Formal education is usually augmented with apprenticeship-type training. This dual background gives them the perspective to make aesthetic judgements based on a sound understanding of deterioration. This module describes the basic approach used in conservation. Examples of conservation treatments completed by NPS conservators to make NPS museum collections more accessible illustrate their work. Before any work is done on an object it must be carefully examined to understand how and why it is deteriorating.
Stabilization stops deterioration and preserves the object.
Restoration techniques replace missing elements to make an object look more like it did originally. Research takes place during all these steps to ensure the best possible choices are considered. All work that is done by conservators is documented. Reports, photographs, drawings, and analytical graphs are kept so that people who use the object can access this information. We have used the actual words of the conservators in the examples so you can get a sense of the careful and objective way they describe what they see and do.