Services: Ask a Conservator Day - Art Conservation Clinic

Get a free consultation with a professional art conservator
Tuesday, 11/4/2025
3:00 - 7:00
Latino/Hispanic Meeting Room A
Latino/Hispanic Meeting Room B
Main Library

100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
United States

415-557-4400
Register

Do you have family heirlooms or works of art in need of some TLC? Join us for a free conservation clinic where members of the public can bring in an item from their collection and have it assessed by a professional conservator. Bay Area experts specializing in the conservation of books, photographs, documents, paintings, glass, textiles, and objects will be available for one-on-one consultations. Attendees will learn about the history, composition, and condition of their item as well as receive advice on safe handling and storage. If your item is in need of repair, conservation treatment options will be discussed.

Space limited. Reservations strongly encouraged: sign up here. 
Advance registration will close at 4pm on Monday, November 3rd. 
This event is almost completely booked, so we may not be able to accommodate walk-ins.

Important things to know:

  • There may only be time to assess one item during your appointment.
  • Only bring items you can easily and safely carry. Be mindful of bringing highly valuable or fragile items. Do not bring items with mold or pest infestations.
  • Anything you bring must return home with you. We cannot dispose of your items or accept donations.
  • A conservation assessment is NOT an appraisal – we cannot assess the monetary value of your artwork.

Participating conservators, businesses, and institutions include:

This program is presented by SFPL's Preservation Unit for Ask a Conservator Day 2025, in partnership with SFPL's Art, Music, and Recreation Center and the Small Business Center. 

History

Learn more about local history.

Art, Architecture & Photography

Learn from world-class designers, artists and experts in their fields. 

Spotlight

This program is sponsored by Friends of the San Francisco Public Library.

Attending Programs

All programs are drop-in (no registration necessary) unless otherwise noted. All SFPL locations are wheelchair accessible. For accommodations (such as ASL), call (415) 557-4557 or contact accessibility@sfpl.org. Requesting at least 3 business days in advance will help ensure availability.

This program will be conducted in English unless otherwise noted.

Notice: This event may be filmed or photographed. By participating in this event, you consent to have your likeness used for the Library’s archival purposes and promotional materials. If you do not want to be photographed, please inform a staff person or the photographer. A sticker will be provided to help identify you so that we can avoid capturing your image.

Public Notice and Disclaimer

This program uses a third-party website link. By clicking on the third-party website link, you will leave SFPL's website and enter a website not operated by SFPL. This service may collect personally identifying information about you, such as name, username, email address, and password. This service will treat the information it collects about you pursuant to its own privacy policy. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of each third-party website or service that you visit or use, including those third parties with whom you interact through our Library services. For more information about these third-party links, please see the section of SFPL’s Privacy Policy describing Links to Other Sites.

The views and opinions expressed in programs presented by groups unaffiliated with SFPL do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of SFPL or the City.