Current Training Programs

Registration deadline: July 14, 2024
Maximum class size: 300
Instructor: Mary Kate Kwasnik, Associate Preservation Specialist
Location: online
Many applications for U.S. preservation grant opportunities are due in the Winter. Get a head start on the application process and join NEDCC for an overview of preservation grants, including eligible projects, important deadlines, and administrative steps, like creating a Grants.gov account. The presenter will also provide application tips that are useful for all programs, no matter the grant you plan to apply to.

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Registration deadline: August 6, 2024
Maximum class size: 300
Instructor: B. Wells Douglas, Collections Photographer, NEDCC
Location: online
This webinar provides an in-depth overview of photograph digitization. Digitizing photographic collections can foster research, engage users, and help preserve the original objects, but a one-size-fits-all approach to reformatting will not provide the best results given the variety of photographic formats and processes that exist. This two-hour webinar will address prioritizing materials for reformatting based upon preservation needs, the benefits and drawbacks of various digitization methods, equipment options and workflows, and present considerations related to file formats and resolution to assist you in choosing an approach that is right for your project. While not exhaustive, the webinar will address glass- and film-based negatives and slides; daguerreotypes, ambroytpes, and tintypes; photographic prints ranging from carte-de-visites to panoramas; and photograph albums.

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Registration deadline: August 20, 2024
Maximum class size: 300
Instructor: Preservation Specialist, NEDCC
Location: online
Now including exhibition of 3-D objects and textiles! Cultural heritage organizations often look to their collections to create public exhibitions, but putting the spotlight on rare books and documents is inherently at odds with preservation. Exhibits, though, provide a powerful avenue for outreach and also present opportunities for collection advocacy. Preparing collections for safe exhibition ensures that these materials remain accessible into the future. This webinar will help you understand the risks of exhibition so that you can develop policies and guidelines to mitigate those risks. Selection for exhibition will be covered, along with space considerations, safe handling, and display methods.

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Registration deadline: August 25, 2024
Maximum class size: 300
Instructor: Mary Kate Kwasnik, Associate Preservation Specialist, NEDCC
Starting a new archive or archival program can be overwhelming. Where do you start? This webinar is designed to identify foundational preservation principles and activities that can serve as guideposts when setting up or developing an archive. We will wrap up with time for collective problem solving, so bring your preservation problems and prepare to leave empowered to take your next steps.

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Registration deadline: August 27, 2024
Maximum class size: 300
Instructor: Bexx Caswell-Olson, Director of Book Conservation, NEDCC
Location: online
In this workshop we’ll review options for commercially available exhibit cradles and how to choose materials for use in constructing exhibit mounts. In the second half of the workshop, participants will learn how to make their own custom exhibit cradles using archival materials. A list of tools and materials will be provided. No experience is necessary. Note: Sign up for Exhibiting your Collections to explore best practices for environmental conditions, light levels, security, and display for collections in general.

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Registration deadline: September 17, 2024
Maximum class size: 300
Instructor: Jesse Keel, Associate Preservation Specialist, NEDCC
Location: online
This webinar is for anyone interested in developing or refining their organization’s collecting and preservation practices for content originating in a digital form. Emails, websites, and files stored on computers and removable media all require unique approaches for their acquisition and care. The instructor will guide participants through software, hardware, and practices designed to meet the challenges of various types of born-digital content. Participants will gain an understanding of the technical requirements to care for born-digital collections and how to prioritize born-digital content for preservation. The instructor will share examples of workflows for born-digital content to help participants develop practical solutions for the collections in their own institutions.

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Registration deadline: September 22, 2024
Maximum class size: 300
Instructor: Terrance D’Ambrosio, Director of Imaging Services, NEDCC
Location: online
Have you inherited a microfilm collection but are unsure how to properly preserve and provide access to it? Or are you maintaining the collection you’ve had for years but seeking options for improving access and minimizing wear to the originals? The webinar will first provide an introduction to micro formats (including microfiche, microfilm, and more) and the role they’ve played in preserving and disseminating information, from their introduction until today. It will then move on to cover the best practices of microfilm storage, housing, handling, and use. The webinar will conclude with a discussion of the digitization options available for microfilm as well as questions to consider when taking on a microfilm digitization project.

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Registration deadline: September 24, 2024
Maximum class size: 30
Instructor: NEDCC Preservation Specialists
Location: online
The Instructor-led Fundamentals of Audiovisual Preservation course give participants the foundation needed to be effective collections stewards for audiovisual materials. Over 6 sessions, this course covers risks to audiovisual materials; care and handling; inventory and assessment; planning, preparing, and implementing reformatting projects; managing digital audiovisual collections; and disaster preparedness and response. Fundamentals of Audiovisual Preservation provides participants with information they need to create inventories of audiovisual holdings, to develop a reformatting timeline for priority materials, and to outline a Statement of Work. The six live webinars supplement the online course textbook, which is available for self-guided study. Class Dates: 9/26/2024 Session 1: Introduction to AV Preservation Challenges 10/3/2024 Session 2: Care and Handling of Physical Carriers 10/10/2024 Session 3: Inventory and Assessment of Audiovisual Collections 10/24/2024 Session 4: Reformatting 10/31/2024 Session 5: Managing Digital Audiovisual Collections 11/7/2024 Session 6: Disaster Preparedness and Response

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Registration deadline: September 29, 2024
Maximum class size: 300
Instructor: Alyssa Magnone, Associate Preservation Specialist, NEDCC
Location: online
When was the last time you looked at your emergency and disaster plan? This is webinar is designed to a quick refresher of the basic concepts of preparring and planning for possible emergencies and disasters. We will talk about how and when to update your emergency plan, exercises you can do to keep your entire team prepared, and a review of first response steps to take in the event of an emergency.

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Registration deadline: October 27, 2024
Maximum class size: 300
Instructor: Ann Marie Willer, Director of Preservation Services, NEDCC
Location: online
NEH Preservation Assistance Grants for Smaller Institutions are relatively easy to apply for and have launched successful preservation projects and programs in institutions across the country. Be ready for the round of applications! This webinar is presented by an NEDCC Preservation Specialist and covers the issues that should be considered when preparing to submit an NEH Preservation Assistance Grant. Emphasis will be on preparing the grant narrative, making the case for your project, and getting requisite information from consultants.

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Registration deadline: November 17, 2024
Maximum class size: 300
Instructor: Megan Dirickson, Assistant Preservation Specialist, NEDCC
Location: online
Just getting started with environmental monitoring at your organization? This basic overview provides participants with the background knowledge needed to start collecting data, including key terms, how to understand your building’s current systems, and how the environment impacts different collections. Participants will also learn about environmental monitoring equipment and software and best practices for its placement. Follow up this course in 6-months with our intermediary level webinar on 6/10/24.

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Registration deadline: November 19, 2024
Maximum class size: 300
Instructor: Jesse Keel, Associate Preservation Specialist, NEDCC
Location: online
Metadata, and especially preservation metadata encompassing the technical and administrative aspects of description, is essential for providing continued access to your digital objects. It provides assurance that digital objects are authentic, renderable, and useable. This webinar serves as a starting point for understanding the kinds of information you will want to gather to support digital preservation, using current guidelines, standards, and models in the field to identify core information required to steward digital objects over time.

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Registration deadline: December 3, 2024
Maximum class size: 300
Instructor: Bexx Caswell-Olson, Director of Book Conservation, NEDCC
Location: online
Scrapbooks document personal moments alongside local and national history. The variety of records and materials inside--and the myriad methods of fastening them to the page--pose significant preservation challenges. Participants will learn about the structure of scrapbooks, the types of materials commonly found in them, methods of attachment, implications for preservation and conservation, and how to provide the best level of care for scrapbook collections. Low-cost, in-house preservation approaches are included. Note: Sign up for "Digitizing Scrapbooks" on 12/12/2024 to learn about imaging scrapbooks in your collections.

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Registration deadline: December 8, 2024
Maximum class size: 300
Instructor: Bexx Caswell-Olson, Director of Book Conservation, NEDCC
Location: online
This webinar will provide an overview of the history of the book with a focus on the evolution of Western binding styles and techniques. Materials and methods from antiquity to the present will be reviewed, providing important context for the cataloging, care, and handling of bound collections. Research tools and resources that provide further insight into historical binding structures will also be discussed.

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Registration deadline: December 10, 2024
Maximum class size: 300
Instructor: David Joyall, Senior Collections Photographer, NEDCC
Location: online
This session provides an overview of digitizing scrapbooks, photo albums, and other unique bound items. Selecting, preparing, and imaging scrapbooks requires careful planning and the right equipment. Scrapbooks often include fragile binding, adhesives, and folded or tucked-in elements that require careful handling during the digitization process. This one-hour webinar addresses the benefits and drawbacks of various digitization methods, as well considerations related to file formats and resolution, in order to help you decide on an approach that is right for your project.

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Registration deadline: February 18, 2025
Maximum class size: 28
Instructor: Preservation Specialists, NEDCC
Location: Turtle Bay Exploration Park in Redding, CA

Join cultural heritage organizations, emergency management personnel, and government departments in Northern California for a hands-on workshop on emergency preparedness and response! This in-person workshop will supplement participating institutions’ internal disaster planning activities and include opportunities for kinetic learning. Priority will be given to registrants from Northern California.

Participants will:

• Receive training in risk assessment and mitigation, emergency preparedness and response, and related emergency planning topics;
• Build relationships with nearby institutions to facilitate collaboration, e.g. on policy building and supply purchases;
• Walk through an instructor-facilitated scenario (table-top exercise) to simulate the experience of responding to a disaster;
• Acquire hands-on experience with salvage techniques for formats commonly found in cultural collections, including books, documents, photographs, and audiovisual materials; and
• Gain an understanding of how disasters can physically impact their collections and how they can be “first responders” for collections salvage.

Who should attend?

This workshop is open to individuals in Northern California associated with cultural heritage organizations, such as libraries, archives, museums, and historical societies; government departments and personnel, including town clerks; and offices involved with emergency management and public safety.

This workshop belongs to a training series taking place along the Gulf Coast and California and is funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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Registration deadline: February 20, 2025
Maximum class size: 28
Instructor: Preservation Specialists, NEDCC
Location: Tulare County Museum in Tulare, CA

Join cultural heritage organizations, emergency management personnel, and government departments in Central California for a hands-on workshop on emergency preparedness and response! This in-person workshop will supplement participating institutions’ internal disaster planning activities and include opportunities for kinetic learning. Priority will be given to registrants from Central and Southern California.

Participants will:

• Receive training in risk assessment and mitigation, emergency preparedness and response, and related emergency planning topics;
• Build relationships with nearby institutions to facilitate collaboration, e.g. on policy building and supply purchases;
• Walk through an instructor-facilitated scenario (table-top exercise) to simulate the experience of responding to a disaster;
• Acquire hands-on experience with salvage techniques for formats commonly found in cultural collections, including books, documents, photographs, and audiovisual materials; and
• Gain an understanding of how disasters can physically impact their collections and how they can be “first responders” for collections salvage.

Who should attend?

This workshop is open to individuals in Central California associated with cultural heritage organizations, such as libraries, archives, museums, and historical societies; government departments and personnel, including town clerks; and offices involved with emergency management and public safety.

This workshop belongs to a training series taking place along the Gulf Coast and California and is funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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Registration deadline: April 1, 2025
Maximum class size: 28
Instructor: Preservation Specialists, NEDCC
Location: Mobile Museum of Art in Mobile, AL

Join cultural heritage organizations, emergency management personnel, and government departments in Alabama for a hands-on workshop on emergency preparedness and response! This in-person workshop will supplement participating institutions’ internal disaster planning activities and include opportunities for kinetic learning. Priority will be given to registrants along the Gulf Coast.

Participants will:

• Receive training in risk assessment and mitigation, emergency preparedness and response, and related emergency planning topics;
• Build relationships with nearby institutions to facilitate collaboration, e.g. on policy building and supply purchases;
• Walk through an instructor-facilitated scenario (table-top exercise) to simulate the experience of responding to a disaster;
• Acquire hands-on experience with salvage techniques for formats commonly found in cultural collections, including books, documents, photographs, and audiovisual materials; and
• Gain an understanding of how disasters can physically impact their collections and how they can be “first responders” for collections salvage.

Who should attend?

This workshop is open to individuals along the Gulf Coast of Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi associated with cultural heritage organizations, such as libraries, archives, museums, and historical societies; government departments and personnel, including town clerks; and offices involved with emergency management and public safety.

This workshop belongs to a training series taking place along the Gulf Coast and California and is funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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Registration deadline: April 29, 2025
Maximum class size: 28
Instructor: Preservation Specialists, NEDCC
Location: Florida Holocaust Museum in St. Petersburg, FL

Join cultural heritage organizations, emergency management personnel, and government departments in Florida for a hands-on workshop on emergency preparedness and response! This in-person workshop will supplement participating institutions’ internal disaster planning activities and include opportunities for kinetic learning. Priority will be given to registrants from Florida's Gulf Coast.

Participants will:

• Receive training in risk assessment and mitigation, emergency preparedness and response, and related emergency planning topics;
• Build relationships with nearby institutions to facilitate collaboration, e.g. on policy building and supply purchases;
• Walk through an instructor-facilitated scenario (table-top exercise) to simulate the experience of responding to a disaster;
• Acquire hands-on experience with salvage techniques for formats commonly found in cultural collections, including books, documents, photographs, and audiovisual materials; and
• Gain an understanding of how disasters can physically impact their collections and how they can be “first responders” for collections salvage.

Who should attend?

This workshop is open to individuals along Florida's Gulf Coast associated with cultural heritage organizations, such as libraries, archives, museums, and historical societies; government departments and personnel, including town clerks; and offices involved with emergency management and public safety.

This workshop belongs to a training series taking place along the Gulf Coast and California and is funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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Maximum class size: 500

Visit NEDCC's YouTube Channel for Free Training Videos, Conservation Shorts, and more. You’ll find the playlist of free preservation training videos at https://www.nedcc.org/preservationvideos 

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Maximum class size: 100
Instructor: Jesse Keel, Associate Preservation Specialist, NEDCC
Location: Webinar Recording

 

Renovation and construction projects in your facility can present significant risks to your collections. In this webinar, you will learn the most common risks for collections, risks for personnel, strategies for risk mitigation, and issues with temporary storage.

Participants who are eligible Certified Archivists earn 2 Archival Recertification Credits (ARCs) through the Academy of Certified Archivists.

Duration: 2 hrs.

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Maximum class size: 100
Instructor: Ann Marie Willer, Director of Preservation Services, NEDCC
Location: Webinar recording

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Maximum class size: 100
Instructor: Annie Matthys, former Preservation Specialist, NEDCC
Location: Webinar Recording

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Maximum class size: 100
Instructor: Annie Matthys, former Preservation Specialist, NEDCC
Location: Webinar Recording

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Maximum class size: 100
Instructor: Sean Ferguson, former Associate Preservation Specialist, NEDCC
Location: Webinar Recording

Most digital preservation software uses free, smaller tools that run on the command line. This webinar introduces attendees to Windows command line tools, including ROBOCOPY, MD5DEEP, FIDO, EXIFTOOL, and BagIt. Participants will receive an introduction to the command line and a demonstration of these tools in a workflow that breaks down the steps most digital preservation software automates for you. Watch this webinar if you want to learn more about the command line, gain a deeper practical understanding of digital preservation activities, and make more informed decisions about the workflows you build. Watch Building an Easy Digital Preservation Workflow with Small Tools to learn how to use more free digital preservation tools and build your workflow.

Duration: 2 hours

 

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Maximum class size: 100
Instructor: Claire Grund, former Paper Conservator, NEDCC
Location: Webinar Recording

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