In 2018, the Smithsonian Women's Committee awarded funding for the development of a digital documentation workstation in MCI's Photograph and Paper Conservation Studio. This funding has allowed MCI's Photograph and Paper Conservator, Shannon Brogdon-Grantham to establish a workstation for documenting objects that come to MCI from across the Smithsonian for conservation treatment and analysis. The new workstation housed in the Conservation Group's studio is complementary to the imaging techniques available in the Technical Studies and Research Group's Melvin J. Wachowiak, Jr. Imaging Studio. This new resource provides access to a workstation dedicated to conservation documentation as outlined by the American Institute for Conservation Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice to the conservators at MCI.
Documentation is the first and last step in a conservator’s workflow. Its purpose is to provide a permanent graphic and written record of an object’s condition and technical manufacture. Prior to treatment and analysis, the conservator takes photographic images and writes a detailed report to document an object’s condition. The images and report are used to propose subsequent treatment and scientific investigation. After an object has undergone conservation, additional photographs are taken and are incorporated into a final report outlining the work performed, the outcome of treatment, and significant analytical findings.