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The city of Istanbul is located on two continents and has thousands of years of rich history, but it has also been affected by major earthquakes throughout this period and another significant seismic event is expected in the near future. Istanbul hosts numerous museums that make available a wide range of collections that represent universal heritage and most of these museums are located in historical buildings. Through the years earthquakes have caused significant damage to historical structures in Istanbul and an important issue is the protection of these buildings and collections now and in the future. Bogazici University, Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute and the Museum Studies Graduate Program of Yildiz Technical University are leading institutions with respect to research and initiatives aimed at protecting museum collections from earthquake damage in Turkey. This contribution discusses improvements in the seismic protection of collections as well as recent efforts focusing on the development of a distance learning educational package being developed in Turkey that addresses seismic risk mitigation.

Acrylic copolymers are now well known in conservation practice. Based upon relative stability and reversibility, Paraloid B-72 has found a particularly wide range of uses as a coating, consolidant, and adhesive. Increasingly, B-72 is being used as an adhesive for reassembly of large stone sculpture. It has also found use as an interface barrier that, in theory, lends greater reversibility to joints made with less reversible adhesives such as epoxies or polyesters and limits the penetration of these materials into the adherend substrate. The following two studies were undertaken as an initial evaluation of these systems and to make a direct comparison between B-72 and the more commonly used structural adhesives, epoxy and polyester, from the standpoint of shear and tensile strength, as well as reversibility. Modified ASTM standard tests were used to determine the strength of marble-to-marble bonds formed with epoxy, polyester, and high-concentration solutions of B-72 in two commonly used solvents. Bonds made with epoxy or polyester adhesives including additional barriers of B-72 on both substrates of the adherends were also tested. The results indicate that in some solutions B-72 alone may be sufficiently strong under tensile load for use as a structural adhesive and that B-72 used as an interface barrier is sufficiently strong for structural joints as well as able to increase reversibility of bonds where polyester or epoxy is used as the adhesive. However, solvent loss from the B-72 adhesive or B-72 barrier must be sufficient to assure full bond strength. Further study is needed to evaluate the adhesive qualities of B-72, since characteristics such as the porosity and absorbency of the substrate and the possible long-term reordering and creep of the copolymer under constant long-term stress could affect the adhesive bond.

The growing public interest in the processes and principles of conservation has led to the encouragement of numerous educational efforts on the part of conservators, institutions, and professional conservation organizations such as the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC). In response to this interest and encouragement, the J. Paul Getty Museum mounted an interactive exhibition entitled \"Preserving the Past\". This exhibition was a collaborative effort of the Antiquities Conservation, Education and Academic Affairs, and Antiquities Curatorial departments. In an attempt to introduce the visiting public to conservation principles, activities, and plans, \"Preserving the Past\" focused on conservation efforts applied to the museum's collection of ancient objects. The exhibition was divided into sections addressing conservation ethics and principles; scientific examination and analysis; treatment; and environmental control (including working models of seismic isolation mechanisms). The gallery was staffed continually by specially trained museum education staff and docents, called facilitators, who offered visitors access to more detailed written information, hands-on activities, and guidance through the exhibit. Approximately 12,000 people visited the exhibition during the seven months it was on view. This paper describes the efforts to establish guiding principles, and realistic and accessible approaches to presenting complex subjects such as conservation to the museum visitor whose prior knowledge, interest, and time may be limited. Exhibition planning, the philosophical precepts for the exhibition, the physical installation and design, and the evaluation of the final gallery format and its impact on the visitors are discussed.

The growing public interest in the processes and principles of conservation has led to the encouragement of numerous educational efforts on the part of conservators, institutions, and professional conservation organizations such as the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC). In response to this interest and encouragement, the J. Paul Getty Museum mounted an interactive exhibition entitled Preserving the Past. This exhibition was a collaborative effort of the Antiquities Conservation, Education and Academic Affairs, and Antiquities Curatorial departments. In an attempt to introduce the visiting public to conservation principles, activities, and plans, Preserving the Past focused on conservation efforts applied to the museum's collection of ancient objects. The exhibition was divided into sections addressing conservation ethics and principles; scientific examination and analysis; treatment; and environmental control (including working models of seismic isolation mechanisms). The gallery was staffed continually by specially trained museum education staff and docents, called facilitators, who offered visitors access to more detailed written information, hands-on activities, and guidance through the exhibit. Approximately 12,000 people visited the exhibition during the seven months it was on view. This paper describes the efforts to establish guiding principles, and realistic and accessible approaches to presenting complex subjects such as conservation to the museum visitor whose prior knowledge, interest, and time may be limited. Exhibition planning, the philosophical precepts for the exhibition, the physical installation and design, and the evaluation of the final gallery format and its impact on the visitors are discussed.

We've worked with seismic engineers for more than 12 years now, devising methods to secure our pieces in the event of an earthquake. We've even put our pieces on shake tables to make sure they'll remain stable. Some of the pieces are designed to roll, others are tied down. But you never know whether those methods will work until the real thing happens. Once I felt that my family was calm and our home secure, I got in touch with Bruce Metro, who prepares museum pieces for display. We met at La Brea and Pico and drove in separate cars. When we got to Pacific Coast Highway, we had to weave around all these huge landslides. There were these huge boulders all around and furniture in the road from that one house that slid down the hill. When we got to the museum, they had already cordoned off areas of the museum where pieces were lying around, so no one would walk through them. They had noted objects that needed to be made secure in case of aftershocks. We had practiced this once a year, in the event of an earthquake, and it was surprising how quickly the plan kicked into gear.