Required skills
communication and teamwork skills to:
liaise with experts on potentially complex preventive conservation issues
share knowledge with colleagues
initiative and enterprise skills to identify changes in the condition of collection material and take appropriate action to minimise damage
learning skills to:
undertake ongoing professional development
apply new techniques
literacy skills to:
interpret conservation guidelines
document condition of collections
record and report preservation and preventive conservation activities
planning and organising skills to monitor and implement preservation and preventive conservation activities
research skills to:
locate conservation information
locate best practice guidelines
self-management skills to:
follow workplace procedures
prioritise work tasks and meet deadlines.
Required knowledge
roles of personnel responsible for care of cultural material, including limitations on roles of unqualified personnel
role of conservators and of people working under the guidance of conservators, including the scope of work undertaken by each and rationale for this
sources of expert assistance on collection care
industry guidelines and terminology about preventive conservation and basic preservation
role of preventive conservation in relation to collections
distinction between preservation, conservation and restoration
basic preservation principles and methods
factors contributing to deterioration relevant to the collection or industry sector
cultural considerations and protocols for the handling, storage and display of collection material
organisational policies and procedures on health, safety, sustainability and disaster management
methods of protecting collection material from damage and potential hazards
current best practice guidelines for collection care
techniques for handling and examining material
basic principles and methods for using equipment, tools and materials for routine collection care
conservation principles in relation to collection management
requirements for safe work and manual handling when undertaking preventive conservation activities
copyright, moral rights and intellectual property legislation relevant to conservation
cultural protocols that impact on conservation, including those for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander material
formats and features of conservation plans and object condition reports.