Edited by Paula Dredge, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
The Infrared and Raman Users Group (IRUG) is dedicated to the support and professional development of its members by providing a forum for the exchange of infrared and Raman spectroscopic information and reference spectra for the study of the world’s cultural heritage. A primary goal of IRUG is to improve and expand the data generated and shared by its members. Toward this end, a cooperative database of peer-reviewed IR and Raman reference spectra relevant to cultural heritage materials has been undertaken and is freely available on the IRUG website irug.org. Membership of the IRUG initiative gives further access to downloadable spectra.
The IRUG initiative is sustained at biennial conferences, where participants share information and present papers. Conferences have previously been held in, Greece, USA, Spain, Argentina, Austria, Italy, The Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The 2019 IRUG conference was held for the first time in the South Pacific region at the Art Gallery of NSW in Sydney, Australia. This special collection of Heritage Science presents a selection of the papers from the conference and celebrates 25 years of IRUG activity.
