2012: Gemma Mitchell
Kluge Fellowship, Preservation Research and Testing Division
Gemma Mitchell
Educational Background:
Doctoral Candidate at University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom. Degree expected September 2013.
Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, United Kingdom: M.S., Chemistry, 2010.
University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, United Kingdom: B.S. (honors), Chemistry, 2009.
Past Experience:
Project Scientist (Liquid Innovation) at Diageo Plc, Technical Supply Centre for Europe, Clackmannanshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, 2007.
PhD research to develop a handheld, non-invasive diagnostic device that will enable accurate, rapid, cheap, non-destructive and in situ sampling of plastic museum objects. The olfactory device will be used to examine an object’s chemical smell and identify key markers that indicate the state of decay of the given artifact.
Examined and characterized ancient Egyptian faience by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction, and x-ray fluorescence.
Assessed volatile organic compounds by direct sampling of paper in books using solid phase micro-extraction (SPME).
LC Project:
Examination of volatiles released during the degradation of polymers within museum and library collections; Characterization of plastic objects using techniques such as optical spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and mass spectrometry; Accelerated aging trials to allow the examination of chemical deterioration pathways under various conditions: subjecting sacrificial samples to high temperature, high relative humidity and exposure to UV light to collect emissive volatiles; Comparative studies include the collection of emissive volatiles from Library of Congress archival material that has been aged naturally.
2011 – 2012: Amy Brady (September – May)
CLIR/Mellon Fellow
Amy Brady
Educational Background:
Doctoral candidate at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Degree expected Spring 2013.
University of Missouri - Kansas City, Master of Arts in Language and Literature, with emphasis in Composition and Rhetoric (2007) University of Kansas, Bachelor of Arts in English (2003)
Past Experience:
University of Massachusetts Amherst, Graduate Teaching Associate:
Taught courses in contemporary and historical American drama, and a study abroad drama course in Edinburgh, UK.
Conducted archival research at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts and the Smith College Archives.
Author of "They Worked Hard for No Money: Women, Labor, and Working-class Politics in the Writing of Meridel Le Sueur."
LC Project:
Using technologies available through the Preservation Research and Testing Division to uncover previously obscured marginalia on original sources from the Federal Theatre Project collection, so as to elicit new insights into where and how the proletarian avant-garde contributed to the shaping of America's Federal Theatre.
2011-2012: Christina Bisulca (July – May)
Visiting Scientist
Christina Bisulca
Educational Background:
Graduate student, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Arizona
M.S., Objects Conservation, Winterthur Museum/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation, 2005
B.A., Chemistry and Art History, Rutgers University, 1999
Past Experience:
Conservator, Arizona State Museum, Tucson Arizona
Research Fellow (Fulbright), Istituto di Fisica Applicata –“N. Carrara”, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy
Research Chemist, Department of Conservation and Scientific Research, Freer and Sackler Galleries (Smithsonian Institution), Washington DC
LC Project:
Researching conservation and preservation of the Kislak collections through rehousing projects, assessment, and identification of pigments and other materials utilizing ESEM and other techniques for inorganic and organic analyses.
2010: Chandra L. Reedy
Chandra L. Reedy
Educational Background:
Ph.D. degree, UCLA.
Experience:
Professor and Director of its Laboratory for Analysis of Cultural Materials in the Center for Historic Architecture and Design,University of Delaware with secondary appointments in Material Culture Studies, Art History, and East Asian Studies.
Editor-in-Chief of Studies in Conservation, the journal of the International Institute for Conservation. Directed the Ph.D. Program in Art Conservation Research from 1989-2003.
Conservation Scientist, Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
LC Projects:
Presented a workshop on experimental design for Preservation staff, and consulted with PRTD and CD staff on the design of several ongoing or upcoming projects, including research on daguerreotypes, solvent treatments of photographs, parchment deterioriation, sticky shed and iron gall ink.
Jordan Brough
2009: Jordan Brough
Past Experience:
Jordan Brough is completing a Masters of Forensic Science at George Washington University, Washington D.C. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Art Direction from the University of Utah, received a leadership scholarship, and completed chemistry and biology classes at Cincinnati State College prior to entering the Masters program at George Washington University. He is currently employed as a contractor with the United States Secret Service in the Forensic Automation Branch. He has presented workshops on forensic document examination, demonstrated a range of instrumentation, and discussed forensic issues of obliterated and indented writing to a range of audiences.
LC Projects:
Assess the capacity of various imaging systems to determine the long-term changes in historic inks and the benefits of a range of preservation treatments and develop additional applications for the Image Xpert system in the Optical laboratory.
Charles Tilford
2009: Charles Tilford
Past Experience:
Dr. Tilford holds a Ph.D. in Physics from Iowa State University. His specialized expertise in ultra high vacuum technology, vacuum and pressure measurements, precision instrumentation, and anoxic encasement development and monitoring led him to work at the National Bureau of Standards/National Institute of Standards and Technology from 1970 to 2000, where his primary activity was the organization, leadership, and management of an effort to develop national standards and calibration services for vacuum and low-pressure measurements. Since 1999, he has served as a consultant to the National Archives Charters of Freedom project. He has broad experience in high accuracy measurements, primary standards development, calibration service development and management, uncertainty analysis, and quality control.
LC Projects:
Consultation on anoxic cases, visual storage cases at the Library of Congress, including the Waldseemuller 1507 world map case, particularly as regards hermetic seals, material properties to create such a seal and interpreting data from sensors monitoring conditions within the anoxic cases.
Michele Derrick
2008: Michele Derrick
Past Experience:
Ms. Derrick has been a Conservation Scientist in the Scientific Research Division of Conservation and Collections Management at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston since 1995. She served as the compiler, editor, and principal investor for the Conservation Artist Materials Encyclopedia Online (CAMEO) database. Prior to 1995, she worked at the Getty Conservation Institute in Los Angeles for 12 years. A chemist by training, Ms. Derrick's expertise is in infrared microspectroscopy; she is the author of Infrared Spectroscopy in Conservation Science (Los Angeles: Getty Conservation Institute, 1999). She is also currently the editor–in–chief of the Journal of the American Institute for Conservation.
LC projects:
Consultation on FTIR and Raman spectroscopic techniques, as well as development of the Library of Congress’ collection of scientific reference samples.
Chandra L. Reedy.
2008: Chandra L. Reedy
Past Experience:
Dr. Reedy is currently a Professor in the Center for Historic Architecture and Design at the University of Delaware, where she serves as director of its Laboratory for Analysis of Cultural Materials. She also holds secondary appointments in Material Culture Studies, Art History, and East Asian Studies. She received her Ph.D. degree from UCLA, and worked as a conservation scientist at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art before moving to Delaware to direct the Ph.D. Program in Art Conservation Research from 1989-2003. She was Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works for 8 years, and also served a term on the AIC’s Board of Directors. She is the author or co-author of five books and more than 50 research articles, and has presented workshops and professional papers at more than 100 venues nationally and internationally.
LC Projects:
Consult on several projects (e.g. daguerreotype research) and teach a workshop for staff and DC colleagues on experimental design.
Velson Horie
2008: Velson Horie
Past Experience:
Since 2007, Mr. Horie has been the Research Project Manager at The British Library, coordinating a 2½ year research project on the condition and smell of books in the 6 UK legal deposit libraries and 2 major UK archives. For the previous 28 years, he was Keeper of Conservation at The Manchester Museum, University of Manchester, responsible for improving care and storage conditions of approximately 5 million objects in archaeology to zoology collections, and latterly running a £21m capital re-development project. He has carried out conservation, research, and professional coordination, especially on organic materials - with 80+ publications, and has done a variety of teaching, including Chemistry for Conservators distance learning course and courses both UK and abroad.
LC projects:
Collaborative studies on the release of volatile organic compounds during paper degradation, environmental storage of books, the Library of Congress’ collection of scientific reference samples, and the Identical Book Project.
Ralph Wiegandt
2008: Ralph Wiegandt and Patrick Ravines
Mr. Wiegandt is the Assistant Director of Conservation Education at George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film. He brings a background in objects conservation and applied optics to the field of photograph conservation. Prior to his current position, Mr. Wiegandt was the Andrew W. Mellon Senior Research Fellow at George Eastman House. He was also Conservator at the Rochester Museum & Science Center in Rochester, New York, Conservator at the Henry Ford Museum & Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan, and a conservator in private practice. Before pursuing a career in conservation, Mr. Wiegandt worked in the optical thin film industry, and in the production and replication of ruled diffraction gratings.
Patrick Ravines
Mr. Ravines received his B.S. degree in chemistry from the University of Washington, Seattle in 1978. He received an M.S. in physical chemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) in 1981, and was a Research Specialist at UWM in surface science from 1981-82. He received an Advanced Certificate in Conservation and an M.L.S. from Columbia University in 1985 in the conservation of paper-based collections found in museums, libraries and archives. From 2005 to 2007 he was an Andrew W. Mellon Fellow. Prior to joining the Eastman House, he was chief of the Conservation Office, Baha’i World Centre, Haifa, Israel. Mr. Ravines is currently a Senior Research Fellow in the Conservation Department at George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film, undertaking research in physical and chemical characterization of historic and artistic photographs using non-perturbing optical metrology, optical and electron microscopy techniques.
LC Projects:
Consultation on daguerreotype plate-making process, as well as plate housings and exhibit-related image deterioration.
Hyperspectral Imaging Team.
2008: Mike Toth and Hyperspectral Imaging Team
Past Experience:
The hyperspectral imaging team represents a range of institutions and disciplines in one of the most advanced cultural imaging and technical integration capabilities. Imaging scientists include Dr. Roger Easton Jr. from the Rochester Institute of Technology, Dr. Keith Knox from Boeing Corporation, and Dr. Bill Christens-Barry from Equipoise Imaging, with Doug Emery from Emery IT supporting the data management and Ken Boydston of MegaVision Inc. providing cameras and engineering, all under the systems integration and program management of Michael B. Toth of R.B. Toth Associates.
Recent projects by Team Members include imaging the oldest known copy of Archimedes work, The Archimedes Palimpsest, Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland; processing the Temple Scroll, the longest of the Dead Sea Scrolls; digital imaging consultation and support for a range of U.S. Government applications.
LC Projects:
Hyperspectral imaging with LED lighting in 12 spectral bands and raking light for preservation studies to enhance the visibility of any "topographic" features relating to printing techniques to create pseudocolor images to map specific components.
Karen Motylewski
2008: Karen Motylewski
Educational Background:
Theatre Arts and English, Boston University, 1965-1968
Ed.M., Adult Learning, Harvard University, 1976
Past Experience:
Special Project Liaison to Library of Congress Preservation Directorate, Institute of Museum and Library Services, 2008-present.
Evaluation Officer, Institute of Museum and Library Services, Washington, DC. 1999-present.
Director, Preservation and Conservation Studies and Senior Lecturer for Preservation Administration, Information School, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, 1995-1999.
Director of Field Service, Northeast Document Conservation Center, Andover, MA, 1986-1995.
Conservation Apprentice, Dennis and Craine Associates, Cambridge, MA, 1984-1986.
Division Manager and Research Technician, Division of Planetary Sciences, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA, 1973-1984.
LC Projects:
Special Project Liaison detailed to the Library of Congress Preservation Directorate by the Institute of Library and Museum Services (IMLS) to develop partnership activities to meet complementary goals of the IMLS Connecting to Collections initiative and the Library of Congress Preservation Directorate strategic plan, with particular emphasis on preservation and conservation education and outreach.
Jae Anderson
2008: Jae R. Anderson
Educational Background:
B.S, Mathematics, University of Arizona, 2006
A. S. in Computer Science, Pima Community College, 2001
Past Experience:
Contract Researcher, Smithsonian Institute National Museum of the American Indian, 2006-Present
Webmaster, University of Arizona-Social and Behavior Science Department, 2004-2006
LC Projects:
Conducting comparative deterioration studies on an array of media for the Preservation Research and Testing Division.
Fenella France
2007: Fenella France
Educational Background:
Ph.D., Textile Science, University of Otago, Dunedin, NZ
MBA,Deakin University, Melbourne, Australia
Past Experience:
Scientific Analyst and Project Manager, World Trade Center 9/11 Project, Port Authority of New York/New Jersey.
Preservation Scientist, Star-Spangled Banner Project, Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D. C.
Textile Analyst, American Museum of Natural History, New York.
Research Scientist, Treasures Gallery Rehabilitation Project, National Park Service, Ellis Island, New York.
Environmental Researcher and Analyst, 1812 Period Flags, Peebles Island, New York.
Environmental and Lighting Researcher, Historic House Trust of New York.
Data Manager, Web-Accessible Fiber Reference Imaging Library, National Park Service
Research & International Postgraduate Research Manager/Research Fellow, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
LC Projects:
Scientific analysis of preservation techniques for document anoxic environments, especially for the Waldseemuller 1507 Map.
This includes:
Assisting with the creation of the oxygen-free environment of the Waldseemuller 1507 World Map encasement, monitoring the environment, and training LOC staff in the monitoring procedures.
Analyzing the current state of the Top Treasures cases in the custodianship of the Conservation Division, such as checking the oxygen levels, reporting on next steps, and assisting with the remedy of any malfunctioning encasements.
Conducting comparative research into the various available low-oxygen storage systems. This will comprise reviewing existing systems, and designing research proposals for investigating low-oxygen storage systems including tests on the longevity of various substances in low oxygen systems.
Black Hannaford (second from left)
2007: Blake Hannaford
Educational Background:
Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley 1985
M.S., University of California, Berkeley 1982
B.S., Yale University 1977
Past Experience:
1986 to 1989: Man-Machine Systems Group in the Automated Systems Section of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Caltech.
1989 - present: University of Washington in Seattle, where he has been Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering since 1993, and is currently Director of the Biorobotics Laboratory.
He was awarded the National Science Foundation's Presidential Young Investigator Award and the Early Career Achievement Award from the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society.
LC Projects:
Using haptic technology to capture conservation hand skills for the purpose of advance training in conservation.
Sergey Alyukov
2007: Sergey Alyukov
Muskie Fellow
Educational Background:
Ph.D., Mechanical Engineering, Vladimir State Technical University, Vladimir, Russia.
M.S., Engineering, South Ural State University, Department of Automobiles and Tractors, Chelyabinsk, Russia.
M.A., Economics, Bowling Green State University.
M.S., Mathematics, Ural State University, Department of Mathematics and Mechanics, Yekateriburg, Russia.
Past Experience:
Professor, South Ural State University, Department of Higher Mathematics, Chelyabinsk, Russia, Doctor of Science.
Director, “Splain” Ltd. (Research-and-Production Company) Chelyabinsk, Russia.
LC Projects:
Statistical modeling of collections growth dynamics, with a focus on forecasting future space and preservation needs of the Library's diverse collection formats. Application of a newly-developed mathematical formula to interpolation of optical data points for the IRENE project.
Mary T. Baker
2007: Mary T. Baker
Educational Background:
Ph.D., Polymer Chemistry, University of Connecticut, 1986
Past Experience:
Research Chemist, Museum Conservation Institute, Smithsonian Institution, 1987–2000.
Associate Professor of Chemistry, American University in Cairo, 2001–2004. Chemistry Teacher and Curriculum Developer, Montgomery Public School System, 2006-present.
LC Projects:
Analysis of 1507 Waldseemuller map, including calculating reduction of fading rates of colorants exhibited in argon encasement; consulting on
sticky shed audio and video tapes; and advising on Haptic Project to mathematically measure conservation hand skills.
Andre M. Striegel
2007: Andre M. Striegel
Educational Background:
Ph.D., Analytical Chemistry, University of New Orleans. 1996.
B.S., Chemistry, University of New Orleans, 1991.
Past Experience:
Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Florida State University. 2004-Present.
Research Specialist and Senior Research Chemist, Solutia Inc., 1998-2004.
Postdoctoral Research Chemist, USDA National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, 1996-1998.
LC Projects:
Studying the mechanochemical degradation of cellulose in transient elongational flows.
Noreen Tuross
2007: Noreen Tuross
Educational Background:
B.A., Boston University.
B.S., Trinity College.
M.A., Bryn Mawr College.
Ph.D., Brown University.
Past Experience:
Postdoctoral Fellow, National Institutes of Health.
Research Associate, Carnegie Institution of Washington.
Senior Research Biochemist and Director, Laboratories of Analytical Biology, Smithsonian Institution.
Landon T. Clay Professor, Department of Anthropology, Harvard University.
LC Projects:
Oversight on installation and training for new state-of-the-art instrumentation for the Preservation Directorate.
Lambertus (Bert) van Zelst
2005- Lambertus (Bert) van Zelst
Educational Background:
Ph.D., Chemistry, University of Amsterdam.
Past Experience:
Research Associate, Institute for Nuclear Physics Research, Amsterdam.
Research Associate, Brookhaven National Laboratory. Research Chemist, Metropolitan Museum of Art. Director of Research, Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Director, Conservation Analytical Laboratory/Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education, Smithsonian Institution.
LC Projects:
Characterization of the “Sticky Shed” phenomenon in magnetic tapes; development/evaluation of appropriate remedial techniques.
Carl Haber
2003: Carl Haber
Past Experience:
Carl Haber is a Senior Scientist, Physics Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. He received his Ph.D. in Physics from Columbia University and is a Senior Scientist in the Physics Division of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory at the University of California. Most of his research interest involves the development of instrumentation and methods for detecting and measuring particles created at high energy colliders such as the facility at Fermilab near Chicago. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.
LC Projects:
Since 2003, the Preservation Directorate of the Library of Congress has engaged in a research collaboration with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) to study the application of digital imaging to the extraction of sound from phonograph records and other grooved media. This non-invasive approach protects delicate or damaged historical items, and offers a direction toward large-scale digitization of recorded sound collections.
I.R.E.N.E. (Image, Reconstruct, Erase Noise, etc.) is a system that rapidly makes a digital image of a disc record. It can efficiently extract sound from an image of a fragile or damaged disc, "heal" scratches or digitally "reassemble" a broken phonograph record. The extracted sound is converted to standard digital files and stored for purposes of digital access and preservation. The prototype was delivered for evaluation in 2006. Among the future directions for this research are applications of high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) surface profiling methods.
The research has been supported by the Library of Congress, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Archives and Records Administration, the Department of Energy, the University of California, the Andrew P. Mellon Foundation and the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory and is located in Berkeley, California. It conducts unclassified scientific research and is managed by the University of California. Its Web site is www.lbl.gov. The Berkeley-Library of Congress research Web site, which includes sound files and links to publications, is http://irene.lbl.gov.
