National Park Service Conserve O Grams

The National Park Service Conserve O Grams are short, focused technical leaflets that provide practical and easy-to-use guidance on the care of museum collections. The leaflets are geared towards staff responsible for collections care and preservation. They cover procedures, techniques, and materials used in collections management, as well as care of different types of collection objects and materials. New topics are added as needed and out-of-date issues are revised or deleted.

1. Museum Collection Preservation

1/1 Preservation of Museum Collections 1993
1/2 Bibliography (Revised) 2011
1/3 Preventive Conservation Recommendations for Organic Objects 1993
1/4 Use of Acryloid B-72 Lacquer for Labeling Museum Objects 1993
1/5 Salvaging Acidic or Damaged Museum Accession Books 1997
1/6 Choosing a Vacuum Cleaner for Use in Museum Collections 2003
1/7 Useful World Wide Web Resources 1999
1/8 Using Silica Gel in Microenvironments 1999
1/9 Use Of Ultraviolet Induced Visible-Fluorescence in the Examination of Museum Objects, Part I 2000
1/10 The Use Of Ultraviolet Induced Visible-Fluorescence in the Examination of Museum Objects, Part II 2000
1/11 Selecting Carpets and Floor Coverings for Exhibit Galleries and Visitor Centers 2001
1/12 How To Select Gloves: An Overview For Collections Staff 2010

2. Security, Fire, and Curatorial Safety

2/1 Hazardous Materials Health and Safety Update 1993
2/2 Ethylene Oxide Health and Safety Update 1993
2/3 Arsenic Health and Safety Update 2000
2/4 Dichlorvos (Vapona) Update 1993
2/5 Fossil Vertebrates as Radon Source: Health Update 1993
2/6 Preparing Salvage Caches for Emergency Use 1993
2/7 Fabricating Secure Hangers for Framed Works of Art 1994
2/8 Hantavirus Disease Health and Safety Update 2014
2/9 Tamper-Resistant Fasteners for Museum Exhibit Cases 1995
2/10 Hazardous Materials in Your Collections 1998
2/11 Health and Safety Risks of Asbestos 1999
2/12 Safe Techniques for Archival Surveying and Assessment 2000
2/13 Introduction to Respirator Use in Collections Management 2000
2/14 DDT Health and Safety Update 2000
2/15 Cobalt Indicating Silica Gel Health and Safety Update 2005
2/16 Chronology of Pesticides Used on National Park Service Collections 2001
2/16 Additional Graph of Pesticide Chronology 2001
2/17 Physical Properties and Health Effects of Pesticides Used on National Park Service Collections 2001
2/18 Safe Storage and Handling of Natural History Specimens Preserved in Fluid 2001
2/19 Guidelines for the Handling of Pesticide Contaminated Collections 2002
2/20 Handling and Shipping Cellulose Nitrate Film 2018 (Review is Pending. Consult your Regional Curator or Chief Curator for additional guidance on the transport of nitrate film.)
2/21 Safer Cleaning Alternatives for the Museum & Visitor Center 2003
2/22 Disposal of Nitrate Film 2004
2/23 Fire Safety 101: A Fire Safety Self-Inspection Checklist

3. Agents of Deterioration

3/1 Using a Psychrometer to Measure Relative Humidity 1993
3/2 Calibration of Hygrometers and Hygrothermographs 1993
3/3 Comparing Temperature and Relative Humidity Dataloggers for Museum Monitoring (Revised) 2011
3/4 Mold: Prevention of Growth in Museum Collections 2007
3/5 Volcanic Ash: Cleaning Museum Objects 1993
3/6 An Insect Pest Control Procedure: The Freezing Process 1994
3/7 Monitoring Insect Pests with Sticky Traps 1998
3/8 Controlling Insect Pests: Alternatives to Pesticides 1998
3/9 Anoxic Microenvironments: A Treatment for Pest Control 1999
3/10 Choosing UV-Filtering Window Films 2004
3/11 Identifying Museum Insect Pest Damage 2008
3/12 Identifying Mouse and Rat Damage in Museum Collections 2020

4. Museum Collections Storage

4/1 Museum Storage Cabinets 1993
4/2 Dust Covers for Open Steel Shelving 1993
4/3 Installing the Retrofit Gasket Kit 1993
4/4 Creating a Microclimate for Oversized Museum Objects 1993
4/5 Storage Techniques for Hanging Garments: Padded Hangers 1994
4/6 Storage Techniques for Canoe Paddles and Long-Handled Tools 1994
4/7 Museum Collection Storage Space: Is an Insulated Modular Structure Right for Your Collection? 1994
4/8 Selecting Environmental Control Systems for Insulated Modular Structures 1994
4/9 Buffered and Unbuffered Storage Materials 1995
4/10 Determining Museum Storage Equipment Needs 1997
4/11 Determining Museum Storage Space Requirements 1997
4/12 Ring Supports for Pottery and Round-Based Objects 1998
4/13 Modifying Museum Storage Cabinets 1998
4/14 Planning a Research Space 1998
4/15 Storage Techniques for Hanging Garments: Dust Covers 2001
4/16 Creating A Microclimate Box for Metal Storage 2011

5. Ethnographic Objects

5/1 Storage Supports for Basket Collections 1993
5/2 Storage Mounts for Feathered Headdresses and Soft-Sided Hats and Caps 1993
5/3 Internal Supports for Buckskin Clothing Storage 2011

6. Archeological Objects

6/1 First Aid for Wet-Site Objects 1993
6/1 Primeros Auxilios para Objetos de Sitios Anegados 1993 Spanish Version
6/2 Desalinization: Passive Alkaline Soak 1993
6/2 Desalinización: Baño en Solución Pasiva Alcalina 1993 Spanish Version
6/3 Testing for Chlorides with Silver Nitrate 1993
6/4 Making Percent Solutions of Chemicals 1993
6/5 Soluble Salts and Deterioration of Archeological Materials 1998
6/6 Long-Term Effects of Acid-Cleaning Archeological Ceramics 1999

7. Furniture and Wooden Objects

7/1 Cleaning Wood Furniture 1993
7/2 Waxing Furniture and Wooden Objects 1993
7/3 Protecting Wood with Preservatives and Water Repellants 1993
7/4 Upholstered Furniture: Agents of Deterioration 1993
7/5 Dusting Wooden Objects 2002
7/6 Silicone in Furniture Waxes and Polishes 1993
7/7 Emergency Treatment for Water-Soaked Furniture and Wooden Objects 1993

8. Ceramic, Glass, Plaster, and Plastic Objects

8/1 Removing Dust from Ceramic and Glass Objects 1993
8/2 Storing and Handling Plaster Object 1997
8/3 Preservation of Low-Fired Ceramic Objects 2002
8/4 Care and Identification of Objects Made from Plastic 2010
8/5 Monitoring Acidic Off-Gassing Of Plastics 2011

9. Leather and Skin Objects

9/1 Leather Dressing: To Dress or Not to Dress 1993
9/2 An Easy-To-Build Museum Saddle Mount 2009

10. Metal Objects

10/1 Caring for Historic Longarms: Storage and Handling Requirements 1999
10/2 Caring for Silver and Copper Alloy Objects 1999
10/3 Preparing Historic Motorized Vehicles for Storage or Exhibit 1999
10/4 Caring for Outdoor Bronze Plaques, Part I: Documentation and Inspection 2005
10/5 Caring for Outdoor Bronze Plaques, Part II: Cleaning and Waxing 2005

11. Natural History Specimens

11/1 Removing Wet Specimens from Long-Term Storage in Formalin 1993
11/2 Storage Concerns for Geological Collections 1998
11/3 Storage Concerns for Fluid-Preserved Collections 1999
11/4 Storage Containers and Labels for Fluid-Preserved Collections 1999
11/5 Re-Use of Ethanol in Processing Biological Specimens 2003
11/6 Labeling Natural History Specimens 2005
11/7 Vertebrate Skeletons: Preparation and Storage 2006
11/8 Curation of Insect Specimens 2006
11/9 Handling and Care of Dry Bird and Mammal Specimens 2006
11/10 Radioactive Minerals 2006
11/11 Health and Safety Issues with Geological Specimens 2006
11/12 Preparing and Storing Herbarium Specimens 2009
11/13 Shipping and Handling of Natural History Wet Specimens Stored in Fluids as "Dangerous Goods" - Hazardous Materials 2007
11/14 Using the Cuvette Technique to Store Vertebrate Microfossils and Other Small Natural History Specimens 2007
11/15 Byne's "Disease:" How to Recognize, Handle and Store Affected Shells and Related Collections 2008
11/16 Preparing and Storing Geological Drill Cores 2010
11/17 Identification and Care of Amber 2011

12. Paintings

12/1 Storage Screens for Paintings 1993

13. Paper Objects

13/1 Window Mats for Paper Objects 1993
13/2 How to Flatten Folded or Rolled Paper Documents 2024
13/3 Polyester Encapsulation 1993
13/4 Exhibit Mounting Variations for Objects on Paper 1993
13/5 Rolled Storage for Oversized Paper Materials 2024

14. Photographs

14/1 Making Mounting Corners for Photographs and Paper Objects 1993
14/2 Storage Enclosures for Photographic Prints and Negatives 1993
14/3 Chronology of Photographic Processes 1993
14/4 Caring for Photographs: General Guidelines 1997
14/5 Caring for Photographs: Special Formats 1997
14/6 Caring for Color Photographs 1998
14/7 Caring for Photographs: Special Monochrome Processes 1998
14/8 Caring for Cellulose Nitrate Film 2004
14/9 Identification of Film-Base Photographic Materials 1999
14/10 Cold Storage for Photograph Collections – An Overview 2009
14/11 Cold Storage for Photograph Collections – Using Individual Freezer Unit 2009
14/12 Cold Storage for Photograph Collections – Vapor-Proof Packaging 2009

15. Stone Objects

15/1 Care of Alabaster 2000
15/2 Dusting Guidelines for Stone Objects and Interior Architectural Features 2000

16. Textile Objects

16/1 Causes, Detection, and Prevention of Mold and Mildew on Textiles 1993
16/2 Dry Cleaning Museum Textiles 2000
16/3 A Simple Storage Mat for Textile Fragments 2001
16/4 Synthetic Fibers in Costume Collections 2002
16/5 Flag Rolling and Storage 2009
16/6 Labeling Textiles in Museum Collections 2023

17. Packing and Shipping Museum Objects

17/1 Checklist for Planning the Shipment of Museum Objects 1993
17/2 Packing Museum Objects for Shipment 1993
17/3 Crating Museum Objects for Shipment 1993
17/4 Retrofitting a Moving Van to Transport Museum Collections 1995
17/5 How to Make a Paper Board Crate 2008
17/6 Packing a Framed Two-Dimensional Object 2009

18. Museum Exhibits

18/1 Polyester Film Book Supports 1993
18/2 Safe Plastics and Fabrics for Exhibit and Storage 2004

19. Archival and Manuscript Collections and Rare Books

19/1 What makes a Book Rare? 1993
19/2 Care and Security of Rare Books 1993
19/3 Use and Handling of Rare Books 1993
19/4 Archives: Preservation Through Photocopying 1993
19/5 Removing Original Fasteners from Historic Documents 1993
19/6 Attachments for Multi-Page Historic Documents 1993
19/7 Archives: Reference Photocopying 1993
19/8 Preservation of Magnetic Media 1993
19/9 Caring for Blueprints and Cyanotypes 1995
19/10 Reformatting for Preservation and Access: Prioritizing Materials for Duplication 1995
19/11 Preservation Reformatting: Selecting a Copy Technology 1995
19/12 Contracting for Reformatting of Photographs 1995
19/13 Preservation Reformatting: Inspection of Copy Photographs 1995
19/14 Judging Permanence for Reformatting Projects: Paper and Inks 1995
19/15 Storing Archival Paper-Based Materials 1996
19/16 Housing Archival Paper-Based Materials 1996
19/17 Handling Archival Documents and Manuscripts 1996
19/18 How to Care for Bound Archival Materials 1996
19/19 Care of Archival Compact Disks 1996
19/20 Care of Archival Digital and Magnetic Media 1996
19/21 Planning Digital Projects for Preservation and Access 2000
19/22 Managing Digital Projects for Preservation and Access 2000
19/23 A Phase Box for the Protection of Books 2001
19/24 How to Preserve Acidic Wood Pulp Paper 2001
19/25 Planning a Microfilming Project for Preservation and Access 2008

20. Facility Specifications for Museum and Archive Collections

20/1 Museum Facility Specifications: Selected References 1999

21. Disaster Response and Recovery

21/1 Health and Safety Hazards Arising From Floods 2002
21/2 An Emergency Cart for Salvaging Water-Damaged Objects 2002
21/3 Salvage of Water-Damaged Collections:Salvage at a Glance 2002
21/4 Salvage at a Glance,Part I:Paper Based Collections 2002
21/5 Salvage at a Glance,Part II:Non-Paper Based Archival Collections 2002
21/6 Salvage at a Glance, Part III: Object Collections 2002
21/7 Salvage at a Glance, Part IV: Natural History Collections 2003
21/8 Salvage at a Glance, Part V: Textiles 2003
21/9 Be Prepared: Develop a Museum Emergency Operations Plan 2005
21/10 Museum Staff Emergency Procedures: A Sample Emergency Telephone List 2005
21/11 Museum Staff Emergency Procedures: A Sample Emergency "Flip Chart" 2005
21/12 A Custom Restraint to Mitigate Against Damage to Museum Objects Due to Seismic Activity 2009

22. Creation, Care, and Storage of Digital Materials

22/1 Understanding Bit Depth 2008
22/2 Understanding Digital Image Formats 2008
22/3 Understanding PPI (Pixels Per Inch), DPI (Dots Per Inch), and Digital Display 2008
22/4 Understanding Histograms for Digital Photography 2008
22/5 Digital Storage Media 2010
22/6 Terminology For The Creation, Care, And Storage Of Digital Materials 2011