This course gives students a broader view of textile conservation, with an emphasis on collections, rather than the single objects encountered during interventive treatments. It introduces the wider collections management and project management skills textile conservators need in the workplace.

2 hours lecture/seminar per week plus 1 hour of tutorials, and a visit.

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Report on enhancing access within a museum collection 80%. Students will make a group visit to a local museum and, acting as a consultant, prepare a 4000 word report for the curator recommending how access to the collection can be enhanced and its preservation improved.

SWOT analysis 20%

This course aims to: 

■ Promote a greater understanding of the contexts within which textile conservation operates

■ Introduce the skills necessary to manage collections of textiles

■ Enhance awareness of the balance between access and preservation within collections

■ Introduce the management of large and small projects (supporting your management of your own conservation projects in Principles and Practice: Conservation Projects)

■ Introduce the concept of public engagement and its benefits for the conservation profession

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Identify the challenges involved in managing collections of textiles

■ Select and design appropriate measures to enhance the preservation of a textile collection

■ Employ creative solutions to widen access to the collection

■ Develop oral and written communication skills, including:

■ Selecting and presenting information in a clear and coherent manner

■ Writing in an appropriate style as a consultant advising a curator

■ Talking about conservation in an appropriate style for members of the public

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.

Attendance is mandatory