Training for Sustainable Collection Care

For the past several decades, international professional conservation associations have been advocating for more sustainable collection care practices. In 2021, the Joint Commitment for Climate Action in Cultural Heritage recognized that “the climate crisis represents one of the greatest threats to (cultural) heritage in a world with depleting natural resources, growing inequality and social injustice. In response to these challenges, it is incumbent on all of us to adapt, innovate and pioneer change.”

The statement by the the Joint Commitment for Climate Action in Cultural Heritage demonstrates the important impact sustainable practice by collecting institutions can have on climate change, whether the changes are self-imposed or mandated by government regulation.

But implementing change is not an easy task. How to go about this, how to make decisions, what are the options, what are the risks, and what is the role of each one of the professionals involved in this task?

• Raise the conservation profession's awareness of a holistic approach in collection management and climate control, taking into account climate, building and collection typologies and resulting in more sustainable strategies for managing collection environments
• Provide ongoing access to information on the latest preventive conservation research, practical methodologies and tools through a program of training and information dissemination
• Empower mid-career conservators to play a more proactive role as a key-stakeholder in the debate about sustainable strategies for museums
• Improve communication with and between related professionals, such as conservation scientists, engineers, architects, facility managers, conservators, curators, and directors

Recognizing the need for an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach in implementing sustainable environmental strategies, training activities are facilitated by a multidisciplinary team of instructors and are targeted to a diverse professional audience including conservators, conservation scientists, architects, engineers, facility managers, curators, and other allied professionals.

The duration and format of activities ranges from a nine-month, three phase course (online activities, intensive workshop, and distance mentoring), to more specialized short workshops or master classes, that focus on specific topics that can be explored in greater depth.