The Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage (IPCH) is Yale’s hub for art, science, and human connection. We work across Yale’s collections and around the world to preserve our shared human story.
Explore what we do
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Cross-Collection Initiatives
Our work identifies connections and possibilities across Yale’s collections. Discover key initiatives that involve collaboration across departments.
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Heritage Science Labs
This lab focuses on scientific analysis to preserve objects of cultural heritage. Their research and expertise allows for a deeper understanding of materials and processes.
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International Programs
IPCH is committed to strengthening the preservation of cultural heritage on a global scale. Learn more about the Yale Directors Forum fellowship program in Africa.
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Lens Media Lab
Renowned for its work in the history of photography, the Lens Media Lab leads efforts to understand and preserve photographic papers produced throughout the 20th Century.
Discover our work
IPCH is the only university-based research institute in the US that supports the integration of expertise across the arts, sciences, and humanities for the study and preservation of cultural artifacts.

Recent news from across the Institute
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IPCH Seeds the Development of Centers for Cultural Heritage Conservation in Africa
Read more about our expanded engagement in Africa to support local cultural institutions to provide expertise in the conservation of collections.
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Yale collaborates with University of Pretoria to advance heritage conservation in South Africa
A recent collaboration between Yale University’s Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage (IPCH) and the University of Pretoria (UP).
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AI Image Captioning for Photographic Sample Books
We tested the captioning ability of 10 different vision-language models—models that can be prompted with both images and text and can output text.