What Is Conservation?

The people who do this work are called “conservators”—not to be confused with “conservationists,” who strive to conserve natural resources. 

Conservators at the Kelsey aim to protect the collection from deterioration that can result from exposure to moisture, light, oxygen, heat, biological organisms (not only mold and mildew but also beetles and mice), pollution, and mishandling. They are assisted in this work—which is called “preventive conservation”—by a huge range of people from heating and air conditioning mechanics to custodians, educators, security officers, curators, designers, and many more. Preventive conservation is truly a team effort! 

Sometimes, objects and sites need more intensive attention, and conservators may perform conservation treatments (like chemical or mechanical cleaning or the restoration of missing areas) to stabilize objects and sites and preserve them for future use. 

Conservators also conduct research. Kelsey conservators study the materials and practices of ancient craftspeople to learn new things about the ancient world, and they explore new conservation methods to benefit the museum’s collection and its affiliated field sites.