Preventive Conservation for Historic House Museums is a primer on the preventive care practices that these unique sites need to slow the rate of deterioration and prevent damage and wear to the property and its collections. It proposes a collaborative approach to preservation planning that is based on interdisciplinary research, critical thinking, and observation rather than rote maintenance schedules and everyday residential cleaning practices. The authors recommend that sites have documents and plans in place that direct the intellectual and physical control of the collections and site. The intellectual controls include administrative and management policies and procedures; the physical controls include security and safety precautions, routine maintenance and cleaning practices among others. Historic house administrators, staff, board members, and volunteers will find this volume indispensable. Professionals who deal with historic sites from the museum administrator or curator, to architect, to engineer, as well as students pursuing studies in the field of preservation and conservation will also find this a valuable reference. This volume promotes a pro-active approach to preservation planning for historic sites and their collections.

Jane Merritt is a textile conservator who has worked at the Cooper-HewittNational Museum of Design, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the National Park Service Harpers Ferry Center, among numerous other prestigious institutions. Julie A. Reilly is an objects conservator who has worked at the National Museum of American History, Colonial Williamsburg, and the National Park Service. She is currently the head of the Gerald R. Ford Conservation Center of the Nebraska State Historical Society.

Foreword
Introduction

Chapter 1. Preventive Conservation and the Historic House Museum
Chapter 2. Evolution of the Historic House Museum
Chapter 3. Principles of Preventive Conservation: An Overview
Chapter 4. Intellectual and Physical Controls
Chapter 5. Interpretation and Preventive Care
Chapter 6. Preventive Conservation and Exhibits in the Historic House
Chapter 7. Preventive Conservation and Storage
Chapter 8. Preventive Conservation and Light
Chapter 9. Preventive Conservation and Environmental Control
Chapter 10. Preventive Conservation and Integrated Pest Management
Chapter 11. Preventive Conservation and the Historic House Landscape
Chapter 12. Preventive Conservation and the Structure
Chapter 13. Preventive Conservation and Emergencies, Safety, and Security
Chapter 14. The Preservation Master Plan