The Preparator's Handbook

The Preparator’s Handbook :A Practical Guide for Preparing and Installing Collection Objects is an invaluable resource for emerging museum professionals or anyone working in galleries and collections with little-to-no previous preparatory experience or training.

This handbook explores, explains, and illustrates the basics for the preparation and installation professionals.
- practical, step-by-step guides that outline museum-standard procedures for most types of collection objects, including works on paper, archival volumes, and historic artifacts.
- templates and guides for presentation, preservation, and collection storage
- illustrated inventories of standard and specialized tools, materials and hardware
- the basics of lighting, audio, and video in installations.
- unique case-studies from working professionals for a wide-range of objects and installations including examples from the Field Museum, the Corning Museum of Glass, and the Folger Shakespeare Library.
- Over 50 illustrations and photographs that accompany the written text.


This practical book is the first of its kind: a guide for novice or amateur collection and gallery professionals as well as an academic textbook for museum studies and fine art students.