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First Aid for Finds by David Watkinson; Virginia Neal

Review by: Jessica S. JohnsonJournal of the American Institute for Conservation, Vol. 41, No. 3 (Autumn - Winter, 2002),pp. 296-298Published by: The American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic WorksStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3179928 .

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a future exhibition or using it to collect informationfor a grant. Discussing the exhibition of barkcloth,Stephens shows a diagram of a mount in which eachelement of a costume is supported individually.Whenfully assembled, the mount gives an accurate impres-sion of the costume as worn. Murray and Johnsonartfully explain the difficulty of rolling barkcloth arti-facts and discuss various aspects of humidification andstorage.Hill and Johnson each provide valuable informa-tion on conservation treatment procedures. Hilltested various combinations of repair materials andadhesives for barkcloth treatment, and she summa-rizes these results in a concise table. Even more usefulis her current-condition assessment of a barkclothobject that she treated 10 years ago. She provides avaluable lesson about the durability of treatmentmaterials over time and encourages conservators torevisit aging conservation treatments-a policy thatevery conservator should enact.

Johnson also presents valuable conservation treat-ment information. Her study on the effect of pH oncolorants has implications for those considering inva-sive barkcloth treatments that involve washing ordeacidification. Her article has a superb literaturereview of previous barkcloth treatments and tacklessome tough ethical questions regarding the benefitsof, or justification for, deacidification. She alsoprovides instruction on preparing a magnesiumbicarbonate solution on a large scale (adapted fromoriginators of this method, H. D. Burgess and A.Boronyak-Szaplonczay) and on titration proceduresto determine the concentration of such solutions.

The articles in Barkcloth:Aspects of Preparation,Use, Deterioration,Conservationand Display are usefuladditions to the body of knowledge currently avail-able on barkcloth. One of the benefits of this type ofpublication is that it gives authors a venue for widedistribution of their information, even if the articlesare not necessarily of the same quality as those foundin peer-reviewed journals. Here curators, conserva-tors, and research scientists have published theirnewest ideas regarding barkcloth, from nascentresearch ventures to detailed technological informa-tion derived from years of intense study.The articlesvary markedly in content, level of detail, and quality,

but as a whole they accurately demonstrate the stateof barkcloth study today. In general, there is littletechnical information published on barkcloth. Mostof the information now available describes manufac-ture and use. Few publications describe conservation,deterioration, or display. Therefore, conservatorsdoing technical research on barkcloth or workingwith collections first-hand will benefit from thisbook. Even those with only a mild interest in bark-cloth will find the publication to be approachable anduseful.

This publication owes a great debt to editorMargot Wright. When not editing for CEA, Wrightis senior curator of conservation at the MarischalMuseum, Marischal College, University ofAberdeen,Scotland. She also edits for the Scottish Society forConservation and Restoration and is newslettereditor for the ethnographic working group of theInternational Council of Museums Committee forConservation.

(It should be noted that this reviewer ismentioned in connection with research on the dete-rioration of barkcloths discussed in Holdcraft's arti-cle, "Research, Exhibition and Preservation of theBarkcloth Collections from the Pacific in theHarvard Peabody Museum.")Joel L.ThompsonConservator of Textiles and ObjectsChicago Historical SocietyClark St. at North Ave.Chicago, Ill. 60614-6071

DAVID WATKINSON AND VIRGINIA NEAL,FIRST AID FOR FINDS. 3d ed. London:Rescue/UKIC Archaeology Section, 1998, reprinted2001. 100 pages, hardcover binder, $28. Availablefrom Archetype Publications, Cotsen Institute ofArchaeology at UCLA, A210 Fowler Building, Box951510, Los Angeles, Calif. 90095. ISBN 1-871656-28-1.First Aid for Finds is a basic sourcebook of informa-tion to help archaeologists and conservators success-fully recover and store newly excavatedarchaeological objects ("finds" in the United King-

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dom). First written by David Leigh and others andpublished n 1972, this work has been published nnew editions wo times andreprintedwith andwith-out revisions everal imes as well.The volumeunderreview, he third edition (reprintedwith minor revi-sions in 2001) was written by DavidWatkinsonandVirginia Neal. There is also a Japanese-languageedition underway.The multipleeditionsandreprint-ings speakto the book'susefulness o both archaeol-ogy and conservation.This book gives enough practicalnformation osafelyexcavateand store objectsduringand directlyafter excavation for individualswho may not haveconservation rainingand experience.Conservationtreatment s not coveredexceptin minorways.Whilethe book givessome basic nformationaboutpreser-vation and deterioration,t does not attemptto givea deep understanding f these issues.It is focused ongetting objectssafelyout of the burialenvironmentandpackedso that they can be analyzedandtreatedat some point in the future.The current edition, housed in a hardplastic-covered four-ring binder and printed on a water-resistantpaper, s a largerformatthan the previousedition, with a larger, easier-to-read font. Somefigures updatedby Nick Griffiths)have been simplyredrawn,and others are completelynew interpreta-tions of previous illustrations. hese changesmakethe book easier o readyet retain he strengths f thepreviousformat that made it a tough, flexiblebookstructure oruse underdifficult ieldconditions. cantestifyto the toughnessof my personalcopy of thepreviousedition,which surviveda dousingandmoldoutbreakwhen the facilitywhereit was storedcaughtfire.

The book is dividedinto sectionsthatcoverthefollowingbroad opics:planning orexcavation, xca-vation anddecay, acking,metals,norganicmaterials,organicmaterials, ndlifting.There is a lot of pack-ing information ncluded in the sections on particu-larmaterials suchascopperalloysor leather)aswell.A carefullywritten glossaryandlist of UK suppliers(with acknowledgmenthatsuppliers an quickly goout of date)are alsoincluded.

This book focusesvery consciouslyon the careof objectsrecovered n the prevailingburialcondi-

tions of northern Europe (usually somewhat dampand often waterlogged). However, most of the tech-niques are easily adapted to conditions found world-wide. Enough detail and explanation are given thatreaders should be able to evaluate which techniquesand materials can be used in any particular situation.Some American readers may find unfamiliar vocabu-lary (polythene vs. polyethylene; industrial methy-lated spirit), but in most cases the glossary providesillumination.

A minor flaw is that the 2001 revisions are simplyadded in as an additional two-sided page (xiii andxiv), probably for cost savings. However, it is likelythat the new information (some very specific and allvery useful) will be missed by the reader thumbingthrough for information on a specific topic.

Section 1, "Planning for Conservation," discusseshow conservation can be included in the initial plan-ning and structuring of an excavation project. Usingrecommendations from the British Institute of FieldArchaeologists and English Heritage, this sectiondiscusses how a conservation presence can be built in,depending on the goals and financial parameters ofthe project. It lays out the responsibilities that aconservator can take on and also describes theimportant concept of "levels of conservation" thatallow for differing amounts of time and money to bespent on objects depending on their importance andpreservation needs.

Section 2, "Excavation and Decay," describeswhat happens to materials when they are buried.Twouseful tables help the reader identify what kinds ofmaterials can be expected to be found, depending onthe burial environment (i.e., acid, neutral,or alkaline).The next section, "Packing Finds for Storage,"gives a broad overview of why good packing isneeded for preservation. It also details the materialsand techniques that are especially useful for packingarchaeological objects. A number of illustrations addto the information provided in the text. The veryspecific information, such as types of markers to use,exactly how to punch holes in polyethylene bags toprevent condensation, and how to determine thecorrect amount of silica gel needed to create a desic-cated environment (among a wealth of other details),is what make this book a very useful resource.

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The sections on "Metals" iron, copper, silver,gold,lead, tin,pewter,andzinc),"InorganicObjects"(stone,mosaics,ceramics,wall paintings,and glass),and"OrganicObjects"(waterloggedwood, textiles,leather,bone, antler, vory,and horn) give enoughinformationaboutstructure,dentification, eteriora-tion, and specific packing techniquesfor each mate-rialto enableobjects o be identifiedandsafely toredaccording to their needs. The tables listing theappearance f corrosionproductsof differentmetalsareveryuseful,and the bulleted istsof dosanddon'tsfor each type of materialmake it quick and easytofind informationon specific topics.The finalsection,section 7, coversthe liftingoffragileobjects.Theexamplesgivenarebasedon tech-niquespublishedelsewhere,and the originalsourcesaregiven. Enough detail s included,however, o thatcarefulpersonnelusing ust the informationsuppliedin this book can carryout the methods.Bowing tothe fact that consolidations sometimesnecessary ndoften carried out by nonconservators,he authorshave included a section on consolidants hat clearlyexplains the difference between emulsions anddispersions n the one handand resins n solutiononthe other (a distinctionthat is important o under-standand often not clearlypresented n the casualrecommendationshatcan be found in printandonthe WorldWideWeb).I have usedthe secondeditionof thisbook regu-larly since its publication.It is an extremelyusefulfield resource or conservatorswhen encounteringamaterialwith which they are unfamiliarand givesenough background o safelyremoveand storeit. Itis a good reference to recommend to interestedarchaeological olleagues. t is also a usefulresourcefordeveloping rainingmaterialsn the classroom ndon-site.The additionsand improvementsn the newedition expandon its previousstrengthsand can berecommended to conservatorsand archaeologistslooking for a basicresource o use in the field.Muchof the strengthof FirstAid or Findscomes fromhowit has been updatedand improvedover the years.Numerousauthorsandeditorshaveprovidedexpert-ise andexperience.Rescue-the BritishArchaeolog-icalTrustandtheArchaeologySectionof the UnitedKingdom Institute for Conservation-(with help

from others) should be applaudedfor generouslysupportingts evolution over four decades.JessicaS.JohnsonSeniorObjectsConservatorSmithsonian nstitutionNational Museum of the AmericanIndianCulturalResources Center4220 SilverHill Rd.Suitland,Md. 20746

MAXINE K. SITTS, ED., HANDBOOK FORDIGITALPROJECTS:A MANAGEMENTTOOLFOR PRESERVATIONAND ACCESS. Andover,Mass.: Northeast Document ConservationCenter,2000. 179 pages, hardcover,$38. Available fromNEDCC, 100 Brickstone Square,Andover, Mass.01810-1494; 978-470-1010; Fax: 978-475-6021;ISBN 0-9634685-4-5.Despite the common view that publicationsaboutdigital projects end to be short-lived n a field thatchangesso rapidly,Handbookor DigitalProjectsffersa lastingcontribution.Thebook is not timeless,but itis successfuln achieving tsnarrowlydefinedgoalsofproviding guidance (not technical solutions) tomanagersof scanninganddigitalconversionprojectsand informing readersabout the broad range ofconsiderationsn digitizationprojects romcapture ostorage o access.The publicationis the result of four years ofresearch ndcurriculumdevelopment fundedby theNational Endowment for the Humanities [NEH]andthe A.W.Mellon Foundation) or the NortheastDocument ConservationCenter'sSchool for Scan-ning. Its essentialmessage s that digitizationfor itsown sake is clearly shortsighted.Managersshouldtake time at the outset to define the scope, goals,sustainability,nd metricsof a pendingproject.Andthentheymustbe well informedaboutthe complex-ities justifying a project,when and how to begin,integratingpreservation,electingmaterial,maintain-ing standardsf quality, eveloping nfrastructure,ndprovidingaccess o the end product.To begin a proj-ect, managersmust be able to answer:Why do it?What do you want to produce?And what will you

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