…

Whether you’re working in a museum, historical society, archive, or other type of cultural institution,silver objects—including art, jewelry, coins, or decorative items—require specialized care to preserve their integrity and appearance over time. During this program attendees will: Gain a basic understanding of the properties and vulnerabilities of silver as a material. Learn safe cleaning techniques…

With the funding landscape rapidly shifting and federal funding for sustainable collections management and art conservation under threat, what are some ways that collections caretakers can leverage existing resources and opportunities that are already out there to support their short and long term collections care plans?  This lecture will highlight ways in which collection caretakers…