Janice Stagnitto Ellis, President

Janice Stagnitto Ellis, President

Quarto Conservation of Books & Paper, Inc.

Phone # (301) 585-2521

EDUCATION:

Columbia University, School of Library Service, New York, NY. Graduation 1991.

Masters of Science, Certification in Conservation of Books and Archives.

Rutgers University, Rutgers College, New Brunswick, NJ. Graduation 1983.

Baccalaureate in Business Administration and Art History. Thesis: Art as an Investment

WORK EXPERIENCE:

President, Quarto Conservation of Books & Paper, Inc., Silver Spring, MD.

November 1998 - present.

Freelance conservation treatment performed at personally owned and operated full-service conservation facility. Clients include museums, libraries, federal agencies and private collectors. Clients include: Catholic University; Bureau of Engraving and Printing, Daughters of the American Revolution Museum; Library of Congress; National Design Museum, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Institution (SI); National Museum of American History, (SI); National Museum of Natural History, (SI); National Park Service; National Sporting Library; Phillips Collection; Philadelphia Museum of Art, New York Public Library, Smithsonian Institution Libraries; Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service; United States Memorial Holocaust Museum.

Senior Book Conservator, Smithsonian Institution, Smithsonian Institution Libraries, Preservation Services Department, Washington, DC.

July 1992 - September 1999

GS-12-4, Senior Book Conservator for the Smithsonian Institution Libraries (SIL) Book Conservation Laboratory (BCL). Collection and treatment strengths are 15th-18th century European, 18th-19th century American bound and unbound paper-based materials. Undertakes a broad range of conservation treatments on a multifarious collection of rare holdings from the Special Collections Division of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries’, which include collections from the Cooper Hewitt Museum, the National Museum of Natural History, the National Air and Space Museum, and the Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology at the National Museum of American History, characterized by historical significance, rarity, value and the presence of complex chemical and physical problems. Responsible for ensuring the safe exhibition of all SIL materials throughout the Smithsonian Institution or on loan elsewhere, which includes: the review of all facilities reports; condition reports; treatment proposals; conservation treatment; exhibition mount design and construction; advises on exhibition lighting, design and construction. Manages the daily operations of the Book Conservation Laboratory and supplies the expertise, services and direction necessary to support a comprehensive preservation and conservation program for SIL general and special collections and other preservation activities, such as the brittle books and commercial binding programs, the digitization initiative and collection maintenance within SIL. Orchestrates a staff of up to two full-time employees (one professional conservator and one conservation technician), one full time intern and six part-time volunteers. Trains all volunteer and intern staff. Prepares BCL budget for each fiscal year, writes prioritized justifications for all supply and equipment requests, and travel and training requests. Maintains all work statistics. Participates on the design team for the construction of the new rare books facility under construction at the National Museum of Natural History, specifically advising on preservation-related issues, such as environmental implications of HVAC design, temperature and relative humidity set-points, construction materials choices, shelving, fire suppression, lighting options, and construction issues, such as vapor barriers and insulation. Advises on storage conditions, handling practices, and moving library collections throughout the library system. With the Head of Preservation Services, helps to design procedures and policy for Special Collections, General Collections and Exhibitions program. Chief contributor to the on-going revision of the Emergency Preparedness Manual and provides all staff training for disaster preparedness, including hands-on salvage workshops. Was instrumental in the design and implementation of a prioritization survey of Special Collections for conservation treatment. Designed an electronic datalogger system to monitor environment of remote locations via computer. Wrote successful special project grants and scientific equipment grants valued at $50,000. Presented a brief lecture at a Grolier Club fund-raising event which resulted in a $100,000 donation towards the preservation of natural history book collections. Redesigned the laboratory layout for increased safety, and efficiency. Computer hardware/software used: IBM clone/ Word Perfect.

Preservationist, Rutgers University, Special Collections and Archives, New Brunswick, NJ.

January 1992 - July 1992.

With approximately three weeks of lead time, organized a major shrink wrap project for the protection of 30,000 rare books and manuscripts in anticipation of demolition, renovation and construction within the Special Collections and Archives collections storage areas. Hired a staff of 31 part time employees, ordered machinery and materials, and completed the project in nine days, on time and under budget, with a per item cost of 43% less than that previously reported in the Abbey Newsletter. Because there is no laboratory at this facility, other tasks were limited to minor treatments and protective enclosures for books, documents, photos and objects housed in the Special Collections Department. The position had a six month tenure corresponding to staff preservationist’s sabbatical duration.

Assistant Conservator, The Juilliard School of Music, 144 West 66th Street, New York, NY.

September 1989 - June 1990.

Performed surveys, housing and conservation treatment on a collection of twelve hundred rare books, libretti and music in the Lila Acheson Wallace Library.

Book Conservation Specialist II, Book Conservation Laboratory, The New York Public Library, 5th Avenue and 42nd Street, New York, NY. January 1986 - September 1988.

Full range of conservation treatments and responsibilities, performed in a fully equipped conservation facility. Collection strengths/treatments performed on 14th-19th century European bindings, with occasional treatment on Asian and Ethiopian works. Treatments include but not limited to the following: Collation, written and photo documentation, preparation of condition reports and treatment proposals, standard recasing, paper cases, Harrison groove split boards, dry cleaning, washing and alkalization paper (aqueously using magnesium bicarbonate, and non-aqueously with Wei-T'o soft spray), heat set mending and tissue preparation, long fiber mending, tape removal, fixing soluble inks, poultices, protease enzyme treatment, encapsulation and post binding, laced-in binding structures with full linen covering materials, sewn endbands, design and construct unusual protective enclosures such as compression fitted boxes, Gortex tile fitted boxes, Gortex lined boxes, and standard enclosures such as wrappers, phase boxes and single or double walled clam shell boxes. Computer hardware/software used: Macintosh/Mac Draw.

Book Conservation Specialist - Freelance. September 1988 - December 1991. Institutional clients include:

American Museum of Natural History, Barbara Rhodes, Conservator of Library Materials.

Surveying books and objects in the museum's Rare Books Library, recommending treatments, and making simple repairs and enclosures as needed.

The New York Public Library, Myriam de Arteni, Exhibitions Conservator.

Constructing multi level, oversized double wall clam shell boxes and phase boxes.

James Heineman, Trustee, The Pierpont Morgan Library.

Designed and implemented a survey and protective enclosure project for approximately three thousand volumes and one thousand periodicals, hired and trained a staff of five to complete the project on-time and under budget.

Production Assistant, Curriculum Concepts, Incorporated, 770 Broadway, New York, NY.

January 1985 - January 1986.

Trafficked type, text and art work in the production of a basal level text book series.

Assistant, Angela Scott Fine Binding and Restoration, 596 Broadway, New York, NY.

December 1984 - January 1986. Part time.

Constructed drop spine boxes and other protective enclosures at private bookbinder’s studio.

Administrative Assistant, Museum of Holography, 11 Mercer Street, New York, NY.

October 1983 - January 1985.

General office manager, subscriptions manager to Holosphere magazine, managing editor of The Holography Directory, (Who's Who in Holography), mounting exhibits.

INTERNSHIPS, VOLUNTEER WORK AND SPECIAL PROJECTS:

Walters Art Gallery, Conservation Department, Baltimore, MD

Volunteered in the conservation laboratory under Sr. Book Conservator Abigail Quandt during the preparations for the "African Zion" exhibition of Ethiopian works. Performed conservation treatment on two previously repaired 9th century vellum manuscripts.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art, Conservation Department, Philadelphia, PA

September - December 1991.

Volunteered in conservation laboratory in a joint project between PMA and Harvard, using FT-IR infrared spectroscopy to analyze the Gettens and Stout collection of artists materials. Also performed a collections survey for the Boyer Library.

Trinity College Library, Conservation Department, Dublin, Ireland.

September 1990 - May 1991.

Formal book conservation internship under Anthony Cains, with emphasis upon hand skills and techniques, including page repair, parchment repair, leather binding and repair, board re-attachment, and vellum binding. Collection and treatment strengths 17th century European with some treatment of Celtic and Ethiopian works.

Castillo de Sant Genis de Vilassar, Angel Guimera 39, Vilassar de Dalt, Barcelona, Spain.

June 1990 - August 1990.

Protective enclosure project for the family archives of His Excellency Señor don Ramon de Sarriera y Fernandez de Munian, Marques de Santa Maria de Barbara y de la Manresana.

National Park Service, Washington's Headquarters, Jacob Ford Mansion, Morristown, NJ.

June 1989.

Provided phase treatment to one eighteenth century book and nineteen eighteenth century architectural drawings. Treatments including dry cleaning, flattening, paper mending, and protective enclosure.

Christie, Manson & Woods, Art Nouveau, Art Deco Department, New York, NY.

September 1983 - May 1984.

Catalogued incoming art objects, answered mail and phone calls, organized client contracts, mounted exhibitions. Thesis project: "Art as an Investment", undergraduate Art History and Economics Departments.

PUBLICATIONS:

Conservation Resources for Art and Antiques, “Books,” Washington Conservation Guild, March 2001.

“Aloft in a Balloon: Treatment of a Scrapbook of Early Aeronautica Collected by William Upcott, 1783-1840, AIC Book and Paper Group Annual, 1997, v. 16, p. 9-13.

"The Shrink Wrap Project at Rutgers University Special Collections and Archives", AIC Book and Paper Group Annual, 1993, v. 12, p. 56-60.

"The Shrink Wrap Project at Rutgers University Special Collections and Archives", The Abbey Newsletter, 1994, v.18, n. 3..

"Caring for your Collections: Protecting your Books from Deterioration and Damage", Orator, Smithsonian Institution, National African American Museum Project, Volume 1, No. 1, February 1993.

Letter to the editor, National Geographic, August 1991.

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS:

Princeton Preservation Group (1991-1992)

American Institute of Conservation (Professional Associate)

Washington Conservation Guild

Washington Rare Books Group (1997)

Smithsonian Conservation Consortium (1992-1999)

SEMINARS TAKEN:

Columbia University-

Gary Frost- "Quick, Cheap, Good", repairs for circulating collections materials; Disaster preparedness, including handling water damaged materials, and freeze drying; Paper case construction.

Deborah Evetts- English leather binding, edition and library style; Leather rebacking. Jim Reilly- Identification of photographic techniques.

Barbara Meijor Husby- advanced paper repair techniques.

Mindell Dubanski and Myriam de Arteni- Metropolitan Museum of Art and the New York Public Library week long seminar on exhibition, storage and packing techniques for library collections.

Jim Reilly- seminar on the identification of photographic technique.

Smithsonian Institution-

Argon Fumigation- Conservation Analytical Laboratories, Dr. Robert Koestler, instructor, a two day workshop leading to certification in the use of argon fumigation equipment available at CAL.

Conservation of Parchment and Vellum- Conservation Analytical Laboratories, Abigail Quandt, instructor- week long seminar on identification and repair of parchment and vellum.

#C413 Mildew on Textiles- Conservation Analytical Laboratories, Dr. Robert Blanchette, Lt. Col Ted Hatfield and Prof. Samuel Hudson, instructors. A day long seminar about the identification and eradication of molds and other microorganisms on cellulosic materials.

Preventive Care and Conservation of Paper-Based Materials in Research Collections, Libraries and Archives- Conservation Analytical Laboratories, seven days of lecture on various topics and by various speakers, including "Conservation of Scrapbooks" by Sherelyn Ogden, "Disaster prevention for collections with paper-based materials" by Karen Motylewski, and "Conservation options for oversized paper materials" by Mary Todd Glaser, among others.

Brief Introduction to Paper Conservation- Conservation Analytical Laboratories, Dianne van der Reyden, instructor, an introduction to the chemical degradation of paper.

Exhibition of Rare Books- panel discussion and lecture sponsored by the Smithsonian and the Washington Rare Books Guild.

Salvage of Water Damaged Photographs- Debbie Hess Norris, lecturer, collection salvage techniques.

National Archives and Records Administration-

Preservation of Oversized Materials- day long lecture and seminar.

Cellulose Acetate- day long lecture and seminar.

Moving Archives- day long lecture and seminar.

Washington Conservation Guild-

Museum Lighting- a three day seminar and workshop on exhibition lighting presented by personnel from the Canadian Conservation Institute, National Park Service, Yale, the National Gallery of Art, and Rensselaer.

LECTURES GIVEN:

“Risk Analysis and Selection Criteria for Exhibition of Special Collections,” Show Time! Exhibition of Document Collections, The Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education, Smithsonian Institution, October 14, 1999.

“Exhibition of Library Materials in Museum Settings, Border Crossings,” Rare Books and Manuscripts Conference, Montreal, Canada, June 22, 1999. One of four lecturers in a panel presentation by Smithsonian Institution Libraries staff.

“Disaster Preparedness - Salvage of Wet Paper-Based Collections,” Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education (formerly CAL), September 1998. One of three instructors in a two-day seminar and workshop on salvage techniques.

"Exhibits, Loans and Preservation," CAPNET meeting held at the Library of Congress, June 3, 1996. Lecture given on condition reports and risk analysis.

"How Conservation and Preservation Education Relates to the Real World,"- an hour-long lecture presented at the University of Texas at Austin, April 1995.

"An Introduction to the Preservation of Library Collections," George Washington University. A day long seminar given to local librarians.