Preventive Conservation

This subject is not offered in 2013.

Total time commitment 120 hours

Admission to the Master of Cultural Material Conservation

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For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements. Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

This subject examines the physical and chemical causes of deterioration of cultural material, and considers how these can be effectively mitigated. Areas of study include light exposure, fluctuations and extremes of temperature and relative humidity, physical stresses, biological attack, and pollutants. Students will critically evaluate current theories and international standards and guidelines for the management of internal museum environment. The interaction and impact of these factors will be studied from the perspective of the museum environment and the building envelope. The context and opportunities for the implementation of a preventive conservation approach within an overall risk management framework will be emphasised, including environmental impact, budgetary implications, sustainability, and stakeholder management.

Upon completion of this subject students should:

• have an understanding of the main deterioration mechanisms that effect cultural material
• should know how to apply preventive conservation principles to the design of storage, transport and display methods in order to minimise the impact of degradation factors.

One 1500 word class paper (20%), one class presentation 500 words (20%) and one 3000 word report (60%) will be due over assessment period from 29 July - 2 September 2013.

Hurdle requirement: students must attend a minimum of 75% of workshops/tutorials in order to pass this subject. Assessment submitted late without an approved extension will be penalised at 2% per day; after five days, no late assessment will be accepted. In-class tasks missed without approval will not be marked. All pieces of written work must be submitted to pass this subject.

A subject reader will be available in the pre-teaching period. Additional texts may be recommended.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.