by Ylva Player-Dahnsjo
Chris Mathias, Head of Conservation at the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Archives in Boston, spent time at the Library Conservation Unit during summer 2003, on a Quinque Foundation Fellow exchange while Vanessa Charles was in the United States. The Quinque Foundation was set up to fund the exchange of mid-career conservators between Scotland and the United States. In addition to his placement here in Dundee, he also worked in the laboratories at the National Library of Scotland, Trinity College (Dublin), and National Archives of Scotland.
Chris said: "I greatly appreciated my time here in the conservation unit of the University of Dundee. Of particular interest was the work being done with parchment. I occasionally find documents on parchment in our collections but have never attempted treatment because I lacked experience with this unique material. The opportunities to learn about parchment are very limited so I was particularly excited to be exposed to it here. I now feel confident in attempting certain treatments to parchment, especially flattening, and I now have people I can call upon for advice.
All of the work that I saw being done was of the highest quality and all the staff are expert in what they are doing. I frequently have short term interns in our lab and appreciate what it takes to give someone a worthwhile learning experience and the Library Conservation Unit does it with great enthusiasm. The staff I got to know; Ylva, Monica, Andrew, and Helen, and Historic Scotland intern Stella were wonderful to work with as well as understanding and sympathetic. As you can see, I had a great time here!"
"The preservation and conservation of parchment and vellum are among the specialisms of the Conservation Unit. It has worked on a huge variety from different periods of history - from parchment charters of Robert the Bruce, Mary Queen of Scots, and James VI to a presentation copy on fine vellum of watercolours of Angus, produced for the marriage of the Queen Mother. It has also carried out pioneering work on drying water-damaged and frozen parchment following extensive flooding."
Meanwhile Vanessa Charles, Assistant Conservator was concentrating on her specialism - photographic conservation at the Library of Congress, Washington, the North East Document Conservation Center, Andover, Massachusetts, the Image Permanence Institute, George Eastman House, Rochester and took a one week tour of photographic conservation studios and projects in New York.