Curators, conservators, and preservation scientists collaborate to conduct pre-exhibit testing on 18th Century thangka, Buddha Shakyamuni which will be displayed in Collecting Memories: Treasures from the Library of Congress, in late 2023.
On April 13th and 14th, the Library hosted From Jikji to Gutenberg, the Scholarly Colloquium, a meeting of scholars, historians, conservators, and librarians from seven countries. The colloquium is part of a scholarly effort to promote understanding and awareness in the West about early printing with moveable type in Korea that pre-dates Gutenberg’s famous Bible. Jikji is the abbreviated title of the world’s oldest extant book made with moveable type, printed in Cheongju, Korea in 1377, preceding the Gutenberg Bible by 77 years.
Read a personal interview with an objects conservator at the Library of Congress, Liz Peirce. Liz talks about her experiences working in conservation at the Library, her educational and professional background, her projects at the Library, and advice for aspiring conservators.
The de-installation of gallery objects is often a process not typically seen by the public. This post offers insight into what is involved in order to successfully carry out such a large undertaking.
Read more to learn about the Nelson W. Jordan Family Papers, a collection of correspondence, scrapbooks, genealogical information, and more from this important African-American family. Nelson W. Jordan was born a slave, and was a soldier and a minister; his family continued to be active community members in Virginia and New Jersey. This post details the conservation treatment of crayon enlargements depicting the family's patriarch, Nelson Jordan, and two of his daughters, Julia and Carrie.
Senior Paper Conservator Mary Elizabeth Haude describes her work to conserve a caricature of George Washington from 1972. Read along as she develops a method to treat the complex item made of paper and a photograph.
As a conservation technician for the Library of Congress, Conservation Division, I work with numerous and varied objects of significant value. This work involves extensive planning and creating custom housings for objects of value for the benefit of communities and researchers both now and for future generations to appreciate, learn from, and enjoy. The objects …
The Irving W. Greenwald Diary describes life for an army private both in an army camp in New York and at the Western Front in France during World War I. The diary was recently treated by a book conservator to ensure its continued preservation by mending the pages, resewing the text block, and repairing the original binding. Part 2.