Required texts

There is no one text that covers the theory and practice of repair and restoration for the many materials and object types in heritage collections. What you need to read will depend to some extent on the areas you are most interested in, and which you choose to focus on in your project object. A full list of recommended readings based on material types is included on the Canvas site. Here are some important general resources.

Conservation Unit Museums and Galleries, Adhesives and Coatings, Science for Conservators Vol. 3, Museums and Galleries Commission, Routledge 1992.

This series is a must for conservators. Volume 3 is the main one for this unit, but you will need them all if you are interested in pursuing conservation.

Availability: UC library

Purchase: Highly recommended

Materials for conservation : organic consolidants, adhesives and coatings

By Velson C. Horie, Heinemann, 2010.

A mine of information on the properties and uses of different adhesives, coatings and consolidants. Be sure to get the revised 2010 version.

Availability: UC library

Purchase: Highly recommended

Adhesives Compendium for Conservation

By Jane L. Down, ISBN: 9780660203195, Date: 2015, Publisher: CCI

Another mine of information on the properties and uses of different adhesives, coatings and consolidants. 

Availability: Ian has a copy

Purchase: Recommended

Holding It All Together: Ancient and Modern Approaches to Joining, Repair and Consolidation 

ISBN: 9781904982470

Publication Date: 2010

Publisher: Archetype Publications Ltd

Place of Publication: London

A further mine of information on the properties and uses of different adhesives, coatings and consolidants. 

Availability: UC library

Purchase: At your discretion
 

Theory and background to conservation

Preserving What is Valued: Museums, Conservation, and First Nations

By Miriam Clavir, Vancouver: UBC Press, c2002.

A fabulous book contrasting conservation and First Nations perspectives on notions of damage, appropriate use, and restoration. In particular read Chapter 5 including the section on restoration from p. 164.

Availability: UC library

Purchase: Recommended

Conservation Treatment Methodology

By Barbara Applebaum, Hoboken: Taylor & Francis, 2012.

A thought-provoking book about conservation decision making which discusses many practical and ethical dilemmas conservators come across, and outlines methods and tools for working through them.

Availability: Electronic resource in UC library. In particular, have a look at Chapter 11 on choosing treatment materials.

Purchase: Recommended

Contemporary Theory of Conservation

By Salvador Munoz-Vinas, Hoboken, Taylor & Francis, 2012.

A great book discussing what conservation (including restoration) actually is, and how it came to be this way.

Availability: electronic resource in UC library. Read Chapter 1, and particularly the section discussing restoration.

Purchase: Recommended

The Nara document on authenticity (Nara Conference on Authenticity in Relation to the World Heritage Convention, held at Nara, Japan, from 1-6 November 1994).

A record of a seminal moment in heritage debate, with experts from all over the world discussing what authenticity might mean and how it can be preserved.  Authenticity is, of course, a key concept in conservation and heritage – and decisions about what it is and how it should be preserved are ones that every conservator must tackle. Browse as many of the papers and session discussions as you can, but particularly the chapter on the Ise Shrine by Nobuko Inaba.

Availability: UC and NLA libraries.

Purchase: Recommended

Students must apply academic integrity in their learning and research activities at UC. This includes submitting authentic and original work for assessments and properly acknowledging any sources used.

Academic integrity involves the ethical, honest and responsible use, creation and sharing of information. It is critical to the quality of higher education. Our academic integrity values are honesty, trust, fairness, respect, responsibility and courage.

UC students have to complete the Academic Integrity Module annually to learn about academic integrity and to understand the consequences of academic integrity breaches (or academic misconduct).

UC uses various strategies and systems, including detection software, to identify potential breaches of academic integrity. Suspected breaches may be investigated, and action can be taken when misconduct is found to have occurred.

Information is provided in the Academic Integrity Policy, Academic Integrity Procedure, and University of Canberra (Student Conduct) Rules 2023. For further advice, visit Study Skills.

Learner engagement

Students will need to commit to spending time to carry out a major conservation treatment project. This will include time in the Heritage Laboratory outside standard contact times. Supervised sessions will be scheduled for this purpose.

Participation requirements

Students are expected to participate in lectures, tutorials, group work and site visits to achieve the learning outcomes set out above. These include discussions, presentations and group activities which are designed to achieve the learning outcomes of this unit.

Students are able to complete some practical work on their project objects and assigned treatments during class time but completion of the project objects and assigned treatments will require more work in their own time. Work on objects/treatments must be completed in the laboratory unless prior written permission has been arranged with the unit covenor or the laboratory manager.

Students are expected to regularly check their Canvas site announcements and university email for information about readings, session updates and opportunities relevant to the unit.

Required IT skills

Use of standard word processing and spreadsheet software, image processing software, and internet and email functions. Use of the UCLearn system.

In-unit costs

No specfic purchases are required.

Work placement, internships or practicums

This unit involves a site visit to a conservation facility.

• Semester 2, 2024, On-campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (219696)
• Semester 2, 2023, On-campus, UC - Canberra, Bruce (216074)