General Sites


Conservation OnLine (CoOL)

This site was created by the Preservation Department of the Stanford University Libraries and is aimed at professionals in the field of conservation. It gives information and data concerning the library, archival and museum sectors. The following subjects are dealed with : intellectual property, digital imagery, electronic archives, training, documentation, mass deacidification etc. The site also offers address lists, directories of professionals classified by specialism and commercial suppliers and services. It lists programmes of conferences, seminars, calls for contributions and articles and mirror sites of other organisations. It gives many links to websites of other organisations.
http://palimpsest.stanford.edu

Sciences & patrimoine culturel
This French-language gateway was created by the French Ministry of Culture and Communication and is aimed at professionals working in preservation / restoration and students of the discipline. This site gives information on French research laboratories and restoration workshops, presents methods and techniques and current activities in preservation / restoration. Information on conference programmes and a directory of resources are also provided. The site gives links to other relevant websites and to catalogues and image databases.
http://www.culture.fr/culture/conservation/fr/index.htm

Preserve/Net
This site, constructed by students at Cornell University, refers to programmes of events, directories of training organisations in the USA, links to other relevant sites, job vacancies, preservation products and services.
http://www.preservenet.cornell.edu/pnetman2.htm

 


International Institutes and Organisations


European Confederation of Conservator-Restorers' Organisations (ECCO)

This professional organisation of about 5 000 members promotes the training of conservator-restorers and advocates legal recognition of the profession. The confederation has developped guidelines for the profession, its code of ethics and requirements for for professional training and publishes an online newsletter.
http://palimpsest.stanford.edu/byorg/ecco/

International Council of Museums (ICOM)
ICOM, a non-governmental organisation with about 15 000 members in 147 countries, is concerned with the promotion of the profession and the development of museums at an international level. The website provides institutional information (programmes, press releases), as well as access to web resources of the various committees and working groups and to international standards (e.g. documentation on African collections, etc...).
http://www.icom.org/
Committee for Conservation (ICOM-CC)
http://www.natmus.dk/cons/icom_cc/

International Institute for Conservation of historic and artistic works (IIC)
This international organisation with about 3 500 members in 75 countries is concerned with the promotion of knowledge, of methods and standards in the field of preservation and protection of cultural property.
http://www.natmus.dk/cons/iic/
French section of IIC (SFIIC)
http://www.fnet.fr/sfiic/

European Preservation Information Center
This gateway brings together libraries and archives for the promotion of  the preservation of the European documentary heritage. It deals with preservation of different carriers : paper, photographs, film, audio and audio-visual documents, digitised documents. The site makes available a directory of relevant institutions and organisations working at European or international level with a brief description of each with its contact information and website. It gives a programme of events, a list of discussion groups and some basic texts on preventive conservation.
http://www.knaw.nl/ecpa/

International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM)
ICCROM, a non-governmental organisation, is woncerned with documentation, assessment, training and raising awareness. The site gives a programme of conferences, dates and topics of training courses, the catalogue of ICCROM's library, an image database, and information on current activities.
http://www.iccrom.org/

International Council of Archives (ICA)
ICA is the international organisation of archivists. It aims to promote the preservation, development and use of the world documentary heritage of archives. Several of its programmes concern the archives of developing countries.
http://www.archives.ca./ica/

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)
This non-profit organisation of about 1 600 members in 150 countries offers a platform for exchanges and contacts in the field of library sciences. There are 5 core programmes, one of which is PAC Programme for preservation of library materials.
http://www.ifla.org/
The IFLA Core Programme for Preservation and Conservation (PAC), set up in 1984, is concerned with preservation of and access to library materials on all carriers.
http://www.ifla.org/VI/4/pac.htm

"Memory of the World" Programme of UNESCO
The aim of this programme is to promote the preservation of archival and library collections worldwide and to ensure the widest possible access to them. The site makes available guidelines and basic texts, and presents the worldwide survey on preservation and related projects.
http://www.unesco.org/webworld/mdm/index.html

 


National Institutes and Organisations


Europe

Centre de recherches sur la conservation des documents graphiques (CRCDG)
The "Centre de recherches sur la conservation des documents graphiques" is a research centre run jointly by the French Ministry of Culture and Communication, the CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) and the French National Museum of Natural History. It carries out research into paper, leather, parchment, photographic documents (e.g. studies of organic materials, of degradation processes...).
http://www.culture.fr/culture/conservation/fr/
laborato/crcdg.htm

Preservation at the French National Library
This site presents the organisation and the main activities of the preservation department of the Bibliothèque nationale de France, BnF (French National Library) as well as two on-line publications "Actualités de la conservation", the newsletter of the preservation department of the BnF and "International Preservation News" the newsletter of the IFLA Core Programme on Preservation and Conservation.
http://www.bnf.fr/web-bnf/infopro/conserv/index.htm

Arbeitsbereich Europäische Bibliotheksangelegenheiten
This site presents the activities of this working group of the "Deutsche Bibliotheksinstitut" (German Library Institute), whose aims are to give information on European library issues and calls for projects by the European Commission, to advice those whising to submit projects, and to disseminate the results of the research.
http://www.dbi-berlin.de/bib_wes/dbi_euro/eurohome.htm


– North America

Getty Conservation Institute (GCI)
The GCI works to enhance and preserve the worldwide cultural heritage. Its specialised library collections can be searched online. Its website disseminates the results of the research supported by the GCI. (Although the GCI was closed down in June 1999, its web server was still available as of July 1999).
http://www.getty.edu/gci/

Library of Congress : Preservation
The website of the Library of Congress gives access to studies of binding, the sound archives, permanent paper, the mass deacidification programme, expertise in preventive conservation in libraries and archives.
http://lcweb.loc.gov/preserv/

Preservation Resources
These web pages are produced by OCLC which manages the world's largest union catalogue. The site covers particularly microfilms and electronic publications.
http://www.oclc.org/oclc/presres/

Northeast Document Conservation Center
This US non-profit organisation specialises in the preservation of paper, books, photographs. The site gives online access to an up-to-date manual on preventive conservation of library and archive documents.
http://www.nedcc.org/

American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC)
The AIC is a professional organisation for the preservation of artistic and historic cultural property (paintings, paper, books, photographs, textiles, decorative arts, sculpture, wooden objects, architecture, archeology, natural sciences and ethnology). It carries out studies and training in art history, chemistry and related sciences. Note particularly its working group on paper and books.
http://www.pch.gc.ca/cci-icc/francais/francais.htm

Association of Research Libraries (ARL)
This site gives information on programmes for the preservation of heritage material in research libraries and particularly on digitised documents.
http://www.arl.org/

Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR)
This site gives information on cooperative programmes with China, the European countries, Latin America, South Africa and on research on the preservation of the cinema heritage and digitised documents.
http://www.clir.org/

Research Libraries Group (RLG)
RLG is responsible for the PRESERV programme on preventive conservation, which is especially concerned with electronic documents.
http://www.rlg.org/

Canadian Heritage Information Network (CHIN)
This site gives access to online resources related to Canadian museums and cultural heritage. Several groups of data bases are also available for searching (on subscription) on the following subjects : preservation and restoration, museum sciences, legislation, catalogues of specialised libraries,data dictionaries, etc.
http://www.rcip.gc.ca/

 


Training


SLISNET

A worldwide network of schools of library and information science.
http://www.enssib.fr/SLISNET/

International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM)
This site provides a calendar of training courses offered by ICCROM and a world list of other training courses.
http://www.iccrom.org/

Training
This webpage of the European Preservation Information Center gives descriptions of several training organisations in Europe.
http://www.knaw.nl/ecpa/ecpatex/institut.htm#training

Lists of training courses on the ENSSIB website
This site of ENSSIB (Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Sciences de l'Information et des Bibliothèques), the French national library school, includes "ExpressO'doc", a directory of training courses in librarianship and information science provided by ENSSIB and other French institutions.
http://www.enssib.fr/Enssib/f_fc.htm

 


Basic Texts


The Virtual Past - CRM Conventions and Policies

International conventions (of UNESCO, ICOMOS, the European Union and the United States).
http://life.csu.edu.au/~dspennem/VIRTPAST/
Conventions.html

Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage
International conventions and guidelines of UNESCO.
http://www.unesco.org/general/eng/legal/cltheritage/
index.html

Basic texts and Databases
UNESCO's manuals and guidelines on the preservation of the documentary heritage.
http://www.unesco.org/webworld/memory/basictexts.htm

ISO Standards
http://www.iso.ch

 


Databases


Databases accessible through the Canadian Heritage Information Network

The heading 'Reference database' groups together 11 databases covering heritage matters, in particular preservation, bibliographic databases and support for research in the humanities.
- the BCIN bibliographic database (bibliographic records of works on preservation)
- the MCIN materials database (1 000 products used in preservation and restoration)
- Database of suppliers of preservation products and services.

http://www.chin.gc.ca/Resources/Research_Ref/
Reference_Info/f_reference.html

Catalogue of the ICCROM library
Online catalogue of a specialised collection (60 000 monographs and 700 periodicals) in the field of preservation of the cultural heritage. Offers simple and advanced searching (by title, author and keywords), downloadable keyword list.
http://library.iccrom.org/index.html/

Library of the Getty Conservation Institute
A specialised collection on cultural heritage preservation. The online catalogue offers a keyword search engine and multi-field searching.
http://opac.pub.getty.edu/screens/mainmenu.html

Library of the "Office de coopération et d'information muséographiques" (OCIM)
An online catalogue offering keyword and free text searching.
http://www.ocim.org/htdocs/biblio.htm

 


Discussion List


Cons DistList

Discussion list for professionals in cultural heritage preservation. To subscribe, send a message to :
consdist-request@lindy.stanford.edu
In the message indicate : Subscribe Cons DistList <your name>

 

Websites last visited : 2nd August 1999