Current Training Programs

Part 1: April 14, 2019
Part 2: April 23, 2019

Who should attend: Anyone who wants to write a disaster plan for their organization or have NEDCC review their current disaster plan

Having a disaster plan is an important part of collections stewardship. This two-part course empowers participants to complete the critical stages of becoming more prepared for the unexpected.  

Part 1 of 2 guides participants through the prerequisite stage of writing a disaster plan: conducting a comprehensive risk assessment that identifies and evaluates potential threats based on an organization’s region, building, collections, and history.  

Part 2 of 2 walks participants through the elements of writing a disaster plan, including forming a response team, creating salvage priorities, putting together a supplies kit, drafting salvage procedures, and making floor plans.  

Participants will finish this two-part series with a method for risk assessment and a disaster plan template having all the knowledge necessary to move forward with the planning process.

At the end of the series, participants can share their organization’s disaster plan with the instructor for feedback and review.

Close Info

Close Info

Preservation is an underlying responsibility of any collections caretaker, whether you are an archivist, a public librarian, a family collector, or anyone in between. Preservation has a lot to do with knowing your collections and prioritizing the materials that need the most help to survive. This webinar will discuss preservation activitiesthat require no additional funding or supplies, including collection management, assessment ofstorage environment, care and handling practices, and emergency preparedness.

Close Info

Newly updated to include exhibition of 3-D objects and textiles! Cultural heritage organizations often look to their collections to create public exhibitions, but putting the spotlight on rare books and documents is inherently at odds with preservation.  Exhibits, though, provide a powerful avenue for outreach and also present opportunities for collection advocacy. Preparing collections for safe exhibition ensures that these materials remain accessible into the future. This webinar will help you understand the risks of exhibition so that you can develop policies and guidelines to mitigate those risks. Selection for exhibition will be covered, along with space considerations, safe handling, and display methods.

Close Info

The Instructor-led Fundamentals of Audiovisual Preservation course give participants the foundation needed to be effective collections stewards for audiovisual materials. Over 6 sessions, this course covers risks to audiovisual materials; care and handling; inventory and assessment; planning, preparing, and implementing reformatting projects; managing digital audiovisual collections; and disaster preparedness and response. Fundamentals of Audiovisual Preservation provides participants with information they need to create inventories of audiovisual holdings, to develop a reformatting timeline for priority materials, and to outline a Statement of Work. The six live webinars supplement the online course textbook, which is available for self-guided study.

Class Dates:

05/07/2020 Session 1: Introduction to AV Preservation Challenges
05/14/2020 Session 2: Care and Handling of Physical Carriers
05/21/2020 Session 3: Inventory and Assessment of Audiovisual Collections
06/04/2020 Session 4: Reformatting
06/11/2020 Session 5: Managing Digital Audiovisual Collections
06/18/2020 Session 6: Disaster Preparedness and Response

Close Info

Many of us have collections of treasured documents and photographs of significant events, ancestors, or bygone historical eras - items that create a record of who we are and where we come from. These collections deteriorate over time, but making small changes in storage and handling can have a huge impact on the lifespan of the materials. Basic methods of identification, deterioration, and preservation of ppaper-based family collections will be discussed.

Close Info

PLEASE NOTE: This workshop has been temporarily postponed.  

This hands-on workshop is designed for picture framers, museum and gallery professionals interested in conservation mounting techniques for works on paper and photographic materials.  Participants will learn about various attachment techniques for works on paper with a focus on the use of Japanese paper hinges adhered with wheat starch paste and other non-adhesive attachment methods such as photo corners and strip hinges. We will discuss how to decide on which method to employ and the pros and cons of each attachment method. Each attendee will go home with samples created during the workshop of each technique discussed, a “hinging kit” with useful materials to use and folder of printed step by step instructions, recipes, vendor information and other useful reference material.  A one hour break and tour of the conservation center is included for interested attendees.

Close Info

Town, municipal, and county clerks care for historic ledgers, documents, and other records, while fulfilling everyday responsibilities to the community. By applying the preservation practices in this training webinar, municipal records holders can make the best decisions for the care and handling of their records today, while ensuring that they will be accessible for future generations. The methods and goals discussed in this webinar will help take the worry out of your responsibilities to your records.

Close Info

Pests and mold are common culprits for damage and loss in cultural heritage collections. While preventing infestation is central to good preservation practice, there may come a time when you discover pests or mold (or both) in your collections. This webinar covers strategies for preventing and mitigating issues in library, archives, museum, and personal collections, as well as institutional policies and procedures that can be implemented to reduce the risk of infestation.

Close Info

This hands-on workshop is designed for picture framers, museum and gallery professionals interested in conservation mounting techniques for works on paper and photographic materials.  Participants will learn about various attachment techniques for works on paper with a focus on the use of Japanese paper hinges adhered with wheat starch paste and other non-adhesive attachment methods such as photo corners and strip hinges. We will discuss how to decide on which method to employ and the pros and cons of each attachment method. Each attendee will go home with samples created during the workshop of each technique discussed, a “hinging kit” with useful materials to use and folder of printed step by step instructions, recipes, vendor information and other useful reference material.  A one hour break and tour of the conservation center is included for interested attendees.

Close Info

Join us for a look behind the scenes in NEDCC’s Photograph Conservation Laboratory and learn about discoveries of unique photographic materials that illuminate the nation’s past.

Images are everywhere… on your living room walls, in your family albums, on the sides of buses and on your phone. However, the actual physical photograph can sometimes be taken for granted…forgotten in an attic, a shoebox, or a trunk. This webinar will cover the highlights of three photograph conservation  projects at NEDCC. Photographic collections and unique objects that were rediscovered and brought back into the public’s eye.

• North Hampton (NH) Heritage Commission found two 19^th century viewers with fourteen photographs on curved wooden frames in an attic during a photographic survey of their campus.  This rare find of Megalethoscope slides and their viewer provided both a conservation challenge and opportunity to recreate a historic process. 
  
  
• Greensboro History Museum (NC) houses the Dolley Madison Collection, a nationally significant collection including two Mathew Brady daguerreotypes. It also contains other archival materials, two dresses, a turban, shoes and a calling card case, all found in a Pennsylvania attic in the 1950s. A group of Greensboro ladies raised money to purchase the collection, which was donated to the museum in 1963. The Mathew Brady daguerreotype of Dolley Madison and her niece Anna Causten was housed loosely in a blue velvet case since 1963 and difficult to handle. After raising the funds, the conservation of the daguerreotype became a priority and ultimately was loaned for an exhibit. 

• Francesca Woodman, American photographer known for her black-and-white self-portraits, attended The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) from 1975-1979.  Woodman’s BFA thesis is a favorite piece among RISD students and access to the object is in high-demand. The archivist at the Fleet Library, RISD brought Francesca Woodman’s BFA thesis to NEDCC as it was becoming increasingly difficult to handle and was in desperate need of conservation. The conservation treatment preserved the thesis’ original essence and provided safe access to the object for the researchers and RISD students.

Close Info

Custom enclosures can be time consuming and costly to outsource, and commercially available options may not meet the needs of more unusual artifacts. However, with a little bit of creativity and a few basic tools and supplies, commercially available boxes can often be modified to suit the needs of a variety of artifacts. This talk is geared towards library, archives, and museum professionals charged with collections care. We will discuss how to navigate archival supply catalogs to find the necessary tools and supplies to create customized enclosures on-site, give examples of some innovative boxing solutions, explain how to use easily accessible laser cutting technologies to create custom storage mounts, and provide an overview of available vendor solutions.

Close Info

The Instructor-led Preservation 101: Preservation Basics for Paper and Media Collections course gives participants the foundation needed to be effective collections stewards. This comprehensive introduction prepares participants to complete a preservation needs assessment and provides structured guidance on developing an institutional disaster plan. Revised and updated, the course uses the free online version of Preservation 101 as its textbook, adding expanded resources and assignments, interactive discussions, and new content covering audiovisual and digital formats and digital preservation. Putting theory into practice, participants will develop recommendations for improvement and a long-range preservation plan.

Preservation 101 is a hybrid course. A series of ten live webinars builds on self-paced study through assigned readings. Feedback will be provided by the instructor. The webinars are interactive, and are supported by NEDCC’s Preservation 101 Education Classroom. Participants will have access to webinar recordings, readings, and additional resources, and can communicate with the instructor and fellow participants.

09/17/2020  Introduction to Preservation
09/24/2020  The Building and the Environment
10/01/2020  Caring for Collections
10/08/2020  Caring for Paper Collections
10/15/2020  Caring for Photographs
10/22/2020  Media Collections
10/29/2020  Reformatting, Digitization, and Digital Preservation
11/05/2020  Emergency Preparedness
11/12/2020  Building a Preservation Program
11/19/2020  Final Assignment Due! Final Review and Discussion

 Meeting times are 2pm-4pm ET

Close Info

PLEASE NOTE: THE APRIL 28th WORKSHOP HAS RESCHEDULED TO SEPTEMBER 21, 2020

This hands-on workshop offers an introduction to the preservation of photographs, including their identification, deterioration, and care. Participants will learn how to recognize various photographic processes ranging from daguerreotypes to inkjet prints. Preservation problems associated with specific processes will also be studied. The workshop will address storage concerns and preservation priorities, including environmental guidelines, enclosures, and proper care and handling. Participants are encouraged to bring photographs for examination and discussion. 

The one-day workshop is intended for individuals who want to learn how to care for photographs including curators, collection managers, exhibit preparations, catalogers, archivists, photographers and collectors.

Close Info

This hands-on workshop offers an introduction to the preservation of photographs, including their identification, deterioration, and care. Participants will learn how to recognize various photographic processes ranging from daguerreotypes to inkjet prints. Preservation problems associated with specific processes will also be studied. The workshop will address storage concerns and preservation priorities, including environmental guidelines, enclosures, and proper care and handling. Participants are encouraged to bring photographs for examination and discussion. 

The one-day workshop is intended for individuals who want to learn how to care for photographs including curators, collection managers, exhibit preparations, catalogers, archivists, photographers and collectors.

Close Info

Most digital preservation software uses free, smaller tools that run on the command line. This webinar introduces attendees to Windows command line tools, including ROBOCOPY, MD5DEEP, FIDO, EXIFTOOL, and BagIt. Participants will receive an introduction to the command line and a demonstration of these tools in a workflow that breaks down the steps most digital preservation software automates for you. Watch this webinar if you want to learn more about the command line, gain a deeper practical understanding of digital preservation activities, and make more informed decisions about the workflows you build. Watch Building an Easy Digital Preservation Workflow with Small Tools to learn how to use more free digital preservation tools and build your workflow.

Duration: 2 hours

Regular price: $95

Close Info

PLEASE NOTE: After purchase allow 24-48 hours to receive a login and password to access this webinar session. 

Ready to move from theory to practice with digital preservation at your institution? This webinar shows attendees how to implement a simple, free workflow with user-friendly tools, including DataAccessioner, Fixity by AVP, and Bagger. Participants will learn about the preservation activities that these tools support and receive a step-by-step instructional demonstration of the workflow in action. Attendees will finish the webinar with a strong idea of how to implement and build on this workflow at their institution with handouts and guidance on next steps. Watch Diving Deeper with Digital Preservation Tools using the Command Line to learn how to use more free digital preservation tools and gain a deeper insight into digital preservation workflows.

Duration: 2 hours

Close Info

PLEASE NOTE: After purchase allow 24-48 hours to receive a login and password to access this webinar session. 

This webinar instructs participants on good practices for caring for oversized materials in their collections, including those made of paper (e.g. posters, maps, large books, architectural plans) and textiles (e.g. flags, quilts). Storage and handling methods will be covered in detail. Participants will gain a solid understanding of how to protect oversized collections and will receive a decision-making tree and a bibliography.

NEDCC also offers an in-person, hands-on workshop on caring for oversized collections that goes into greater detail than this one-hour webinar. If you are interested in receiving a cost proposal, please contact us at info@nedcc.org.

Duration: 1 hour

 Regular price: $45

Close Info

PLEASE NOTE: After purchase allow 24-48 hours to receive a login and password to access this webinar session. 

Mold can pose a serious threat to cultural heritage materials. In this 1-hour webinar, participants will learn how to asses identify mold, how to safely clean moldy materials, and how to prevent future mold outbreaks through proactive preservation measures.

Duration: 1 hour

Regular Price: $45

Close Info

Scrapbooks document personal moments alongside local and national history. The variety of records and materials inside--and the myriad methods of fastening them to the page--pose significant preservation challenges. Participants will learn about the structure of scrapbooks, the types of materials commonly found in them, methods of attachment, implications for preservation and conservation, and how to provide the best level of care for scrapbook collections. Low-cost, in-house preservation approaches are included. 
 

1 hour webinar

Regular price: $45

Close Info

Close Info

PLEASE NOTE: After purchase allow 24-48 hours to receive a login and password to access this webinar session. 

Historic collections often have many framed items not currently on display, including paintings, art on paper, and photographic prints, and even three dimensional objects and ephemera. These objects can be difficult to store safely, and prioritizing them for re-framing or other treatment can be difficult. This session will discuss common problems with framed objects, guidance for reframing, and safe, effective storage options for items in frames and unframed oversized items.

Duration: 1 hour

Regular price: $45

Close Info

Close Info

Originally developed by Tim Walsh at Concordia University, this webinar covers the identification of various removable media and organizing workflows for capturing and ingesting the data contained on these media at collecting institutions. For the capture of data, we will touch on disk imaging and digital forensics, and go over some of the programs that are being used to extract, package, and manage data for collections. We conclude with considerations for choosing whether to complete projects in-house or with a vendor.

Duration: 2 hours

Close Info

An introduction to the preservation of paper-based collections, this webinar focuses on books, documents, photographs, and works of art on paper.  It will include information on paper manufacture, deterioration, and proper storage.  Also discussed are inks and colorants, adhesives, and image layers.

Duration: 2 hours

Regular price: $95

Close Info

PLEASE NOTE: After purchase allow 24-48 hours to receive a login and password to access this webinar session.

Many audiovisual and moving image collections are at risk due to their material instability and the ever-growing issue of technological obsolescence. While reformatting is a valuable tool for both preservation and access, preserving the original objects nevertheless remains important.  Perhaps the most important action that archivists can take to guarantee the long-term preservation of audiovisual objects is to ensure that they are held in the proper storage conditions. This webinar provides an introduction and overview of best storage practices. It will identify appropriate packing and storage containers and include a detailed discussion of proper environmental standards. Formats covered during the webinar will include magnetic tape, motion picture film, and photographs. It is suitable for both new and experienced professionals and will be taught by Jean-Louis Bigourdan, Senior Research Scientist at the Image Permanence Institute.

Duration: 90 minutes

Close Info

PLEASE NOTE: After purchase allow 24-48 hours to receive a login and password to access this webinar session.

All too often researchers look to archivists and librarians for information regarding complex copyright law and fair use policies. This two-part webinar course aims to arm library and information professionals with a working knowledge of concepts relating to copyright and intellectual property, specifically as they relate to audiovisual collections, which present particular challenges. The webinar will begin at an introductory level—offering a basic discussion of copyright law, the public domain, and the implications for collections. The second webinar will be a “deep dive” into some of the broad concepts that are presented in Session 1. Issues such as creator and transfer rights and open access will be addressed. No previous knowledge of copyright law is required. Session 1 will be taught by Hope O’Keeffe, Associate General Counsel at the Library of Congress and Session 2 will be taught by Greg Cram, Associate Director of Copyright and Information Policy at the New York Public Library.

Duration: 90 minutes

Close Info

PLEASE NOTE: After purchase allow 24-48 hours to receive a login and password to access this webinar session.

All too often researchers look to archivists and librarians for information regarding complex copyright law and fair use policies. This two-part webinar course aims to arm library and information professionals with a working knowledge of concepts relating to copyright and intellectual property, specifically as they relate to audiovisual collections, which present particular challenges. The webinar will begin at an introductory level—offering a basic discussion of copyright law, the public domain, and the implications for collections. The second webinar will be a “deep dive” into some of the broad concepts that are presented in Session 1. Issues such as creator and transfer rights and open access will be addressed. No previous knowledge of copyright law is required. Session 1 will be taught by Hope O’Keeffe, Associate General Counsel at the Library of Congress and Session 2 will be taught by Greg Cram, Associate Director of Copyright and Information Policy at the New York Public Library.

Duration: 90 minutes

Close Info

PLEASE NOTE: After purchase allow 24-48 hours to receive a login and password to access this webinar session.

Oral histories, which are nearly ubiquitous in archival and cultural heritage collections, capture first-hand accounts of their subjects and are particularly valuable resources as they often record the histories and memories of underrepresented people and groups. However, oral history interviews may be maintained on a variety of media formats (both analog and digital), which can make them daunting to care for. This 90-minute webinar will offer guidance to those archivists charged with maintaining these important recordings and will present a workflow—from beginning to end—for how best to process, preserve, and make accessible oral history materials. The webinar will also introduce some important concepts that are particular to oral history collections, including conversations on ethical considerations, the use of outside vendors, and the role of transcription and index tagging. This is a beginner-level webinar and previous experience processing oral history and/or audiovisual collections is not required. The course will be taught by Mary Larson, Associate Dean for Special Collections at Oklahoma State University Library and former President of the Oral History Association and Sarah Milligan Associate Professor and Head of the Oklahoma Oral History Research Program at Oklahoma State University.

Duration: 90 minutes

Close Info

PLEASE NOTE: After purchase allow 24-48 hours to receive a login and password to access this webinar session.

What can institutions that house audiovisual collections do to mitigate their environmental impact while also preserving their collections according to professional best practices? This important question is one that preoccupies Linda Tadic, CEO of Digital Bedrock.  This webinar will explore the relationship between AV collections, digital storage, and the environment. In particular it will cover how things such as staff actions, technology choices, and environmental planning can enable archivists to care for their collections responsibly. Webinar attendees will leave with a working knowledge of and a vocabulary pertaining to the relationship between the responsible custody of collections and the larger environment in which we live. No previous knowledge of the subject is required. The webinar will be taught by Linda Tadic, CEO of Digital Bedrock and former AMIA President.

Duration: 90 minutes

Close Info

NEH Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions are relatively easy to apply for and have launched successful preservation projects and programs in institutions across the country. Be ready for the January 15, 2020 deadline! This webinar focuses on eligibility requirements, the application review process, scoping the project and preparing the grant narrative, and getting requisite information from consultants. Time will be included for Q&A.

Duration: 1 hour

Close Info

Early record books contain important historical information that must be preserved for current and future generations. Proper care and maintenance of these records is required to ensure long term access to this information.  This webinar will discuss how to identify different types of early records that you may have in your collection and special considerations for their storage and handling, provide an overview of available preservation strategies, and outline how to find and work with a qualified vendor.

Duration: 1 hour

Close Info

Duration: 53 minutes

Close Info

Caring for digital collections can be a complex undertaking which involves many decisions about policies and responsible stewardship. A digital preservation assessment can help document the decision making process and the rationales behind our policies and activities. In this free webinar, you will learn about the framework for a digital preservation assessment and how it can help sustain our digital collections care. The information in this session will also cover resources and grants available to perform this activity, and will be useful for cultural heritage institutions of all sizes that are looking for resources for caring for digital collections. This program is one of the products of the Digital Preservation Assessment Training grant, funded by National Endowment for the Humanities.

Duration: 17 minutes

Close Info

This webinar introduces participants to the key considerations of writing a preservation plan, an essential tool for coordinating preservation activities over time.  Participants will learn about the steps of preservation planning, including assessment, prioritization, and the identification of resource needs.  Different types of assessment for preservation planning will also be discussed as well as how to communicate the value of preservation planning to all stakeholders involved.  Participants will also leave having seen a sample preservation plan. 

Duration: 1 hour

Close Info

PRESERVATION WEEK FREE WEBINAR

As members of the cultural heritage community, we want our collections and activities to reflect all people in our communities . Hosting a community scanning day is an interactive, participatory way to collect--and digitize--memories from our communities for the sake of documenting our own history. However, a lot of planning goes into hosting one, with a set of logistics consider, as well as selecting equipment, determining access and delivery systems of scanned content, and ensuring the rights to view and disseminate information online. This webinar provides an overview of each of these tasks and will help you organize your next event.

Duration: 1 hour

Close Info

PRESERVATION WEEK FREE WEBINAR

Looking for creative fundraising ideas for your book conservation project or other conservation / preservation initiative? Join us for tips on developing an Adopt-a-Book, or Adopt-an-Artifact program, using web content, crowdfunding, and social media. We’ll provide examples of successful initiatives and give you a check-list to follow, as well as resources to help with your fundraising efforts.

Duration: 45 Minutes

Close Info

Duration: 1 hour

Close Info