SES no.116; Preface and Acknowledgements

Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB), vol. 116, pp. i–ⅲ

Abstract

This book is a compilation of presentations given at the Minpaku 50 th Anniversary International Symposium, "Conservation of Museum Collections: Past, Present, and Future," held at the National Museum of Ethnology (hereafter referred to as "Minpaku") from February 10-11, 2024.In recent years, the global environment has changed dramatically, and phenomena such as air pollution and global warming have had a direct and critical impact on the preservation environments for cultural properties.These environmental changes are also contributing to large-scale natural disasters and are a cause of the destruction of irreplaceable cultural assets.The aim of this symposium was to take a historical look at the conservation activities of Minpaku, as well as other domestic and international institutions, while considering future challenges and how museum conservation may evolve for future generations.Since 2004, Minpaku has capitalized on its strength as a research institute with museum functions by continuing its "Research on Preservation and Management of Tangible Cultural Resources" Cultural Resource Planning Project, which organically plans, implements, and oversees all aspects of conservation science research and the management of collections.This project involves basic and applied research into the conservation and management of museum collections, as well as the practical application of collection management methods developed through such research.In recent years, there has been a global increase in the demand to preserve the natural environment and to improve the museum environment with energy conservation in mind.There is also a need for appropriate and efficient collection management and the maintenance of indoor museum climates that accommodate the requirements of the COVID-19 pandemic and post-COVID era.The project seeks to address these issues systematically by developing international joint research into better ways of preserving museum collections, and this symposium brings together the research undertaken thus far in this regard.First, I will briefly introduce the Japan Society for the Conservation of Cultural Property, which served as the co-sponsor of this symposium.The Japan Society for the Conservation of Cultural Property is an academic society whose purpose is to promote the development and dissemination of science and technology related to the preservation of cultural property.It was founded in September 1933 as the "Council for the Conservation of Antique Art," and subsequently changed its name to the "Natural Science of Antique Art Research Group," the "Natural Science of Antique Cultural Materials Research Group," and then the "Science of Antique Cultural Property Research Group."It finally settled on the "Society for the Conservation of Cultural Property" in 1995, and in 2008 gained the legal status of a "general incorporated association."With a current membership of 1,152, it is the largest academic society for cultural property conservation in Japan.In addition to its main annual conference, it also organizes and hosts other symposia on the themes of cultural property conservation.When the society was first

Authors 1

1. Shingo Hidaka corresponding Aachen National Museum of Ethnology

   National Museum of Ethnology · National Museum of Ethnology

   Affiliation as printed

   National Museum of Ethnology