Introduction to museum object condition reporting.

1. Condition
Assessment
and Reporting
Sandra Dudley

2. Introduction to the self-study session
• What are condition checking, assessment and reporting?
• Why do they matter?
• When should they be done?
• How should they be done and documented?
2

3. Condition checking/assessment and reporting are …
• A way of (i) assessing and (ii) recording the current condition of all parts of an object
• Important and integral parts of properly caring for and managing collections
• The only consistent way in which to track the ongoing – and potentially changing –
condition of objects in your collection
• A practical skill that curators and other collections staff should all be able to employ –
even though in larger institutions detailed, expert condition assessment may be
undertaken by specialist conservators
3

4. Condition checking/assessment and reporting are …
• Essential to good decision-making, planning and action
• Done according to procedures set out in institution’s policy: (Spectrum standard: see Blackboard)
o Essential when objects move in any way, for example:
 Coming into the collection
 Going out or coming in on loan
 Coming out of storage to go into a temporary exhibition or on permanent display
 Going back into storage
o Necessary periodically in the ongoing museum-/gallery-life of an object, even if the item is not
currently moving anywhere
4

5. Condition assessment: protecting the object AND you
• Prepare a work area that is big enough; clean and clutter-free; without food/drink/ink; secure; ideally at the
same temperature and relative humidity as the area from where the object has come
• Ensure you have tissue and any other materials for supporting and protecting objects as appropriate
• Ensure you also have other things you will need: well fitting gloves; good light; means of condition
reporting (digital or paper-based); camera; measure; magnifier; tweezers
• Observe all good handling and movement guidelines
• Whether or not you will be gloved (you usually will) always wash and dry your hands before and after
handling objects
• Wear a mask, with a minimum FFP2 filter rating, if, for example, there are obvious, significant amounts of
dust
5

6. What are you looking for?
• The purpose of your assessment and level of existing information, determine the level of assessment detail
• At minimum, you are assessing the object’s current condition by looking for signs of:
o From what, how and in how many stages it was made (if this is not already documented)
o Damage or other deterioration in condition; for example:
o Light damage – e.g. pigment fading; deterioration of certain materials (silk, oil paint, bone, plastics etc.)
o Temperature or humidity damage – e.g. shrinking; warping; cracking; corrosion; decay; flaking
o Dirt, dust and other pollutants – e.g. dirty surfaces; separation of layers/structures due to dust build-up
o Pest or mould damage – e.g. mould spots; small holes (insects); teeth marks (rodents); egg cases
o Mechanical damage – e.g. cracks; splits; dents; tears; fraying; handling marks
o Previous repair or restoration – e.g. excess glue; pigment removal or change; shrinkage 6

7. Be systematic, careful and consistent (“SCC”)
• Follow your institution’s policy, process and recording template
• In the UK, this should follow the Spectrum standard (see Blackboard)
• Use a standard glossary of terms: may be bespoke to your institution, or may be one used more
widely in the country within which you are working (see Blackboard examples)
• Do everything carefully, consistently and using simple language
• Next time someone assesses the same object, they need, via your reporting, to be able to refer
to and understand the condition it was in when you assessed it
• In summary, condition assessment is a key part of good collections management and care
Now please go back to Blackboard for the next part of this self-guided topic 7