Overview for Bio-Deterioration of Museum Materials
This book on 'Bio-deterioration of Museum materials is the result of the research work I have done for my Ph.D at the Department of Museology of the M.S. University of Baroda and reference studies undertaken at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C. and the International Bio-deterioration Research Centre at Birmingham, U.K. I was initiated into this study by my brother, K.S.S. Nair, when he was a Lecturer at the Department of Zoology, M.S. University of Baroda by making me interested to study the biology and feeding habits of Dermested Beetles which are serious pests of museum collections.No studies on the bio-deterioration of cultural property were available and as such this was a pioneering effort in this field. I made extensive visit of museum collections in India, both on storage and display to locate, identify and study fungi and insects that bring about deterioration of objects.
The book is divided into seven chapters. These include organisms responsible for bio-deterioration, feeding response studies of some insect pests and the wise use of insecticides and fungicides. Extensive references to literature are also provided. It is hoped that the book will be found useful by museum curators, conservators and other custodians of cultural property as well as students of Museology and Conservation.
S M Nair (Author)
Dr. S.M. Nair is the founder Director of the National Museum of Natural History, New Delhi. He also developed regional museums of Natural History at Mysore, Bhopal and Bhubaneswar. He served these institutions for more than 20 years. As an eminent Museologist and Environment Educator of international repute he was on the faculty of the Department of Museology, M.S. university of Baroda, the Department of Museum studies of the Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, Rajasthan and was Director (Education) WWF – India and Senior advisor, Center for Environment Education and Center for Media studies, New Delhi. He was also a member of the Editorial Board of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, South Asia project.
Dr. Nair has been Presedent of the International Committee Natural History Museums of the International Council of Museums (ICOM). He is the recipient of the Rockefeller Fellowship and the Smithsonian Institution Fellowship in the field of Museology and the Distinguished Scientist award of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, govt. of India. He was given the Life Time Achievement Award by the Museums Association of India in the Year 2010.
Bagchee
