Where to find Conservators and Conservation Schools and Organizations

Photograph conservators can be found in museums, archives, and libraries, as well as in private practice. Conservators often have earned their Master’s degrees in art conservation, though many have also been trained through apprenticeship. They often have backgrounds in art history, chemistry, or photography. Graduate schools in art conservation in the United States have been established at New York University, SUNY Buffalo, and The University of Delaware at Winterthur.

In the United States, the national membership organization of conservation professionals is the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC). The Photographic Materials Group (PMG) is a specialty group within the AIC whose members are concerned with photograph conservation. The International Council of Museums- Committee for Conservation (ICOM-CC) is an international conservation organization with a Photographic Records working group analogous to PMG.