from The New York Times -
Microbes Eating Away at Pieces of History
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Although not a new phenomena, the biodeterioration of stones is made worse in recent times:

" 'One of the recent discoveries that is of concern is that increased air pollution can sometimes increase biodeterioration,' said Eric Doehne, a scientist at the Getty Conservation Institute."

And sometimes, conservation treatment efforts unwittingly make things worse:

"Biodegradable polymers used to consolidate the stones of Mayan ruins in Mexico, for example, created conditions ripe for damaging microbes."

Control measures that were mentioned, included specially formulated biocides, anoxic treatment using Argon gas and goof old-fashion regular maintenance.
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from The Guardian -
Run-down heritage sites embarrass the Greeks
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Interesting take on the tussle between tourism and heritage preservtion - and in this instance, what could well be a strategy of limiting excessive exposure to human traffic is being cast as negligence and incompetence, rightly or wrongly, together with other short-comings.
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from The Independent -
Rock concerts 'add years' to artworks
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It is unfortunate that the limitations of newspaper reporting is such that the lay-person would probably think that only rock concerts are detrimental to the physical stability and preservation of fragile historic artefacts. There must be thousand of other equally hazardous, if not more frequent, threats that generate excessive vibrations.
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from National Public Radio -
How to Make a Painting Last Forever
go to web-page (to listen to recorded programme, 23 min 15 sec)

The exaggeration is probably the handiwork of a copy editor, but still a reasonably good programme in raising awareness of preservation issues amongst the general listener.
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from Technology Review -
Paper Gets a Nano Makeover
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An improvement on a natural material by way of nanotechnology and material engineering. With such improved strength and durability:

"The nanopaper is seven times stronger and two to three times as stretchy as conventional paper."

Would a paper conservator's job be different in time to come?
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from The Getty Conservation institute -
Emergency Management
go to contents
go to newsletter (PDF, 4.3 Mb)

A timely look at the role of conservation in the larger context of ensuring adequate preparations for handling disasters - man-made or otherwise.
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from The Art Newspaper -
Cypriot wall paintings get HIV test
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A cost-effective method of using a widely available diagnostic tool to determine the presence and composition of protein-based materials. For more details, see PDF article here and also the project web-site at the Getty Conservation Institute.
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from The New York Times -
Antiquities, the World Is Your Homeland
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from Culture Grrl -
The Debate Over "Context": From Elgin to Eakins
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from The Art Newspaper -
Do we really want the freer circulation of cultural goods?
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Three slightly different perspectives on the repatriation of cultural materials to supposed (modern) countries of origin - steming, directly or indrectly, from James Cuno's latest polemical book, Who Owns Antiquity? Museums and the Battle Over Our Ancient Heritage.

As much as the issue is seen as in ideological and political terms, the one dimension that somehow escaped critical examination is the economical aspect - of property, ownership and exploitation rights.
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