AIC's 46th Annual Meeting

It is an acknowledged truth in the field of preventive conservation that materials selected for storage, exhibit, and transport of collections play a critical role in the long-term preservation of these same collections. The wrong materials—those selected without careful consideration or those selected based on flawed assumptions (e.g. one batch of material varies in composition from another)—can impact the overall stability of collections, promote damage to collection items, or result in material failure. Selecting an appropriate material can be fraught with challenges: What are the specific properties necessary for the task? How can these properties be evaluated to relate to material performance and overall task compatibility? How can communication with industry result in a supply of consistent material? Nevertheless, collection care professionals must regularly select materials for purpose amid these challenges, which can leave the professional feeling like their best efforts still rely on guesswork, qualitative evaluation, and inconsistent results. 
To begin unraveling this complex issue and begin developing solutions, a working group (Materials for Collection Care Working Group) consisting of the various stakeholders engaged in material development, testing, and selection is underway. This group is currently engaged in identifying the current challenges with materials selection and evaluation and more clearly defining the stakeholders and their roles. From there, the group will develop a resource for advancing the community’s ability to take a more educated role in material development, selection, evaluation, and use. 
A moderated panel focused on improving awareness of materials, their components, and the testing required for their use in collection care will consist of: 
1. A Standards professional representing an organization that develops community-tested standards, such as ASTM. This person will address how standards are developed, resources needed for their development, and community expectations: Michael Skalka, National Gallery of Art and ASTM Chairman of DOI.57 Artist Materials
2. A Conservation Scientist to present the complexities of material testing: Eric Breitung, The Metropolitan Museum of Art 
3. A Conservator experienced in developing specifications for products: Andrew Robb, Library of Congress 
4. A Supplier discussing the challenges of working with manufacturers and consistency of materials: John Dunphy, University Products 
5. An Exhibit Designer discussing the challenges of working with collection care professionals and materials suppliers and manufacturers to develop in-budget exhibitions with a collection care priority: Tomomi Itakura, Fine Art Museums of San Francisco 
Through presentations and moderated discussions, continuing steps for the working group will be identified and prioritized. Each panelist will be given 10 minutes to speak, followed by 30 minutes for guided discussion and questions.