Conservation: Links
International organisations
International organisations operating in the field of conservation and preservation of cultural heritage.
International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property (ICCROM): an intergovernmental organization (IGO) dedicated to the conservation of cultural heritage, ICCROM contributes to preserving cultural heritage in the world today and for the future through five main areas of activity: training, information, research, cooperation and advocacy.
International Council of Museums (ICOM): committed to the conservation, continuation and communication to society of the world's natural and cultural heritage, present and future, tangible and intangible. The activities of the organisation include workshops, publications, training, twinning programmes and the promotion of museums.
International Council on Monument and Sites (ICOMOS): an international non-governmental organization of professionals, dedicated to the conservation of the world's historic monuments and sites.
Getty Conservation Institute — Conservation Policy: a list of charters, conventions, and recommendations representing the chronological development of cultural policy over the last century. The documents identify key issues and represent key policies in the development of contemporary thinking about the conservation of cultural property.
Conservation On Line (CoOL): a project of the Preservation Department of Stanford University Libraries and Academic Information Resources, is a full text library of conservation information, covering a wide spectrum of topics of interest to those involved with the conservation of library, archives and museum materials.
Northeast Document Conservation Centre (NEDCC): a nonprofit, regional conservation centre specializing in the preservation of paper-based materials, NEDCC serves libraries, archives, museums, historical societies and other collection-holding institutions, as well as private collections.
The American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic works (AIC): plays a crucial role in establishing and upholding professional standards, promoting research and publications, providing educational opportunities and fostering the exchange of knowledge among conservators, allied professionals and the public.
Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI): created in 1972 to promote the proper care and preservation of Canada's moveable cultural heritage and to advance the practice, science, and technology of conservation. Through conservation science, treatment, and preventive conservation, the Canadian Conservation Institute supports the heritage community in preserving Canada's heritage collections so they can be accessed by current and future generations.
European Commission on Preservation and Access: The ECPA acts as a European platform for discussion and cooperation of heritage organizations in areas of preservation and access. The publications of the Commission are widely distributed to institutions throughout Europe. To promote the exchange of knowledge and experience, the ECPA organizes conferences, meetings and workshops.
The Institute of Conservation (ICON): aims to advance knowledge and education in conservation and achieve the long-term preservation and conservation of cultural heritage. It does this by providing guidance, advocacy, training and education opportunities and by uniting the conservation profession and the wider heritage community.
Tate conservation website: the central role of the Conservation Department is to care for Tate's collection to ensure that it is available for future generations to enjoy. In doing so, conservators must find ways to protect works of art from deterioration, while making them accessible to the viewing public.
The University of Melbourne — Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation: brings together the broad academic expertise of the two faculties with existing programs at the Ian Potter Art Conservation Centre, to explore new areas in instrumentation and analysis, policy and programness in the area of the preservation of cultural materials.
Asian organisations
Sites dealing specifically with the conservation of Asian cultural property.
Khartasia: A database intended primarily for conservators, curators, historians and archaeologists combining historical and technological information on components of the papermaking plants, papermaking manufacturing, paper names and characteristics of papermaking fibers.
China National Institute of Culture Property — Training Centre of Conservation and Restoration for Culture Heritage (Beijing): English site currently under construction.
Central Conservation Section of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the Hong Kong Government: the Section has eight specialized units, namely Paintings, Photographs and Prints, Historical Documents, Textiles and Natural History Specimens, Organic Materials, Ceramics & Inorganic Materials, Metals and Archaeological Finds, to deal with the conservation demands from client museums, Art Promotion Office and the Antiquities and Monuments Office.
Hong Kong University — Architectural Conservation Programme, Department of Architecture (Hong Kong SAR): It is one of the main objectives of ACP to provide a quality postgraduate continuing education for professionals in built heritage conservation.
Cultural Heritage Centre for Asia and the Pacific (CHCAP): this is a major centre in the region employing international best practice in cultural heritage education, research and consultancy. The Centre draws practitioners, scholars and students across the region into collaborative projects and disseminates professional information throughout the region by means of a newsletter and conferences, educational programs, training workshops and seminars.
Cultural Heritage Preservation in Asia: a resource of the Asia Society with links to reports, publications, interviews and international organisations.
Asia Pacific Regional Centre of the Culturelink Network (APRCCN): aims at encouraging an exchange of information, research and cooperation among those institutions concerned with cultural development throughout the Asia-Pacific Region. It also seeks to strengthen regional participation in the Culturelink Network and serve as a catalyst for co-operative research in the field of cultural development at regional levels.
Standards and Ethics
The International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS): the ICOMOS documentation centre with links to downloadable charters.
AIC Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice: this document, the Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC), sets forth the principles that guide conservation professionals and others who are involved in the care of cultural property.
Code of Ethics of the Canadian Association for the Conservation of Cultural Property: this document is intended to serve both as a guide for use by conservation professionals, and as an outline of the ethical obligations of conservation professionals for use by their clients, colleagues and employers.
ICOM Code of Ethics for Museums: the ICOM Code represents a minimum standard for museums. It is presented as a series of principles supported by guidelines for desirable professional practice.
The Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Material (AICCM) Code of Ethics and Practice: a downloadable document to provide members with guidelines for professional practice which emphasise at all times the protection and conservation of cultural material.