Email digest for the Global Conservation Forum (ConsDistList) egroup. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Getty Publications Summer Book Sale 2. IIC Ghent Congress, 8-11 September 2026 3. RE: Paintings research query 4. Recommendations for Light Table for Paper Conservation Lab 5. Reminder: Applications for Historic Environment Scotland Senior Stone Conservator due by 5th of August! 6. RE: AI companies reportedly destroying rare books 7. RE: What is your institution doing in the heat wave ? 8. RE: Job posting: Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship in Paper Conservation at LACMA 9. Survey: Shared Conservation Laboratory Space ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1.From: Anna Duer Posted: Friday July 31, 2026 12:48 AM Subject: Getty Publications Summer Book Sale Message: The Getty Conservation Institute is pleased to announce that four of its popular publications are currently available at a 50% discount through the Getty Shop's annual Summer Book Sale: El Pueblo: The Historic Heart of Los Angeles <https://shop.getty.edu/collections/getty-publications-sale-2026/products/el-pueblo-978-0892366620> Issues in the Conservation of Paintings, (paperback) <https://shop.getty.edu/collections/getty-publications-sale-2026/products/issues-in-the-conservation-of-paintings-978-0892367818> Managing Energy Use in Modern Buildings: Case Studies in Conservation Practice <https://shop.getty.edu/collections/getty-publications-sale-2026/products/managing-energy-use-in-modern-buildings-case-studies-in-conservation-practice-978-1606066973> Modern Metals in Cultural Heritage: Understanding and Characterization <https://shop.getty.edu/collections/getty-publications-sale-2026/products/modern-metals-in-cultural-heritage-br-understanding-and-characterization-978-1606066058> For more information about these and other titles in the sale, please see: https://gty.art/44ObptN <https://gty.art/44ObptN> The sale runs through August 30, 2026. ------------------------------ Anna Duer Reference Librarian Getty Conservation Institute Los Angeles, CA ------------------------------ 2.From: Tom Learner Posted: Thursday July 30, 2026 11:45 AM Subject: IIC Ghent Congress, 8-11 September 2026 Message: IIC Ghent Congress, 8-11 September 2026 <https://www.iiconservation.org/iic-ghent-congress-2026> 'Ensembles: Conserving Interconnected Art, Artefacts and Collections' There are still tickets available to join us in Ghent, but if you are unable to be there in person, our online registration <https://www.iiconservation.org/iic-congress-ghent-2026-registration> offers far more than just access to live-streamed sessions. It provides a year of engagement with the ideas, research and discussions presented at one of the conservation profession's leading international gatherings. It is FREE to IIC members (more on that below), but also highly affordable to non-members (just 175 euros) Your online registration <https://forms.semicodate.be/forms/iic_registration2026> includes: • Access to the Congress platform with live-streamed talks, round tables and Q&A sessions including AI translation in 50+ languages • On-demand access to all papers, recorded presentations, sessions and posters, so everything is viewable at a time that works for you • A complimentary digital (PDF) copy of Studies in Conservation IIC Ghent 2026 Congress Proceedings (worth £35) Click here <https://www.iiconservation.org/iic-ghent-congress-2026> for all details on the great program and all congress details. As part of IIC's commitment to making professional knowledge as widely accessible as possible, online participation to the Congress remains complimentary for all IIC members <https://www.iiconservation.org/membership>, including Student and Early Career Professional members, recognising the financial pressures that many colleagues are navigating. By joining IIC now, you will automatically get free access to the on-line Congress platform. IIC membership subscriptions are also deeply discounted by location <https://www.iiconservation.org/sites/default/files/awp/download/2026-05/26-27%20Country%20Band%20Listings.pdf>: Band 2 countries (25% discount), Band 3 (50% discount), Band 4 (75% discount). See here <https://www.iiconservation.org/sites/default/files/awp/download/2026-05/26-27%20Country%20Band%20Listings.pdf> for a list of which Band your country is in. Be part of the global conservation community! Whether you join us in Ghent or from anywhere in the world, you'll have lasting access to the latest research, innovative practice and international perspectives shaping the future of conservation. ------------------------------ Tom Learner Getty Conservation Institute IIC Director of Congress ------------------------------ 3.From: Dorothea Burns Posted: Thursday July 30, 2026 11:45 AM Subject: RE: Paintings research query Message: This practice was well-known among pastel painters of the period, particularly portraitists. See for example (but not only) the work of Maurice Quentin de la Tour. Thea BurnsKingston, Ontario ------------------------------------------- Original Message: Sent: 7/29/2026 11:43:00 AM From: Elizabeth Mansfield Subject: Paintings research query I am an art historian currently working on British, oil-on-canvas portraits of the 18th century. I've encountered an interesting cut-and-paste technique associated chiefly with two portrait painters, Hamlet Winstanley (1698 - 1756) and Robert Edge Pine (1730-88), and I'm hoping to learn how widespread this technique might have been. Both artists occasionally painted the faces of their subjects directly onto a small piece of canvas, which would then be glued onto (or fitted into) larger canvases before the whole work was finished, sometimes by a different artist or an assistant. In Pine's case, the piece of canvas on which he painted the face (presumably from life) would be trimmed down to the edge of the face, resulting in oval pieces of canvas that would be glued onto or stitched into a larger canvas. The technique is documented in Robert G. Stewart's catalogue of Pine's American paintings (1784 – 1788), which includes x-ray images of some paintings. I would be grateful to know if this technique is evident in works on canvas by other British or European painters active between 1650 and 1850. With thanks and apologies for any cross-postings, Elizabeth Mansfield Penn State University [email protected] <[email protected]> 4.From: Heidi Forsyth Posted: Thursday July 30, 2026 11:46 AM Subject: Recommendations for Light Table for Paper Conservation Lab Message: Hello, We are looking to purchase a new light table for our paper conservation lab at the Glenbow Museum. The suppliers we have found so far are located in the United States, however we would prefer to source from a Canadian supplier if possible. Does anyone know of reputable suppliers in Canada that sell light tables? Alternatively, does anyone have experience with light tables/boxes from manufacturers marketed towards artists, such as Artograph? Thank you, ------------------------------ Heidi Forsyth Paper Conservator Glenbow Museum Calgary, AB ------------------------------ 5.From: Reed Hudson Posted: Thursday July 30, 2026 11:46 AM Subject: Reminder: Applications for Historic Environment Scotland Senior Stone Conservator due by 5th of August! Message: Historic Environment Scotland (HES) are the lead body for Scotland's historic environment; a charity dedicated to the advancement of heritage, culture, education and environmental protection. We are seeking a skilled and qualified Stone Conservator to join the Collections and Applied Conservation (C&AC) department and lead a small team dedicated to responding to the conservation needs identified by the High Level Masonry (HLM) Project. In this role you will lead and deliver the Conservation Programme for high-level carved decorative stone across our estate of Properties in Care (PiCs). This is a full-time, permanent and pensionable position based at South Gyle Conservation Centre in Edinburgh, with a starting salary of £43,227 pro rata, per year. About the Role The C&AC team is responsible for the care, conservation and management of HES collections and loans across the estate, as well as associated fabric. Our collections span over 5,000 years of human history and range from small archaeological finds to large industrial machinery. We care for some of Scotland's most culturally significant objects, including the Honours of Scotland and the St Andrews Sarcophagus, with more than 45,000 objects distributed across more than 140 locations throughout Scotland. Our team of Stone Conservators are focused on the conservation of carved and decorative stonework at our PiCs and on our collections of artefacts. The HLM project was established to inspect PiCs with high-level masonry at risk of falling, and to identify and address areas where conservation is needed. As some sites will have restricted access while inspections and conservation works are conducted, the project also looks at facilitating access and finding new ways to tell the stories of those PiCs. The HLM project is a key corporate priority and a proactive step in managing the sites in our care within a changing environment, as well as fulfilling our statutory duties to our people, visitors and contractors. As HLM Senior Stone Conservator, you will lead a small team dedicated to the HLM Project and will line manage an HLM Stone Conservator. You will be the main point of contact within the C&AC department for enquiries related to HLM, and will be responsible for programme management and reporting. About You You will be required to demonstrate that you meet the requirements and qualifications below as part of the selection process. · SCQF Level 9 <https://scqf.org.uk/the-framework/interactive-framework/> qualification in Stone Conservation (or equivalent discipline), or demonstrable work experience in Stone Conservation · Extensive knowledge of the conservation of stone sculptural and architectural details coupled with strong conservation ethics in line with HES' conservation principles · Demonstrable experience working in the conservation field, with specialist knowledge of the treatment of stone · An understanding of stone as a material (geological type and composition), stone decay and weathering patterns, and ability to produce condition assessments based on this knowledge · Demonstrable dexterity and tool skills, to be illustrated via a portfolio of projects at the interview stage · Demonstrable experience in project and/or programme management · Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office including Outlook for managing emails, Word for writing high-quality reports, and Excel · Excellent written and verbal communication skills and ability to provide support, advice, and advocacy in a cultural heritage setting · Self-motivated, able to work autonomously, take initiative and responsibility Experience in managing a large portfolio of work and ability to work with stakeholders and as part of a team to prioritise project delivery and make decisions effectively and collaboratively · Full UK driving licence to support travel across the estate, including to remote sites where equipment transport is required, or if non-UK driving licence holder, willingness to convert within first 12 months of employment Good understanding of Health and Safety regulations and evidence of appropriate working practices Benefits of joining us at Historic Environment Scotland Enrolment onto a Civil Service Pension scheme – 28% employer contribution 25 days annual leave, pro-rata (increasing to 30 days after 3 years) + 11.5 public holidays Reimbursement for relevant professional subscriptions Support for further education and personal development Study leave for work related courses Flexible working hours (where appropriate) Free entry to all of our properties (with up to three guests) Free entry to English Heritage, Manx and Cadw properties For more information about the role and how to apply, please view the full Job Advertisement <https://ekov.fa.em3.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/CandidateExperience/en/sites/CX_2001/job/427/?utm_medium=jobshare&utm_source=External+Job+Share>. ------------------------------ Reed Hudson Senior Metals Conservator Historic Environment Scotland Edinburgh United Kingdom ------------------------------ 6.From: Graham Marley Posted: Thursday July 30, 2026 5:13 PM Subject: RE: AI companies reportedly destroying rare books Message: It would be good to have actual evidence that the books are being destroyed rather than assuming they are. Depending on the type of binding, they could be scanned without damage. I'd be more concerned about their use without some sort of copyright if they are modern enough editions to have ISBN numbers. With regards Graham Marley ACR Briarwood Restoration Workshop Bepton Road Midhurst GU29 9HH 07703511453 01730 816180 www.justgiving.com/campaign/masterschallenge2026 <http://www.justgiving.com/campaign/masterschallenge2026> ------------------------------------------- Original Message: Sent: 7/29/2026 9:42:00 AM From: Jean Dommermuth Subject: RE: AI companies reportedly destroying rare books Hi Saira, Thanks for bringing this to our attention. It's very disturbing, but I'm not sure what can be done. Physical libraries - public and personal- become ever more precious. ------------------------------------------- Original Message: Sent: 7/28/2026 10:08:00 AM From: Saira Haqqi Subject: AI companies reportedly destroying rare books I was disturbed to come across this article, "AI Companies Are Buying Antique Books, Ingesting Their Contents to Train Models, and Then Destroying Them at Incredible Scale <https://futurism.com/artificial-intelligence/ai-companies-destroying-rare-books>." Per the article: One small book seller said that in April, he suddenly went from selling no more than 20 books a week to hundreds, and he's almost certain that the customers are AI labs, noting the random selection of the books and how they all have ISBNs. He added that his inventory is full with rare and out of print books, meaning that an AI company could be destroying some of the few remaining copies that can be found. This seems like something that cultural heritage organizations like ours should be aware of and potentially taking a stand against. Additionally, as people committed to the care and preservation of cultural heritage, I think it is important for us to take practices like this, as well as the obvious human and environmental costs, into account when contemplating the use of generative AI tools. Initially, I was going to suggest that this is something AIC could (should?) release a statement about -- however, I can't see that this would actually achieve anything. If anyone has ideas for how we could effectively organize around this, I would love to hear them. Best, Saira ------------------------------ Saira Haqqi (she/they) Senior Conservator National Archives and Records Administration College Park, MD [email protected] ------------------------------ 7.From: Jordan Tanner Posted: Thursday July 30, 2026 5:14 PM Subject: RE: What is your institution doing in the heat wave ? Message: While I work in Special Collections and Archives at UNLV (in Las Vegas), not a museum, we actually have had our A/C / Chillers go out several times in the past two months. Naturally, this has caused some pretty massive temperature spikes, etc. Finally I was able to find someone in the university facilities (not just our library) that was able to give us a few portable A/C units. Our library has been closed for the past week, as the system is struggling here in the desert. The library is huge, and is one of the main hubs on campus for our students to hangout, study, and work in. Due to this, the doors constantly opening/closing and the added body temperature of hundreds of people being in the building at any given time, would likely contribute to rising temperatures. The portable A/C units have a hose that goes up into the ceiling tiles and has worked to keep at least two of our main stacks areas comfortable. Unfortunately, we are limited both by the number of units available AND the spaces that actually have the ceiling tiles for this system to work (needs to pull hot air in), so we have three Special Collections stacks areas that are having to go without... and three full floors of open/circulating stacks that aren't being helped either. We deal with issues of being extremely dry (the opposite of most collecting institutions) and that mixed with the rising heat is not good for our collections. I wish we had some kind of a backup system or something, but the portable A/C units have helped mitigate some of the issues. ------------------------------ Jay Tanner He/Him/They Conservator, Special Collections and Archives University of Nevada, Las Vegas United States [email protected] ------------------------------ ------------------------------------------- Original Message: Sent: 07-29-2026 14:53 From: Paul Harrison Subject: What is your institution doing in the heat wave ? BBC Radio 4 ,29 July The program Front Row , is a magazine program on the arts , this article is entitled how the opioid crisis inspired an opera , the second article is about how museums are managing in the heat . They interview Mortice Consulting and the Natural History Museum . What are you doing? They have had to shut some galleries, modified the building back, removing the 1970s filling of vents in a Victorian building to encourage warm air to flow out . Allowing water drinking in the gallery etc (The third article is on paintings in Scotland , the opioid manufacturers have offered to fund galleries , so the whole program may be of interest to you , they also mention the Nanking Cargo without going into the controversy over it )Paul Harrison FIIC 8.From: Elsa Thyss Posted: Thursday July 30, 2026 5:15 PM Subject: RE: Job posting: Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship in Paper Conservation at LACMA Message: Note that LACMA can sponsor J-1 visas for this Fellowship. Please feel free to reach out directly with any questions. ------------------------------ Elsa Thyss Associate Conservator, Photographs Los Angeles County Museum of Art ------------------------------ ------------------------------------------- Original Message: Sent: 07-25-2026 15:28 From: Elsa Thyss Subject: Job posting: Andrew W. Mellon Fellowship in Paper Conservation at LACMA The Conservation Center at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art welcomes applications for a 1-year Fellowship position in paper conservation. Please see the position details and link to apply: Andrew W. Mellon Fellow, Paper <https://workforcenow.adp.com/mascsr/default/mdf/recruitment/recruitment.html?cid=4223859a-1623-4bba-84f6-7f22b4ce3a61&ccId=19000101_000001&jobId=554471&lang=en_US&source=CC2> ------------------------------ Elsa Thyss Associate Conservator, Photographs Los Angeles County Museum of Art ------------------------------ 9.From: Ailie Ramage Posted: Thursday July 30, 2026 5:15 PM Subject: Survey: Shared Conservation Laboratory Space Message: Hello everyone, I'm writing a report on shared conservation laboratory spaces (i.e. large laboratories that house multiple conservators working in different subdisciplines, such as paper, paintings, and objects, all in the same room). The report is for Protect Heritage, a small Canadian firm that works with cultural heritage institutions to support preservation planning work. If you have worked in a shared conservation lab, I would be extremely grateful if you would take the time to answer a few survey questions so that I may incorporate information from the real lived experiences of conservators as a component of the report. I am seeking to learn about subjective personal experiences with this type of space arrangement, and have therefore left the questions somewhat open-ended. If you end up taking the survey, please feel free to write as much or as little as you please. I expect it should take no more than about 10 minutes to complete. Also, rest assured that your answers are anonymous and the results will be summarised, not quoted. The link to the survey is here: https://forms.gle/CyVckTUget5hAcYr6 <https://forms.gle/CyVckTUget5hAcYr6> Furthermore, if you would rather not take a survey but are interested in writing about your experience in a shared conservation lab space in the comments below, that would be equally helpful and most appreciated. Thank you so much in advance for your participation. Regards, Ailie Ramage Contract Report Writer Protect Heritage Corp. Hamilton, ON, Canada [email protected] You are subscribed to "Global Conservation Forum (ConsDistList)" as [email protected]. To change your subscriptions, go to http://community.culturalheritage.org/preferences?section=Subscriptions. To unsubscribe from this community discussion, go to https://community.culturalheritage.org/HigherLogic/eGroups/Unsubscribe.aspx?UserKey=d16eaa87-0f69-494b-9f2f-303dbc1222e1&sKey=fab9aa4f27a04c5d876e&GroupKey=757a8f16-505f-4323-8e74-e376757aa9f7.
