Part of: Onassis Fab Library: The book in time
Educational Program

Preserving today the centuries-old paper-based cultural heritage

Dates

Tickets

Free

Venue

In classroom

Information

Addressed to

Junior high school students.

Program duration

180 minutes.

Venue

Classrooms

Application and selection process

Filling out the form does not guarantee you a place on the program. Places are allocated on a first come, first served basis.

Introduction

Books, archival material, and other cultural artifacts are being threatened by the climate crisis and other natural disasters. But what can you do about it? What can we achieve together? In this original workshop, you’ll learn useful practices for the protection, preservation, and conservation of paper-based and other cultural heritage from the perspective of an art conservator.

One of the more unexpected long-term repercussions of the climate crisis is the loss of cultural heritage due to ever more frequent and devastating natural disasters. Adopting the perspective of an art conservator, a professional who ensures and oversees the safeguarding of cultural assets, this program seeks to raise awareness among school students about the need to prepare for the salvage of treasures stored in archives and libraries that are under threat due to extreme natural phenomena.

Within this framework, school students will come to recognize the dangers posed by the climate crisis for archives and libraries through the discussion of catastrophic events from across the globe. They will get to know the materials that are used to make books and that comprise archival collections (paper, parchment, photographs, and so on) in order to ascertain what kinds of damage are connected to climate change. And they will become familiar with the latest protective measures being implemented to combat the repercussions of extreme weather events, with a view to saving original materials from harm more effectively.

This workshop doesn’t just talk theory – it also gets practical, with student groups constructing storage systems for the protection of archival materials and books. They will also draw up a response plan for safeguarding people, buildings, and collections, playing an active role in an emergency/disaster simulation exercise using tools available to them in their everyday lives.

CREDITS

Department of Conservation and Preservation of Archival Material, General State Archives of Greece
.
Angeliki Stasinou
Conservator of Antiquities and Works of Art, MA – Head of Department
Ourania Kanakari
Conservator of Antiquities and Works of Art, MA
Maria Giannikou
Conservator of Antiquities and Works of Art, MA
ORGANIZED BY
The Cavafy Archive and the Onassis Library in partnership with the General State Archives of Greece – Department of Conservation and Preservation of Archival Material.