Information on Conservation and Restoration

The link below opens the new Guide­lines for Con­ser­va­tion adopt­ed in July, 2008 by the OHS Nation­al Coun­cil. Pre­de­ces­sors of this doc­u­ment that have been issued by the OHS since 1973 have played a sig­nif­i­cant role in the preser­va­tion of dozens of wor­thy instru­ments in the US.

Cul­tur­al sig­nif­i­cance must be re-eval­u­at­ed by every gen­er­a­tion, as are the means of pre­serv­ing the her­itage for the future. The new insights of our own gen­er­a­tion are reflect­ed in these new Guide­lines: besides their musi­cal and visu­al essence, his­toric organs also bear a volu­mi­nous record of their con­struc­tion and inter­ven­ing his­to­ry in the form of phys­i­cal evi­dence. The guide­lines rec­om­mend a con­ser­va­tion-mind­ed approach to restora­tion that seeks not only to restore beau­ty and voice, but also to pre­serve his­tor­i­cal evi­dence for future examination.

Information on Conservation and Restoration

Download	Description
	Guidelines for Conservation and Restoration PDF Format May be printed out
	Annotated Bibliography For the Guidelines for Restoration PDF Format May be printed out

The Organ Historical Society’s
Position on the Ivory Ban
in the United States

The Organ His­tor­i­cal Soci­ety, rep­re­sent­ing 2,500 mem­bers in the Unit­ed States and abroad, deplores ill-con­sid­ered fed­er­al and state leg­is­la­tion that crim­i­nal­izes the sale, pur­chase, and, in some cas­es, pos­ses­sion with intent to sell, of musi­cal instru­ments with com­po­nents made of legal­ly import­ed ivory. This new leg­is­la­tion jeop­ar­dizes the preser­va­tion of innu­mer­able his­toric musi­cal instru­ments of great impor­tance to our nation’s cul­tur­al her­itage. For exam­ple, it obstructs efforts by muse­ums to acquire rare instru­ments and unfair­ly bur­dens church­es that seek to sell or acquire fine old pipe organs. The Organ His­tor­i­cal Soci­ety urges that such leg­is­la­tion be recon­sid­ered and that exemp­tions be made for the sale and pur­chase with­in the Unit­ed States of musi­cal instru­ments con­tain­ing legal­ly import­ed ivory.