Heritage Resources Management (HERM) 339
Conservation (Revision 2)
Revision 2 is closed for registrations, replaced by current version.
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Delivery Mode:Individualized study online.
Credits:3
Area of Study:Humanities
Prerequisite:None
Faculty: Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences
Heritage Resources Management Studies home page
HERM 339 is not available for challenge.
Overview
HERM 339: Conservation introduces formative issues and approaches in conservation practice.
This course focuses on the principles and practice of preventive conservation as they relate to collections of movable objects. It deals with the characteristics of collection materials and how these characteristics can help identify potential conservation problems. Conservation issues specific to certain types of collections are addressed, including archival, archaeological, natural history, and outdoor collections. The conservation of buildings is not covered except insofar as it must be taken into account in the conservation of collections in heritage buildings. The conservation of heritage sites and landscapes is not described. (Building, site, and landscape conservation will be covered in HERM 342: General Principles of Planning Historic Places.)
HERM 339 emphasizes a universal approach that will accommodate the needs of different collections. It focuses on basic, practical solutions that can be implemented by small organizations as well as by larger ones. The course also introduces extensive print and web-based publications geared to the custodians of heritage collections. This course will provide you with a body of knowledge that is relevant and useful to any person working within the broad area of heritage resources management, from archaeologists and historic interpreters to site managers and archivists. It will also serve as a solid foundation for anyone wishing to pursue specialized training in conservation. The goal of this course is to bring conservation awareness and knowledge to those who work—or intend to work—in heritage resources management.
Outline
HERM 339 is made up of ten units:
Unit 1: Introduction to Conservation
Unit 2: Materials Characterization: Introduction and Organic Materials Overview
Unit 3: Materials Characterization: Inorganic Materials, Modern Materials, and Composite Artifacts
Unit 4: Agents of Deterioration: Introduction, Temperature and Relative Humidity
Unit 5: Preventive Conservation: Light and Contaminants
Unit 6: Preventive Conservation: Pest Management, Fire Protection, Security, and Emergency Preparedness
Unit 7: Preventive Conservation: Display, Storage, Handling, and Transportation
Unit 8: Preventive Conservation: A Multi-level Approach
Unit 9: Conservation Treatments
Unit 10: Managing Conservation: Planning, Training, Documentation, and Policy
Evaluation
To receive credit in Herm 339 you must complete all assignments and achieve a course composite grade of at least "D" (50 percent). The chart below summarized course activities and the credit weight associated with each assignment.
| 0. Ungraded Assignment | 0% |
| 1. Identifying Materials | 15% |
| 2. Agents of Deterioration | 15% |
| 3. Pests | 20% |
| 4. Identifying Conservation Problems | 10% |
| 5. Conservation Assessment | 40% |
| Total | 100% |
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.
Course Materials
Textbooks/Resource Books
Robert Barclay. Introduction to Conservation. Athabasca: Athabasca University and Robert Barclay, 2008.
Other Materials
The course materials includes a reading file. Students will access all other course materials online.
Athabasca University reserves the right to amend course outlines occasionally and without notice. Courses offered by other delivery methods may vary from their individualized-study counterparts.
Opened in Revision 2, June 7, 2011
View previous syllabus
Last updated by SAS 09/10/2013 11:52:40
