Geological materials can not only be found in many collections managed by small and mid-sized institutions, but are also complex objects that can span a huge range of sizes, characteristics, values, environmental sensitivities, and other preventive conservation concerns. Too often they do not receive the care they merit because of an assumption that they are “just rocks” and therefore always stable. In this webinar, we will go over;
- some of the types of geological materials often encountered in collections,
- typical risks to them,
- typical risks from them,
- and storage solutions that work for protecting them and their users.
Presenters
Sally Shelton is a museum and conservation professional, specializing in collections care and conservation. She has worked in collections care and preventive conservation positions at Texas Memorial Museum (University of Texas), San Diego Museum of Natural History, National Museum of Natural History (Smithsonian Institution), and the Museum of Geology (South Dakota School of Mines). Ms. Shelton has served as president of the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections, and has been awarded the Dudley Wilkinson Award of Distinction by the Registrars Committee, American Alliance of Museums. She is now Associate Professor and Associate Chair of the Heritage and Museum Sciences Program at the Museum of Texas Tech University, where she administers the academic program and teaches preventive conservation and documentation courses.
