I'm breaking two of my rules by writing this review; this book was not the next one on the shelf of our reference library, and it is not one that we will make available for borrowing. It is old enough that some of the guidance and instructions no longer align with preservation and museological standards. But I will be delivering the Per Guldbeck Memorial Lecture at the CAC conference at the end of May, so wanted to get inside this guy's head. For those who are interested, there is an updated version of this book, although we don't have it in our collection and it is now a bit dated too.Published in 1972 by the American Association for State and Local History, Guldbeck wrote the book "with the idea of providing small historical societies with an introduction to the problems of conservation and what can safely be done by the serious amateur."
Putting aside a silly sexist remark about women not being able to refrain from touching historic garments, I think Guldbeck and I would have gotten along quite well. Rather than try to hoard information or build himself an empire, he wanted to spread the word and build capacity. He understood that if we all work together toward preservation goals, we have a much better chance of succeeding. Whenever he referenced these big goals and aims I was reminded of how ANSM works; how we try to build up the knowledge and skills of museum workers in Nova Scotia, how we share the lessons we learn with other museum associations and governments, and how we try to respond when we see a need. Clearly, Guldbeck saw a need and he responded to it.
I'll be honest, some of details and info that Guldbeck shared made me squirm. Even if the treatments that he recommended were still 100% up to date, I'd have squirmed. Why? Because conservation is a specialized field, and as such requires some serious training. Are some treatments simple enough for almost anyone to do? Yes. Absolutely. And are there a whole host of preventive conservation measures that people can put in place to help preserve the collection for future generations? Definitely! Thinking about that, I really love Guldbeck's mindset of just getting the information out there. However, being able to 'read' an artifact, to understand the chemistry at play, the impact the treatment will have, how to troubleshoot if things go sour, the ethics and professional principles that we follow...those skills can't be learned from this book. And some of them aren't even mentioned as issues.
But if you strip away the outdated treatment recommendations, Per Guldbeck shared a lot of timeless wisdom with his readers. I was amazed at how relevant some of his remarks still are, almost 50 years later. Here are some of my favourite quotes:
"The museum of the past may have been the community attic. But today, with the realization that it has a specific story to tell, with limited storage space, and with its obligation to preserve valid artifacts that it owns, a museum must of necessity be more discriminating in what it accepts."
Yes!! For anyone who was on the receiving end of a site visit from me or has attended our Museums 101 or Collections Management courses, this might sound familiar. This is a soapbox message I deliver time and again. Maybe they didn't exist or weren't yet adopted by our museums in 1972, but in 2019 we have very clear ethical and institutional guidelines about what should and should not be accepted into our collections. If you read this and think your museum is still the community attic, revisit those ethics guidelines. Revisit your bylaws and your mission statement and your collections management policy. These all exist to give you guidance. If you don't have a collections committee, get one in place and make sure you're using pre-acquisition review forms for every potential acquisition. Saying no isn't being rude. It's being responsible.
"If we do not care for what we already own we have no moral right to acquire more".
Does that seem harsh to you? It shouldn't. It ties in neatly with ethical acquisition guidelines. Adding more stuff to the museum when you are struggling to care for the stuff already in it just means you'll be stretching limited resources even more, and everything will suffer as a result. In today's museum, this also extends to digital preservation. It is so easy to keep acquiring files, to keep digitizing the collection, to ask the community for copies of their photos, but many of us are lacking digital preservation procedures that will ensure this information can be easily accessed by generations to come.
"So often in our attempt to win popularity with the public, the artifact becomes simply a pawn in the game, suffering attrition, damage, or loss. In considering the practice of conservation, remember that no matter what the present interpretative philosophy of your museum, the collection is its core. Only by proper concern for your artifacts will you be able to maintain your integrity as a professional."
This reminds me of a story I heard a few years ago. A museum that also operated a cafe hired a new manager. Until someone showed up and started asking questions about following museological standards, this person had no idea the museum was a museum. They thought it was a cafe with some old stuff as decoration. This is obviously an extreme example, but the point is that it's easy to lose our way. We have to jump through countless funding hoops, feel the pressure to keep up (and improve!) visitor statistics, and are navigating the vast space and opportunities of community engagement. If we aren't careful, the collection can take a backseat and suffer as a result, rather than being an important and valued resource.
"The most important things are (a) to work only to the limits of your understanding; (b) to have systematic procedures, and (c) if you find yourself beyond your depth, admit it, and make use of specialists to help work out your problem."
Sure this was meant within a conservation context, but it can and should apply to all areas of museology. It's okay to ask for help. It's okay to feel confused and swamped and overwhelmed by the sheer scope of the work. We all have a lot on our plates. No one will think less of you for reaching out and asking for advice or for being inspired by the work of another institution. There are so many amazing people in this field, and we are very lucky that they tend to have a willingness to share their knowledge. Take advantage of that.
"Making mistakes is human, but to admit to it and to learn from it is one mark of a professional."
Things won't almost go perfectly according to plan. Fundraisers will flop, exhibits will receive mixed reviews, and hindsight will always be 20/20. But as I was reminded during a morning phone call, there is always opportunity to learn, even if we feel like we know a subject well already. Which brings to mind another favourite saying of mine. Museums are educational institutions, and we've got to embrace that internally as well.
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