Preservation in Disaster Situations: a case study of the Valvilla Wool Mill Museum, Finland
Wirilander, H. (2013). Preservation in Disaster Situations: a case study of the Valvilla Wool Mill Museum, Finland. e-conservation Journal, 1 (1), 115-129. Retrieved from http://www.e-conservation.org/downloads/finish/2-issues/2-issue1/0
Published in
e-conservation JournalAuthors
Date
2013Discipline
MuseologiaCopyright
© 2013 Wirilander
This article discusses the role of documentation and rescue planning in minimizing collection
damages in disaster situations. The topic is surveyed through a case study of a fire that
occurred in 2003 at the Valvilla Wool Mill museum in Hyvinkää, in Southern Finland. This
incident caused significant damage to the authenticity and integrity of the museum’s archival
collection. Both the fire and the extinguishing of the fire caused severe damage to items in the
archival collection. Deterioration continued during aftercare, causing serious secondary
collection damage because the methods of the first aid and aftercare were spontaneously
planned and applied. By using the Valvilla Wool Mill museum’s incident as an illustrative case
study, the article analyses how the documentation and rescue planning influenced collection
damage and demonstrates the kinds of effects rescue work can have on the authenticity and
integrity of cultural heritage items.
Publisher
Universidade de ÉvoraISSN Search the Publication Forum
2183-1335Keywords