Cyclical maintenance and housekeeping are mostly non-invasive planned efforts carried out on a regular basis to prolong the life of an historic building or collection to avoid destruction or costly repairs. The following resources were compiled from organizations throughout the nonprofit and museum sector. AAM reviewed and approved each one based on the organization’s authority and expertise and the resource’s usefulness related to the topic. Clicking the links below will take you off the AAM website.
The Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) provides a technical leaflet with procedures for cleaning books and shelves. It includes a list of supplies.
The Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts’ (CCAHA) collection housekeeping guide covers scheduling and has a helpful chart for when to conduct certain housekeeping tasks.
The National Park Service’s (NPS) Museum Handbook (PDF) has a 27-page chapter on museum housekeeping. It offers guidelines for developing a housekeeping plan and includes sample forms and a bibliography.