Conservation of science and technology objects: analysis and discussion of the practices of the Memorial Carlos Chagas Filho

Abstract

Assets that are transferred from generation to generation are known as cultural heritage. Each object or set of objects acknowledged for its artistic, historical or scientific significance has the right to be safeguarded as an item of cultural value and as a legacy from the past to the present and future. Innovation-oriented scientific research offers boundless potential for addressing the quest for greater precision. Meanwhile, technical and scientific instruments are becoming obsolete increasingly fast, leading to the loss of documental information, which could mean losing intrinsic aspects of knowledge. The notion of conservation is a first step for ensuring that historical instruments are safeguarded. This paper presents a shot history about the origins of the collection belonging to Memorial Carlos Chagas Filho, run by Instituto de Biofísica, at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and, from its characterization, discusses the conservation practices of science and technology objects used there, relating to the theories of conservation currently being proposed for these kinds of artifacts. Key-words: conservation, cultural heritage, scientific instruments, Memorial Carlos Chagas Filho, Museology.