National Occupational Standards in
Archaeological Practice

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AE4 Develop conservation plans for archaeological items

AE4.2 Specify conservation options for items

Performance Required

This will involve:

1. Ensuring the conservation options meet the requirements of the items and the owner
2. Ensuring that relevant parties understand the outcome, risks and resource implications of the selected options
3. Ensuring the conservation options can be implemented within the specified resource constraints
4. Identifying clearly the advantages, disadvantages and limitations of each option
5. Recommending and agreeing preferred options with all relevant parties
6. Recording clearly the selected options and disseminate them to the appropriate people
7. Planning the use of resources and the timescale for implementing the selected options
8. Developing a suitable conservation plan and record it in an appropriate format

Occupational Context

1. Conservation options
   • Remedial or preventive
   • In situ / off-site
   • Stabilisation / environmental conditioning or not
   • Maintaining open access or with specific security
2. Relevant parties
   • Funding, legislative and statutory bodies
   • Management and supervision
   • Expert professional advisors
   • Contractors
   • owner / occupiers
   • record-keepers / database managers
   • maintenance staff
   • curators
   • education officers
3. Resource constraints
   • Cost and finances
   • materials / equipment
   • time
   • research / administrative / technical support
   • internal / external professional expertise
   • accommodation/space

Knowledge Requirements

You need to know and understand how to:

• Draw up a conservation plan for other people to follow
• Record a conservation plan, and the appropriate formats

You need to know about:

Conservation Options

• The factors that are taken into account when selecting conservation options
• How the conservation options would differ if the item was used in different ways, or kept in different conditions
• Why the specific conservation options were chosen

Conservation Planning

• The specified resource constraints for the item
• Who are the relevant people that need to be consulted on the selection decision

Who should be aware of the conservation plan, and the level of detail that they need

Required Skills

N/A

Evidence Required

You should provide evidence that you can specify conservation options for items

The candidate should be questioned, based upon the documentation provided, to explore how they

• specify conservation options for items that are moderately or seriously degraded and for at least one unstable item.

Evidence Rules

The candidate should have developed plans for a range of items typical of their work area.

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Today's date: 31/7/2010
This page last updated: 6/8/2007 11:58