Relative humidity is a measurement of the amount of water in the air. It is important to collection managers because the objects in our collections respond to relative humidity. Organic materials swell and shrink Organic collections (things like paper, cotton, ivory,...
Defining environmental monitoring goals – what are you looking to understand about your collection? When setting up an environmental monitoring program one of the first questions to ask is what are you looking to monitor. Like with any program you need to have...
The agents of deterioration (AoD) is a tool developed by the Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI). Inspired by risk management, the AoD can provide those responsible for collection care with a checklist of things that can cause loss to their collections. Agents of...
Understanding the environment your collections are housed in is not a new concept. Curators and collectors have historically recognized that things like sun exposure, moisture levels, and heat can cause significant damage to items meant to be preserved for ages. For...
What is “preventive conservation?” Preventive conservation is an umbrella term within the preservation world that describes actions meant to prevent damage to cultural heritage, or at least reduce the likelihood of damage (Caple 2012). Preventive conservation...
The Definitive Guide to Environmental Monitoring for Collections?! We’ve long had the idea for a definitive guide to environmental monitoring for collections – the topic of this post. The idea of a definitive guide is a bit tongue in cheek. When we started...
