{"id":2319,"date":"2023-01-20T19:49:35","date_gmt":"2023-01-20T19:49:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/conservation\/?p=2319"},"modified":"2023-01-29T11:58:12","modified_gmt":"2023-01-29T11:58:12","slug":"documentation-why-is-it-so-important-to-conservators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/conservation\/documentation-why-is-it-so-important-to-conservators\/","title":{"rendered":"Documentation \u2013 why is it so important to conservators?"},"content":{"rendered":"

I know, I know, I know, paperwork, we\u2019ve all done it at some point, we\u2019ve all been drilled on the importance of paperwork. But in this blog post I am going to focus on why documentation for a conservator and the items they are working on are vital. While each and every organisation might have differences on how they collate their documents, I will be talking about my experience of paperwork in conservation and why I think it is important.<\/p>\n

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Image from (Arana 2021) shows a meme about documentation<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/figure>\n

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My experience with documentation<\/u><\/p>\n

So, you\u2019re in the labs and you\u2019ve just received a new item for conservation, what paperwork comes first? This is the entry form, it is filled in by both the organisation that owns the item and the organisation it has come to for conservation. This form includes details like; the name of the object, a brief description of the object, and what the end goal after conservation is. This paperwork is a very useful starting point, it gives you an indication of what you may be doing with the item in front of you, and on some entry forms, roughly how long you have to complete all the treatments necessary.<\/p>\n

The next step would be to complete a condition assessment of the item, detailed description of the current condition of the item. Are there any cracks? Any changes to the colour of the item, eg staining, yellowing. Is the item in one piece, are pieces missing, are there gaps or holes? This is also the point at which before photos would be taken of the item. By doing each of these steps it gives a good descriptor of what the item was like before any treatments have happened. This document can also be used by future conservators working on the item to assess any changes in the items overall appearance and stability.<\/p>\n

While treatments are ongoing it is important to note down the exact treatment, what equipment is being used along with the materials being used and roughly how long each of these treatments has taken. All of this information is important for a number of reasons which will be addressed later in this blog.<\/p>\n