The course on the conservation of Southeast Asian Collections in Storage is the third international course of the CollAsia 2010 programme.

The course team is composed of senior staff members of ICCROM, SEAMEO-SPAFA, the National Museum of the Philippines and the University of Santo Tomas, as well as senior professionals from the National Museum Institute of India, AusHeritage, the National Museum of Ethnology in Leiden, the Centro Nacional de Conservación y Restauro of Chile, and guest lecturers from other institutions.

The twenty participants come from Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam.

The aim of this course is to build capacity among Southeast Asian professionals working in museums, libraries and archives to implement storage strategies for their collections. It seeks to achieve this through the study of threats to collections in storage, conceptual and practical tools, storage materials and techniques, as well as problem-solving approaches to relevant needs.

Unit one - What do museums store and why do they store it?
Following introductory sessions on communication and teamwork skills, the first week of the course focused on the different factors which influence how objects are stored. Objects have different meanings and these meanings can change. The course discussed how the significance given to objects, as well as institutional mandates, affects conservation and storage decisions. It then addressed the crucial issue of documentation, without which an object does not 'exist' within an institution.

Unit two - Knowing your storage
During the second week of the course, participants identified and assessed the different risks facing collections in different storage environments. Two sessions were dedicated to the fundamental role of science in monitoring the state of collections, collecting data and using this data in the conservation process. The group then examined how this data is utilized to choose among the different techniques available for controlling and mitigating biodeterioration.

Unit three - Supporting objects, storing collections
During the third week, participants discussed the criteria for the selection of adequate materials to store objects, how to assess and best make use of storage space, and how to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of furniture types. A session was dedicated to constructing supports and containers.

Member States represented: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Chile, India, Malaysia, Netherlands, Philippines, Thailand, Viet Nam

updated on: 24 November, 2007