History

Originally established in 1963, principally to provide technical support to the Smithsonian museums in the analysis and conservation needs of the collections, the Smithsonian's Museum Conservation Institute (MCI) moved in 1983 to the then newly completed Museum Support Center, to embark on a mission of independently formulated programs in research and education in conservation and scientific studies of collection materials, serving a nationwide and international professional audience.  In January 1998 the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution voted to rename the Conservation Analytical Laboratory (CAL) to the Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education (SCMRE) to better reflect the then present mission of SCMRE: research and education in the conservation, preservation, technical study and analysis of museum collection items and related materials. In March of 2006, SCMRE became the Museum Conservation Institute (MCI) to better reflect its renewed mission.

The Smithsonian's Museum Conservation Institute (MCI) is a specialized unit dedicated to research and education in an interdisciplinary area uniting the arts and humanities with physical and natural sciences.  The staff represents a wide range of disciplines, the interaction of which achieves a fuller understanding of complex objects, conditions and contexts.   Scholarly quality, importance and relevance to the appropriate professional audience nationally and internationally, and concurrence with formulated priorities are principal criteria in program development.

MCI's research interests center on collections of cultural or scientific significance and related materials.  Within this field, research concentrates in two distinctly different, yet closely interrelated foci: the application of scientific methodology to address questions in archaeology, anthropology, history or art history, and the preservation and conservation of materials in collections.  MCI's education and training programs are directed not only at students and professionals in the Institute's areas of interest and related fields but also at a diverse general audience, using a wide range of information delivery mechanisms.

MCI's primary constituency is formed by the community of museums and scholars nationwide and internationally.  As part of this constituency, the Smithsonian's museums are primary benefactors of MCI's research and education programs.  MCI's position within the Smithsonian Institution facilitates a mutually beneficial relationship with the Institutional collections, in which the latter may provide research and training materials for MCI programs, yet in turn are enriched through collaborative research and training programs and assistance in the form of expert advice services and, within the limits of available resources, direct technical and analytical support.