Viewing page 190 of 267
This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.
-50- [[underlined]]Museum Support Center.[[/underlined]] Planning for the Museum Support Center was completed in mid-1980. A construction period of 24 months commencing in October 1980 is anticipated, with completion of the structure and occupancy by Smithsonian units scheduled for the fall of 1982. Throughout the planning process, strict standards for suitable environmental conditions and security, as well as for laboratory functions, were adhered to closely. Following a thorough study of the problem, a storage system of racks capable of holding a variety of integrated modular collection encasement units was determined to be the most effective means of meeting the needs of the various Smithsonian museum departments to store collections there. The acquisition of both storage and laboratory equipment will begin in FY 1981 and continue through the planning period and beyond. It is planned to start the process of transferring collections as soon as possible after completion of the Center and after all the basic systems (fire, protection, etc.) have been made operable and thoroughly tested. Additional details regarding the construction, equipping and operations of the Museum Support Center appear in the Special Programs chapter, the Facilities chapter, and Table 13. [[underlined]]Conservation Research, Training, and Information.[[/underlined]] The plans developed in 1979 for new Conservation Analytical Laboratory facilities in the Museum Support Center and for the training of conservators and conservation technicians have remained substantially unchanged since their inception, and both program and budget growth for that Laboratory will occur during the years immediately ahead. Within the Center, the Laboratory will occupy the major portion of the 44,000 square feet of space assigned to conservation functions to be performed there. Other parts of this space will e used by the Anthropology Conservation Laboratory and by the Conservation Laboratory of the Museum of History and Technology. Conservation treatment presently performed by the Conservation Analytical Laboratory in the History and Technology Building will be transferred to the new Museum Support Center and consideration is being given to modifying the existing facilities on the Mall for specialized research and analytical tasks. Proper utilization of the new facilities will require a significant increase in staff for various organizations, as displayed in Table 13. The phasing of this growth takes into account the time required for construction of the Museum Support Center and acquisition of its equipment and furnishings. For the Conservation Analytical Laboratory, because of the difficulty in recruiting highly qualified and scare conservation personnel, steps were taken in 1980 to prepare appropriate position descriptions so that personnel actions can be instituted on schedule. Precise specifications for special conservation equipment, particularly fumigation equipment which must be in place in the Center at the time of its occupancy, are being drawn up and orders for the equipment will be placed in FY 1981. Other equipment for the laboratories and training areas will be acquired in FY 1982 using funds from both appropriated and trust sources. Special task forces, consisting of Smithsonian staff and personnel from the academic community, have been created to develop a training curriculum, prerequisites for entering students, faculty arrangements, and course completion requirements. Initial discussions have been opened with the administration and
