Preventive Conservation in Museums – Accredited Professional Course

The Museum Collection Protection Programme is a nationwide sectoral initiative established for the safeguarding of cultural property, coordinated by the Committee based at the Museum of Ethnography. This comprehensive system, aimed at the long-term preservation of collections and artefact ensembles, includes ensuring appropriate climatic and other environmental conditions for artefacts, their measurement and regulation, and protection against biological pests, among many other tasks.

Education is an integral part of the Programme, with the objective of sharing professional knowledge as widely as possible. This is achieved by the Committee through outreach educational days held in rural locations, professional open days for national museums, collection care consultations supporting the collection care officers of county-level urban museums, and a free, 80-hour accredited training course.

The accredited professional development course Preventive Conservation in Museums (Registration number: IV/385/2023) underwent an accreditation process in 2023 with the aim of expanding into an 80-hour programme including more practical sessions and workshops. As museum professionals from an increasing range of disciplines across the country apply to attend, the course structure has been adapted to make the substantial content both accessible and useful to all participants.

The topic of collection care and its modern solutions is of growing interest within the museum sector, as the importance of preventing artefact deterioration becomes increasingly evident in comparison to the vast number of restoration tasks. This is especially relevant today, when there is a nationwide shortage of trained conservators. Furthermore, point 102 of Annex 2 to EMMI Decree 39/2020. (X.30.) – on job roles and employment requirements in cultural institutions, the conduct of managerial application processes, and amendments to various cultural regulations – stipulates the successful completion of at least 60 hours of professional development for those appointed to the role of collection care officer.

The Committee launches this unique and free training once a year in Budapest, held at the National Centre for Museum Restoration and Storage (OMRRK), with a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 25 participants. Applicants must have a secondary school certificate, existing employment at a museum, a minimum level of professional experience, and must submit the required application documents.

The aim of the training is to prepare professionals capable of independently carrying out collection care tasks, identifying and prioritising situations within museums requiring changes from a preservation perspective, and preparing and effectively coordinating an action plan for their resolution.

Students demonstrate their acquired knowledge by submitting a final project, which includes an assessment of the condition of a problematic storage area, museum wing, or exhibition space requiring development, as well as proposed solutions and a detailed work plan.

Main Areas and Proportions of the Professional Development Course:

Knowledge is delivered by 30 expert lecturers in their respective fields, over the course of 12 days, featuring 40 lectures, 2 roundtable discussions, and 3 professional workshops, all held in a well-equipped, comfortable, and aesthetically pleasing environment.

Following the introductory sessions, the main focus shifts to in-depth knowledge acquisition. Over the 12 days, participants attend professional lectures covering architectural aspects of museum buildings, the material characteristics of various artefacts and the environmental factors affecting them, hazardous materials in museums, storage regulations, and the requirements of exhibitions. As part of the practical training, the group visits the storage areas and conservation workshops of the Museum of Ethnography and takes part in a guided tour of the permanent collection exhibition that emphasises collection care aspects. The practical sessions provide assistance in developing collection care protocols, designing pest monitoring activities, learning to operate and understand devices regulating and measuring artefact environments, managing pest control, and packing artefacts.

From the end of the second training week onwards, students begin gathering data related to a chosen issue involving collection care challenges. They work in consultation with an assigned tutor from the Committee to develop their final projects, presenting solutions as the result of a year-long research process.