Dear Evangelia,

we published three articles on the subjects in CeROArt (in French):

http://ceroart.revues.org/1249

http://ceroart.revues.org/464

http://ceroart.revues.org/3409

The ESBA Tours, in France, conservation-restoration department, works a lot on this subject.

Speaking about "general" issues about fossil conservation, I attach an interesting paper about the use of Paraloid as fossil consolidant.

Hoping that you can find it useful.

Marco

Thank you for your answers. They are really appreciated. Actually there are lots of questions on the subject of fossil conservation...If one searches the databases of publications designated to conservators, there are only a few papers published there, and they don't cover all the materials (i.e. very few information for in situ conservation of fossilised wood). So right now we are trying to collect as much as we can, just to see what's been written and how researchers are involved in fossil conservation (i.e. conservators, conservation scietists, palaeontologists etc), and if there are fossil conservation papers out there, how is it for a conservator to have access to them.

A friend has recently asked whether the artists of the museum she works for can be trained to do some conservation work, and so one may start wondering who is doing the conservation work in fossil collections?

Are there fossil conservators in all institutions involved with palaeontology specimens?

If not, what is the reason?

Is the role of conservators widely understood?

How common is it that preparators or palaeontologists do conservation work?

Is there any research on fossil conservation going on, and if yes, by whom? Conservators, preparators or palaeontologists?

May people be interested in a conference on fossil conservation so that ideas could be excanged, problems highlighted, and new research commenced? Would it be useful to train conservators in fossil conservation, since not many conservation schools offer subjects related to fossil conservation in their curriculum? Or do you feel that fossil conservation is a field adequately covered by other professionals? Should there be limits as to how far into conservation should a preparator or a palaeontologist go? In the past, archaeologists did some conservation work, but now conservation is performed by trained conservators. Could that be an example for the treatment of fossils too?

As you noted, conservation of fossils is not considered by academic part of conservation and some people have worked in this field personally because they may have worked in a museum with a fossil collection or as a case study in an excavation.

I think it is very wonderful subject for a dialogue between conservators and other people that may have some experinces in this field because the conservation/restoration procedure is not the main isuue in this subject but the theoretical aspects of the subject are required to discuss.

Regards

We would like to let you know that during Christmas holidays, institutions from Thailand and Greece co-organised the Preliminary Workshop on the care of outdoor exhibits of petrified wood in Thailand. For more info you may check https://www.academia.edu/4683158/preliminary_workshop_on_the_care_of_outdoor_exhibits_of_petrified_wood

There is also an online article at http://imerazante.gr/2014/01/30/77536 (sorry-it's in greek but there are some pictures on it you may want to take a look at). An article in english is soon to be released.

I have started a group on Linkedin named "fossil conservation". This is a place to exchange ideas and share experience on fossil conservation, addressed mainly to conservators and professionals involved in the conservation of fossils, research on conservation materials, preventive conservation issues etc. Feel free to join.

Dear Evangelia,

Fossil preparation is part of the apprenticeship for geological preparators in Germany. There is the Union of German Preparators (http://www.praeparation.de/das_magazin/der_praparator_impressum/) with an own Journal dealing with preparation and conservation in different fields (biology, geology, palaeontology, medicine, museums, and so on). Maybe the journal (unfortunately often in german language) is available for you.

Especially in Germany and England (the "classical" oldschool palaeontology countries (and France, of course ;) ) a lot of preparation and preparation techniques and -material were developed by laity at a high professional and scientific level (some examples you can see documented here: http://steinkern.de/praeparation-und-bergung.html )

If you have specific or special cases, feel free to ask

For those who can read Italian, check the following paper:

Il restauro dei vegetali fossili esposti nella “Sala delle Palme” del Museo di Geologia e Paleontologia dell’Università di Padova

by Letizia Del Faver, Mariagabriella Fornasiero, Paolo Reggiani,

Federico Zorzi, Gianmario Molin

MUSEOLOGIA SCIENTIFICA nuova serie • 6(1-2): 49-57 • 2012

Hello! I started my PhD in fossil conservation/preservation this fall at the University of Delaware. I am really interested in the subject and would love to chat about it. Is the LinkedIn group a closed one?

Here's a link to get to know me: http://www.artcons.udel.edu/doctorate/current-projects/mariana-di-giacomo

Thanks!

Dear Mariana,

I am doing my PhD on physicochemical analysis and conservation of fossils. Feel free to join "fossil conservation" group on LinkedIn. E-mail me or send me a message. I'd love to talk to you. It seems we are both working on the same field.

Evangelia