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AIC Code of Ethics/Guidelines for Practice
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| Evolution of the AIC Code of Ethics/Guidelines for Practice | ||
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This document was scanned from AIC Newsletter, Vol 18, Number 5, September 1993.
In striving to achieve this goal, conservation professionals assume certain obligations to the cultural property, to its owners and custodians, to the conservation profession, and to society as a whole. This document, the Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC), sets forth the principles that guide conservation professionals and others who are involved in the care of cultural property.
I. The conservation professional shall strive to attain the highest possible standards in all aspects of conservation, including, but not limited to, preventive conservation, examination, documentation, treatment, research, and education.
II. All actions of the conservation professional must be governed by an informed respect for the unique significance and character of the cultural property and for the people who created it.
III. While acknowledging the legitimate right of society to make use of cultural property, the conservation professional shall serve as an advocate for cultural property, its preservation, and its appropriate and respectful use.
IV. The conservation professional shall practice within the limits of personal competence and education, as well as within the limits of the available facilities.
V. While circumstances may limit the extent of conservation, the quality of conservation must not be compromised.
VI. The conservation professional must strive to select methods and materials that, to the best of current knowledge, do not endanger cultural property. If at all possible, the conservation professional should use methods and materials that do not adversely affect future examination, scientific investigation, treatment, or function.
VII. The conservation professional shall document examination, scientific investigation, and treatment by creating permanent records and reports.
VIII. The conservation professional shall recognize a responsibility for preventive conservation by endeavoring to limit damage or deterioration to cultural property, providing guidelines for continuing use and care, recommending appropriate environmental conditions for storage and exhibition, and encouraging proper procedures for handling, packing, and transport.
IX. The conservation professional shall treat all professional relationships with honesty and respect, seek to ensure the rights and opportunities of all individuals in the profession, and recognize the specialized knowledge of others. The conservation professional shall not detract from the dignity and credibility of the profession.
X. The conservation professional shall endeavor to contribute to the evolution and growth of the profession, a field of study which encompasses the liberal arts and the natural sciences. This may be done by such means as continuing development of personal skills and knowledge, sharing of information and experience with colleagues, adding to the profession's written body of knowledge, and providing and promoting educational opportunities in the field.
XI. The conservation professional shall promote an awareness and understanding of conservation through communication with allied professionals and the public.
XII. The conservation professional shall practice in a manner that minimizes personal risks and hazards to co-workers, the public, and the environment.
XIII. Each conservation professional has the obligation to promote understanding of and adherence to this Code.
The conservation professional should use the following guidelines and supplemental commentaries together with the AIC Code of Ethics in the pursuit of ethical practice. The commentaries are separate documents, created by the AIC membership, that are intended to amplify this document and to accommodate growth and change in the field.
1. Conduct: Adherence to the Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice is a matter of personal responsibility. The conservation professional should always be guided by the intent of this document, recognizing that specific circumstances may have a legitimate bearing on professional decisions.
2. Disclosure: In professional relationships, the conservation professional should share complete and accurate information relating to the efficacy and value of materials and procedures. In seeking and disclosing such information, and that related to analysis and research, the conservation professional should recognize the importance of published information that has undergone formal peer review.
3. Laws and Regulations: Regardless of the nature of employment, the conservation professional should be cognizant of laws and regulations that may have a bearing on professional activity. Among these laws and regulations are those concerning the rights of artists and their estates, occupational health and safety, sacred and religious material, excavated objects, endangered species, human remains, and stolen property.
4. Practice: Regardless of the nature of employment, the conservation professional should follow appropriate standards for safety, security, contracts, fees, and advertising.
4a. Health and Safety: The conservation professional should be aware of issues concerning the safety of materials and procedures that are used and should make this information available to others, as appropriate.
4b. Security: The working and storage conditions provided by a conservation professional should be designed to protect cultural property.
4c. Contracts: The conservation professional may enter into contractual agreements with individuals, institutions, businesses, or government agencies provided that such agreements do not compromise the principles of the Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice.
4d. Fees: Fees charged by the conservation professional should be commensurate with services rendered. The division of a fee is acceptable only when it is based on the division of service or responsibility.
4e. Advertising: In advertising and other representations, the conservation professional should provide an accurate description of credentials and services. Limitations concerning the use of the AIC name or membership status should be followed as stated in the AIC Bylaws, section 11, 13.
5. Communication: Communication between the conservation professional and the owner, custodian, or authorized agent of the cultural property is essential to ensure an agreement that reflects shared decisions and realistic expectations.
6. Consent: The conservation professional should act only with the consent of the owner, custodian, or authorized agent. The owner, custodian, or agent should be informed of any circumstances that necessitate significant deviations from the agreement. Whenever possible, notification should be made before such deviations occur.
7. Confidentiality: The conservation professional should consider relationships with owners, custodians or authorized agents as confidential. Information derived from examination, scientific investigation, or treatment of the cultural property should not be published or otherwise made public without permission in writing.
8. Supervision: The conservation professional is responsible for work delegated to other professionals, students, interns, volunteers, subordinates, or agents and assignees. Work should not be delegated or subcontracted unless the conservation professional can supervise the work directly, can ensure proper supervision, or has sufficient knowledge of the practitioner to be confident of the quality of the work. The owner, custodian, or agent should be informed if such delegation is to occur.
9. Education: Within the limits of knowledge and ability, time and facilities, the conservation professional is encouraged to become involved in the education of conservation personnel. The objectives of the parties shall be mutually agreed upon.
10. Consultation: Since no individual can be expert in every aspect of conservation, it may be appropriate to consult with colleagues or, in some instances, to refer the owner, custodian or authorized agent to a professional who is more experienced or better equipped to accomplish the required work. If the owner requests a second opinion, this request must be respected.
11. Recommendations and References: The conservation professional should not provide recommendations without direct knowledge of a colleague's competence and experience. Any reference to the work of others must be based on facts and personal knowledge rather than on hearsay.
12. Adverse Commentary: A conservation professional may be required to testify in legal, regulatory, or administrative proceedings concerning allegations of unethical conduct. Disclosure concerning such matters should be given in connection with such proceedings or in connection with paragraph 13 of these Guidelines.
13. Reporting Misconduct: Allegations of unethical conduct should be reported in writing to the president of the AIC as described in the AIC Bylaws, section 11,12. As stated in the bylaws, all correspondence regarding alleged unethical conduct shall be held in the strictest confidence.
14. Conflict of Interest: The conservation professional should avoid situations in which there is a potential for a conflict of interest that may affect the quality of work, lead to the dissemination of false information, or give the appearance of impropriety.
15. Related Professional Activities: The conservation professional should be especially mindful of the considerable potential for conflict of interest in activities such as authentication, appraisal, or art dealing.
16. Justification: Careful examination of cultural property forms the basis for all future action by the conservation professional. Before undertaking any examination or tests that may cause change to cultural property, the conservation professional should establish the necessity for such procedures.
17. Sampling and Testing: Prior consent must be obtained from the owner, custodian or agent before any material is removed from a cultural property. Only the minimum required should be removed, and a record of removal must be made. When appropriate, the material removed should be retained.
18. Interpretation: Declarations of age, origin, or authenticity should be made only when based on sound evidence.
19. Scientific Investigation: The conservation professional should follow accepted scientific standards and research protocols.
20. Preventive Conservation: The conservation professional should recognize the critical importance of preventive conservation as the most effective means of promoting the long-term preservation of cultural property. The conservation professional should provide guidelines for continuing use and care, recommend appropriate environmental conditions for storage and exhibition, and encourage proper procedures for handling, packing, and transport.
21. Suitability: The conservation professional performs within a continuum of care and will rarely be the last entrusted with the conservation of a cultural property. The conservation professional should only recommend or undertake treatment that is judged essential to the preservation of the aesthetic, conceptual, and physical characteristics of the cultural property. When non-intervention best serves to promote the preservation of the cultural property, it may be appropriate to recommend that no treatment be performed.
22. Materials and Methods: The conservation professional is responsible for choosing materials and methods appropriate to the objectives of each specific treatment and consistent with currently accepted practice. The advantages of the materials and methods chosen must be balanced against their potential adverse affects on future examination, scientific investigation, treatment, and function.
23. Compensation for Loss: Any intervention to compensate for loss should be documented in treatment records and reports and should be detectable by common methods of examination. Such compensation should be reversible and should not falsely modify the known aesthetic, conceptual, and physical characteristics of the cultural property, especially by removing or obscuring original material.
24. Documentation: The conservation professional has an obligation to produce and maintain accurate, complete, and permanent records of examination, sampling, scientific investigation, and treatment. When appropriate the records should be both written and pictorial. The kind and extent of documentation may vary according to the circumstances, the nature of the object, or to whether it is a singular object or a collection that is to be documented. The purposes of such documentation are:
25. Documentation of Examination: Before any intervention, the conservation professional should make a thorough examination of the cultural property and create appropriate records. These records and the reports derived from them must identify the cultural property and include the date of examination and the name of the examiner. They also should include, as appropriate, a description of structure, materials, condition, and pertinent history.
26. Treatment Plan: Following examination and before treatment. the conservation professional should prepare a plan describing the course of treatment. This plan should also include the justification for and the objectives of treatment, alternative approaches, if feasible, and the potential risks. When appropriate, this plan should be submitted as a proposal to the owner, custodian or authorized agent.
27. Documentation of Treatment: During treatment, the conservation professional should maintain dated documentation that includes a record or description of techniques or procedures involved, materials used and their composition, the nature and extent of all alterations, and any additional information revealed. A report prepared from these records should summarize this information and provide, as necessary, recommendations for subsequent care.
28. Preservation of Documentation: Documentation is an invaluable part of the history of cultural property and should be produced and maintained as permanently as practicable. Copies of reports of examination and treatment must be given to the owner, custodian or authorized agent, who should be advised of the importance of maintaining these materials with the cultural property. Documentation is also an important part of the profession's body of knowledge. The conservation professional should strive to preserve these records and give other professionals appropriate access to them, when access does not contravene agreements regarding confidentiality.
29. Emergency Situations: Emergency situations can pose serious risks of damage to or loss of cultural property that may warrant immediate intervention on the part of the conservation professional. In an emergency that threatens cultural property, the conservation professional should take all reasonable action to preserve the cultural property, recognizing that strict adherence to the Guidelines for Practice may not be possible.
Propose amendments to the Code of Ethics and Guidelines for Practice must be initiated by petition to the AIC Board of Directors from at least five members who are Fellows or Professional Associates of AIC. The board will direct the appropriate committee to prepare the amendments for vote. Acceptance of amendments or changes must be affirmed by at least two-thirds of all AIC Fellows and Professional Associates voting.
Commentaries are prepared or amended by specialty groups, task forces, and appropriate committees of AIC. A review process shall be undergone before final approval by the AIC Board of Directors.
A reference document was prepared by the Ethics and Standards Committee to analyze the original Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice and provide a commentary, with references, to explain many of the reasons for changes that are found in the revised document.
The reference document is available upon request from the AIC office.
[Evolution of the AIC COE/SOP] [Current COE/SOP]
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