SLQ conservator named 2018 Conservator of the Year

State Library of Queensland (SLQ) conservator Kelly Leahey has won the Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Materials’ (AICCM) 2018 Conservator of the Year award.

Leahey, who specialises in the conservation of photographs and works on paper, won the award for her series of 10 step-by-step videos on how to care for personal collections, including how to care for family collections and how to salvage water-damaged collections. The award also recognised Kelly’s development of a series of workshops that showed participants how historic photographs were made.

SLQ state librarian and CEO Vicki McDonald said: ‘Kelly’s drive and vision helped create an engaging series of videos that show Queenslanders how to preserve and display their personal collections at home … These free videos have helped raise the profile and importance of everyday conservation.’

Established in 1995, the award recognises individuals whose ‘extraordinary efforts have directly contributed to the raising of standards in their workplace or within their conservation field’ and is awarded to people ‘who have worked to promote the profession of conservation and its activities to the wider community’.

Category: Library news