In July we held a party to celebrate our move to the new laboratory. Nearly 100 people attended Northern States Conservation Center's Grand Opening and consumed the piles of food and vats of champagne that we had prepared. Samplings included chocolate-dipped strawberries, stuffed grape leaves, small quiche, gourmet chocolates and a cake. With the artifacts locked away in secure storage cabinets, this was our one opportunity to eat in the lab!

Since the opening, we have been preparing our library for its on-line debut. We plan to make it available for on-site research as well as providing off-prints upon request. Elona Horner, Greg Fitz and Mara Magnuson worked on this project throughout the summer. Look for the new links and articles on our web page, www.collectioncare.org.

This year, significant time was spent at Murphy's Landing, a living history site that received an IMLS-CP grant for a general assessment. In the fall we began a similar IMLS-funded environmental assessment at Old World Wisconsin, another living history site.

Of the beautiful pieces that have come through the lab recently, the nicest was a Roman glass vessel with paper-thin walls. It was in tiny fragments when it arrived. It left as a whole vessel.

The new year will begin with the arrival of two Civil War Flags from the Grout Museum of History and Science in Waterloo, IA. Conservation work on them is funded by Iowa's HRDP grant and should take about a year to complete.