This eight-week course will deal with the physical care and preservation of your museum collections. This practical course will cover how collections age and deteriorate, handling collections, storage requirements, environmental considerations, housekeeping, and risk management.

Each week of this course contains a narrative discussion of a topic in the form of Lessons. The lessons and web-based readings, combined with your professional experiences, will provide you with a grounding in the week’s topic. 

Participant Outcomes
After completing this course, participants will understand principles and best practices of physical care and preservation of museum collections including the following:

• Know the major causes of deterioration for museum objects, how to use that information to enhance long-term preservation
• Know how to handle objects in the safest way
• Know how to examine and document the condition of objects in your collections
• Know how to display your collections in a way that prolongs their life
• Know how to store and house your collections in the way that best preserves them
• Understand the importance of environmental control for the preservation of your collections
• Know the best ways to clean your museum
  
• Know how to perform a risk assessment of your museum and use it to write a disaster plan

For more information visit the AASLH website online courses page or contact Alex Collins AASLH, Education and Service Coordinator, at learn@aaslh.org or 615-320-3203.