Codes of ethics for conservation

This article examines the codes of ethics of the British, Canadian, Australian, and American professional conservation organizations and evaluates their success in meeting the needs of the discipline as it grows and matures. Specific issues that are currently of concern to conservators are examined, including the application of a single document to a diverse profession, reversibility of treatment, preventive conservation, cultural sensitivity, and the antiquities trade. The fact that none of these codes are enforceable is considered as well as the issue of accreditation and what it means. While these codes are reasonably successful in setting forth the principles that should guide conservation work for straightforward cases, they are less successful in providing guidance for complex issues such as those presented by cultural sensitivity and the antiquities trade.