Preserving Family Heirlooms
There are many options and factors when it comes to preserving family heirlooms, when you know the right places to look. If you have ever wondered where to direct a patron looking for local preservation resources, the following list will hopefully prove informative and helpful:
Local Binderies (Book restoration and binding services)
- Ace Bindery Corp.
2323 Main St. PGH, PA 15215
412-784-3669 - Steadfast Book Bindery
333 Meade St. Wilkingsburg, PA 15221
412-244-1149 - Pittsburgh Binding, Inc.
2538 Mission St. PGH, PA 15203
412-481-8108 - Wert Bookbinding, Inc.
9975 Allentown Blvd. Grantville, PA 17028
717-469-0626/800-344-9378
Conservation Services (Objects, Paintings, Frames and Gold Leaf)
- Alba Art Conservation 352-216-2738
- Bernicky-Belman Fine Art Conservation Services 412-421-2518
- Patricia Buss (painting) patty.buss@gmail.com
- Emilie Cohen Studios 412-605-0281
- Daulton Fine Art Conservation (painting) cdaulton@gmail.com 724-850-8300
- Foulke Fine Art Conservation 412-321-0779
- Hartmann Conservation 717-574-3579
- Patty West (painting) pattyhusswest@gmail.com 412-519-9611
- Rhonda Wozniak 412-322-7021
Conservation Services (Books, Paper, Photographs and Textile)
- Wendy Bennett (paper) wen.bennett@gmail.com 412-608-7600
- Jim Burke (photo) Jvjburke@gmail.com
- Csilla Crisanti (book/paper) csillacrisanti@gmail.com 412-657-5574
- Jamison Art Conservation 216-367-2966
- Mark S. Johnson & Associates 412-853-7159
- Christine Maurhoff Textile Conservation 412-848-2701
- Textile Conservation & Restoration Studio 330-545-1936
Audio, Video & Film Transfer Services
- Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh REcollection Studio
- Preservation Technologies – The Media Preserve 724-779-2111
There are also many web resources and local organizations with plenty of preservation information.
Community Preservation and Disaster Recovery Organizations
- Alliance for Response – PGH Chapter Disaster response/education
- PA Cultural Response Team (PaCRT) Statewide response team for disaster recovery for cultural institutions
- Young Preservationists Association of PGH 412-342-8972
- PA Cultural Resilience Network Disaster response/ education through Philadelphia’s CCAHA (See below)
- Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation 412-471-5808 Local organization committed to historic preservation for sustainable communities
Web Resources
- American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works Contains information on selecting a conservator and covers many current topics in the field
- Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts (CCAHA) Resources for collection care, services, and education opportunities
- CoOL – Conservation OnLine Includes conservation resources, names of people and vendors, events, and publications
- Conserv-O-Grams – National Park Service A series on preservation and conservation topics in short leaflets
- Library of Congress Reference to many storage and care concerns and photocopying issues
- National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Offers tips on storage and preservation on a wide range of media
- Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) Their “Technical Leaflet” series discusses preservation concerns and offers conservation services. For a list of leaflets available, search under the link “Caring for Your Collections”
You may always contact Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh’s Conservation, Preservation and Access Department (CP&A) for questions and guidance as well!
- preservation@carnegielibrary.org
- Preservation Lab: 412-622-5785 (Tara Walsh, Preservation Librarian)
- Preservation Office: 412-622-5599 (Jackie Mignogna, Coordinator)
Happy Conserving!
Emma Pyle, Conservation Technician, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh