Successful collection care Association of Independent Museums

Success Guides

SuccessfulCollection Care

Success Guides

SuccessfulCollection Care

Jane Thompson Webb

Front cover picture: Monitoring equipment is key tosuccessful collection care – in this image course studentslearn how to use it. The course, Controlling the MuseumEnvironment, run by RAW (Resilience at Work) was held atLeamington Spa Museum & Art Gallery.

How long do you expect the collectionsin your museum to last? Ten years? Ahundred? A thousand? How can you becertain that they will? We tend toassume that once an object enters amuseum it will last forever but sadlythis is not the case. Our objects canbegin to decay from the moment theyare made. If we get the conditions rightin our museums we can try to makesure that this is a slow process. If weget them wrong, then the objects maydecay before our eyes. The process ofmaking the decay mechanism as slowas possible is called ‘collection care’ or‘preventive conservation’ (both termsare used interchangeably by theconservation profession). The museumAccreditation Standard1 defines caringfor the collections in our museums as“a fundamental duty for all museums”.

This can make the process seem verydaunting but it needn’t becomplicated.

In this guide I will highlight the decaymechanisms, explain how to monitorfor them and what to do to make surethat your objects have as long a life aspossible.

What causes objects to decay?

Objects can be affected by many decaymechanisms – a collapsing shelf canresult in the total destruction of a glassvessel, whereas munching by an insectmay result in holes or partial loss of atextile. A few years ago the CanadianConservation Institute (CCI) looked atall the mechanisms that can cause

objects to decay and gathered themtogether into a ‘Framework forPreservation of Museum Collections’.The Framework identified nine Agents of Decay, where the decaymechanisms are grouped under simpleheadings and the list is presented inthe order of the level of risk each agent represents. This convenient listapplies to all, and any, collections. It’s an ideal summary which can beunderstood by all staff and volunteersand enables everyone in the museumto play their part in caring for ourcollections.

Objects can be assessed against the listto determine the likelihood of theagents affecting it and the damage thatcould result. The agents are:

1. Direct physical forces These can besudden and dramatic, like dropping aglass vase. They can also be gradual,such as pilgrims touching the samearea on a statue, silver being removedby many years of polishing or thewearing away of a bearing in anengine. The end result is the same –physical loss or damage.

2. Thieves, vandals and displacersThieves generally take high value itemsthat are easily transportable.

Vandals are less predictable. They oftenattack high profile or controversialitems but this is not always the case.Damage can range from chips orscratches to destruction.

Displacers are the most insidious anddifficult to define. These are objectsthat are lost from a collection due to

3 AIM Success Guides

Successful Collection Care

This guide is a companion to the Success Guide,Successful Basic Conservation. Together they provide apractical foundation to understanding ‘preventive’ and‘interventive’ conservation of our collections.

We tend to assumethat once an objectenters a museum itwill last forever butsadly this is not thecase.

1 Accreditation is open to all museums that meet the 1998 Museum Association definition of amuseum: “Museums enable people to explore collections for inspiration, learning and enjoyment. Theyare institutions that collect, safeguard and make accessible artefacts and specimens, which they hold intrust for society.” The Accreditation scheme is administered by Arts Council England, in partnershipwith Museums Galleries Scotland, Northern Ireland Museums Council and CyMAL.

inadequate collections management.They may be in the museum, but ifthey cannot be found or identified theyare lost to the collection.

3. Fire This can cause completedestruction of objects and also of thebuildings that house them. Damagecan be caused to other objects bysmoke and heat and by the water usedto control the fire.

4. Water This may arise from flooding,leaking roofs and fire suppression andcan cause serious loss or damage.Objects may be destroyed or becomewaterlogged – further damage canresult during the drying process.

Corrosion and mould growth mayoccur and the object may also warp orfall apart.

5. Pests These can be divided intothree classes; insects, vermin andmicrobiologicals.

Insects There are thousands of insectsin the world, but a relatively smallnumber that attack collection items.Museums provide ideal livingconditions and a ready food source.Holes and frass (insect poo the colourof the object eaten) in/on objects,dead insects and cast skins of pestspecies are all signs that there is aproblem with insects.

Collections Successful Collection Care 4

Poor storage – how long will theseobjects last?

Vermin These animals often pose ahealth risk to humans as well ascausing damage to collections. Ratsand mice will gnaw objects and storagefurniture/cases. Pigeons, starlings andsparrows can foul buildings and theirnests can block gutters, down pipesand air-conditioning systems. Insectpests can hitch a ride on these animals and may live in their nests and detritus.

Microbiologicals include moulds andfungi. These are disfiguring and candestroy objects if they are not removedand may cause health problems. Theycan also encourage metal corrosion.They need high humidities to thrive, sotheir presence indicates a dampproblem.

6. Contaminants These are chemicalsin the form of gases, liquids and solids.

Gases can enter the museum fromseveral sources. The most well knownis atmospheric pollution with sulphurdioxide being the most problematiccomponent (this is the gas whichcauses silver to tarnish). Gases givenoff by materials used in the museumcan also cause problems. Wood, woodcomposites, adhesives, sealants andpaints can all be harmful to objects.Objects themselves can also give offgases; plastics in particular can give offgases as they degrade.

Liquids only need to be present as athin film. The most damaging andcommon liquid is human sweat,deposited onto objects throughhandling. Sweat contains lactic acid,sodium chloride and fatty and aminoacids. The sweat on a metal surface will react with the metal and theatmosphere and corrosion can begin. It can also stain paper and textiles.Objects displayed or stored outside can be vulnerable to attack from acidrain (rain mixed with atmosphericpollution).

Solids are usually in the form of fineparticles (salts and dust). Salts arechemical compounds deposited fromthe atmosphere or by handling. Dust is,

principally, particles of skin, but alsocontains clothing fibres, tiny particlesof building materials and sand or soil. It attracts moisture, which in turnencourages corrosion and other decaymechanisms. Dust can also be a foodsource for pests. This can encouragepests into areas containing objects; theobjects may prove to be a preferredfood source or they may be damagedas the pests feed on dirt lying on theobject.

Damage from contaminants is usuallyseen as a change in colour on some orall of the object but there may also bephysical changes, such as paperbecoming brittle.

7. Light is formed of two components,visible light and ultra violet (UV).

Organic materials, dyes and pigmentscan fade and discolour as a result ofexposure to light. UV also causes fadingand discolouration but it can also cause materials to deteriorate anddisintegrate by causing materials tobreakdown at a molecular level.

8. Incorrect temperature Temperaturesthat are too high (30°C and above) orlow (5°C or less) or fluctuate (morethan a 4°C change in 24 hours) aredamaging to objects. Hightemperatures can increase the rate ofchemical reactions and cause an objectto decay more rapidly. They will alsoencourage pests to breed. Lowtemperatures can cause somematerials to become brittle e.g. surfacefinishes and paints. Fluctuations canstress objects resulting in glues failing(e.g. a piece of veneer lifting from apiece of furniture).

9. Incorrect relative humidity (RH) TheRH affects objects in several ways. HighRH levels (damp air, 65% and up) cancause organic materials to expand andmetals to corrode. Mould growth isencouraged if high levels aremaintained for some time (70% andup). Low RH levels (dry air, 30% or less)can cause organic materials to dry out,resulting in splitting or cracking.


Damage fromcontaminants isusually seen as achange in colour onsome or all of theobject.

There is much more detailedinformation showing how each agentcauses harm on the CanadianConservation Institute websitehttp://www.cci-icc.gc.ca/index-eng.aspx and Collections Trust websitehttp://www.collectionstrust.org.uk

Although the list is ordered to show thefactors that cause the most sudden andcatastrophic damage at the top withdamage that occurs at a slower rate atthe bottom, not all objects willexperience the same level of damagefrom each agent. The list is trying toshow the potential for damage.Understanding what an object is madefrom will help to show which agent willbe most damaging for that object.

For example, if a woollen textile wasdropped it would suffer little damage,but a ceramic vase might be brokeninto pieces. If there was an infestationof clothes moths, they could wreakhavoc on the textile but would causeno damage to the vase.

If you know your collections, you willknow what agents are likely to causeproblems.

How can we prevent damage?

Having contemplated the list above itmay seem that the easiest way toprevent damage is to put yourcollections in a dark, climatecontrolled, non-dust generatingbuilding and lock the door, but thismethod of prevention makes itimpossible for staff and visitors to viewthe collections. We therefore need toinstigate preventive or collection careactions to manage the agents. Unlessthe museum is large, it is unlikely thatthere will be one person dedicated tothese agents and managing them canseem overwhelming. A little diaryplanning and careful deployment ofequipment will make the managementachievable.

It may be helpful to think aboutdividing the work into seven areas.

These may not at first sight seem to beconnected to collections care, butcaring for the collections needs to beembedded in all areas of activity, notjust those that can be badged asconservation.

1. Policies and procedures

The production of policies cansometimes feel like a box-tickingexercise, but done well they are usefuldocuments. A dictionary definition ofpolicy is “a course or principle of action adopted or proposed by anorganisation or individual”, so this ishow you will do things in yourorganisation. You may need an actionplan or set of procedures to help youimplement the policy – this will set outthe steps that you need to take toachieve the policy. The MuseumsAccreditation standard gives guidanceon the policies that you should have foryour museum. There are also otherplans, such as your emergency plan,that should go into specific detail ofaction that you might need to take inspecific circumstances. If you don’tknow if you have policies to help youmanage the nine agents, talk to yourMuseum Mentor colleagues or MDO(Museum Development Officer). Youmay also find it helpful to carry out areview of the work areas to see if thereare gaps. An assessment tool such asthe Risk Awareness Profiling tool(www.raptonline.org.uk) will help youto take a snapshot of your museumand identify areas that need furtherthought.

2. Handling and moving objects

Try to keep this to a minimum ashandling exposes objects to damagefrom mishandling and fromcontaminants from the skin – evenclean hands will leave deposits onobjects. Make sure that all museumcolleagues who handle objects havehad training in how to carry it out


If you know yourcollections, you willknow what agents are likely to causeproblems.

safely and that you have sufficientquantities of packing materials, boxes,trolleys, gloves and other personalprotective equipment necessary. Carryout risk assessments to ensure thesafety of the people undertaking themove and make sure that there is aspace for the object to move to beforeyou start.

Handling guidelines are useful as youcan use them to set out how thingsshould be done. Include glove usage inthe guidelines. There is no definitivestandard to follow, but I wouldrecommend that you should weargloves as the default position – riggertypes for machinery or large lumps ofstone (and similar objects) and nitrilegloves for everything else – these havegood sensitivity and come in a range ofsizes.

3. Risk assessment

This is usually considered in the contextof events or moving objects but can beapplied to many areas. In relation tocaring for the collection, this isparticularly relevant for:

• Security – are the proceduresadequate to protect the collectionfrom theft and vandalism? Do theycover key control and restrict whocan access behind the scenes areas?

• Fire prevention, detection andevacuation of people. Do you reviewthese regularly? It’s easy to createlittle dumping areas that rapidlybecome full of rubbish and become a fire hazard. Does your detectionsystem alert a monitoring company?Domestic smoke alarms are of little use unless you live in themuseum!

4. Environmental monitoringand control

Monitoring

How can you find out what theenvironment is in your museum so that you can decide if you need tomake any changes? There are twostraightforward methods that you canuse.

One is to go and look at the collections!The more familiar you are with yourcollections the easier it is to decide ifthere have been any changes. Try andwalk around your displayed collectionsat least once a month, more often ifpossible and your stored collections atleast once every six months. This willhelp you to avoid asking “has it alwayslooked like that?”

It is not always possible to detect thatthere are problems with contaminants,light temperature and RH. The humanbody is a very poor detector and justbecause you feel cold it doesn’t meanthat the environment is incorrect. To beabsolutely certain of the environmentalconditions, it is necessary to useequipment to carry out monitoring.This will then help you to decide what,if any, modifications are needed.

Knowing your collections, makingreasonable judgments and choosingmonitoring that is appropriate to yourcircumstances and budget means thatall museums should be able toimplement good collections care.

Contaminants can be monitored inseveral ways. Glass microscope slidescan be put out to monitor solidparticles – the speed at which theslides become dull shows how quicklythe dust is formed and by lookingclosely at the particles it is possible todetermine what particles are in thedust. There is a link in the references atthe end of this guide to a paper thatexplains how to do this and has photosof dust – this is more interesting than itsounds! Gaseous pollutants can bemonitored using sampling tubes, butthere is a cost to this and generally you


Metal coupons showing tarnishing.


will need a tube for each gas that youwant to monitor. Alternatively, metalcoupons (very thin pieces of puremetal, usually silver, copper and leadare used) can be placed in areas ofconcern. These coupons are carefullycleaned and the rate at which theytarnish/corrode is monitored. Thecoupons will show that there is aproblem and will give an indication ofthe severity; the sampling tubes willshow what the gas is that is causing theproblem.

Light (measured in lux), temperatureand RH can be monitored in similarways. There are two main types ofmonitors: those that take a readingwhen a button is pressed and thosethat continually log information tobuild up a picture over time. Both areuseful. The ‘press-a-button-and-get-a-reading’ types are known as SpotMeters and these are useful for settinglight levels in an exhibition or forfinding out what the RH andtemperature levels are in a particulararea. Continuous monitoring meansthat it is possible to see how theenvironment changes over time,particularly when the museum isunstaffed. This is the most helpful

method for understanding how theenvironment changes each daythroughout the year. A combination isuseful, but if budgets are tight,continuous monitoring for RH andtemperature and a Spot Meter for luxand UV is a useful combination. Thesemeters and monitors need to becalibrated regularly, at least every twoyears and maybe more frequently if theconditions fluctuate a lot.

Methods of carrying out continuousmonitoring:

• Data loggers. Cheap and small. Canhold a year’s worth of data. Can beplaced inside boxes or showcaseseasily. Must be physically connected(from time to time) to a computer toretrieve the information. This can betime consuming and the data may notbe useful for control if it is notdownloaded frequently. Can measureRH/temperature or lux, not usually UV.

• Radio telemetry. Generally biggermonitors so can be difficult to place.Expensive to set up. May needbooster stations to get the radiosignals through thick walls or aroundcomplex buildings. Data is live at alltimes so problems can be spottedquickly. No downloading required.

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A range of environmental monitoringequipment. 1. Radio telemetry RH(Relative Humidity) and temperaturesensor by Hanwell. 2. Radiotelemetry Lux and UV sensor byHanswell. 3. RecordingThermohygrograph by Isuzu. 4. Lux meter by Megatron. Front,from left – 5. RH and temperaturedata logger by Hanwell. 6. RH andtemperature datalogger by Tinytag.7. Combined RH, temperature, luxand UV meter by Elsec.

Can measure RH/temperature andlux/UV. Some systems have monitorsthat measure all four elements.

• BMS (Building ManagementSystems) systems. These are part ofthe heating/air con system and soare built in. Sensors cannot becalibrated so the actual values maynot be accurate. Supplementarymonitoring (as above) is advisable.

• Recording thermohygrographs.These were once the main type ofmonitors but now are becomingdifficult to source. Expensive, bulky.Need calibrating every month.Difficult to analyse the data due tothe amount of space needed to layout graphs.

Do not be tempted by the kind of RHand temperature meters that areavailable from garden centres etc, asthe sensor used to monitor the RH ismade from paper and this rapidly goesout of calibration and cannot berecalibrated.

The placement of the monitors is veryimportant and it is worth spendingsome time thinking about this. As ageneral rule, we want to know whatthe RH and temperature are aroundthe objects. The conditions at ceiling or floor level are generally of less

importance unless objects are in thosespaces. Monitors should thus be placedin cases, on shelves in stores and onthe wall in picture galleries in the same area as the pictures. Themonitors are easy to steal, so placingthem slightly above head height mayhelp to prevent this, as will anchoringthem to walls.

Once a monitoring system is in place itis important to analyse the data.

Check it weekly or monthly to ensurethat there are no wild fluctuations, thatthe control mechanisms seem to beworking and that the monitors areworking. Further interrogation can behelpful; a simple piece of analysis is to determine the range of RH,temperature, lux and UV that yourmuseum wants to maintain and thencount the number of days in eachmonth when the conditions have beenwithin the range. It can be useful tokeep a record of the externalenvironment (e.g. . . . ‘it snowed thatday’, ‘wind chill pretty high’) and of anywork that goes on that might affect theenvironment, such as replacing aheating system. These can then berelated to the internal environmentand connected to any changes.


The positioning of sensors isimportant.

Pests will be covered in detail in aseparate Success Guide (SuccessfulBasic Conservation), but you may findthe resources given in the referenceshelpful. I would recommend that youcarry out insect pest monitoring in-house. It’s fun, cheaper than paying apest contractor and it will give yougreater control of the problem as youwill see potential infestationsimmediately rather than waiting for areport.

Light

Light can cause quite severe damage toobjects and this damage is irreparable.The obvious way to prevent thisdamage is to keep all light sensitivematerial in the dark. Light sensitiverefers to all materials that can bedamaged by light and this includespaper based objects, watercolours,textiles, wood, fur, feathers, plasticsand some pigments in oil paintings.

The simplest method is to limit theamount of light (or exposure time) thatfalls on light sensitive objects. Ideally,outside of a museum’s opening hoursthere should be no light falling on theobjects at all. This means keeping case

and gallery lights off until they have tobe on and blocking daylight, either viaa case cover that is then removed atopening or through blinds or curtains.Where possible, light sensitive objectsshould only be displayed for a shorttime, commonly three months or oneseason and then they are kept offdisplay for a number of years, usuallyfive. This can cause problems indisplays where the collection does notcontain many examples of a type ofobject that can be swapped in (alsoknown as rotation). In these cases, lightsensitive material may have to be onpermanent display. The object maythen be considered as ‘sacrificial’ andcan be displayed at high light levelsuntil the object is damaged beyondrepair or strict light controls can beimplemented to limit the amount ofdamage.

A slightly more complex method is to ensure that light only falls onto the object when it is required forviewing. A viewer-operated cover or a simple curtain is the simplest method.A push-button light can be used toilluminate showcases or rooms andsensors can also be employed to lightspaces only when visitors are present.


A double blind system helps tocontrol light levels.

It is also important to control theactual level of light, measured in lux.Daylight on a sunny day can measure10,000 lux. Recommended light levelsfor objects are 50 lux for light sensitivematerials and 250 lux for non-lightsensitive material. Note that theselevels do not prevent damage; they justhelp to slow down the rate at which itoccurs. Blinds to reduce the amount oflight entering a space are very helpfuland a double blind system withblackout for out-of-hours doubly so.Film can also be fitted to windows toreduce the amount of light entering –this can be in various shades of grey toreduce light by different amounts.

Artificial light is most easily controlledusing dimmers. Where lamps will shinedirectly onto objects they should be

individually dimmable. If they are usedfor lighting the space only, such asuplighters on a cornice, then the trackcan be dimmable. Case lights shouldalso be dimmable. A hand-held lightmeter is required to be able to checkthe light levels achieved.

Light also contains UV (ultra violet) andthis causes the same damage as lux,but faster, as UV has more energy. UVis not required for human sight and sothe simplest way to manage UV is toremove it entirely. The lux reducingfilm will block UV, but there is also acolourless version; this can also beused on fluorescent tubes. Artificiallighting should have filters to removeUV, but it is now possible to selectlighting (LEDs and fibre optics) thatdoes not emit UV.


Case covers at Aston Hall AstonishGallery.

Incorrect temperature and relativehumidity

Temperature is not, in itself, a problemto our collections. Getting thetemperature wrong for particularobjects may, however, lead toproblems. As the temperatureincreases the rate of deteriorationincreases; in a museum context thismeans anything above 20°C. Lowertemperatures slow down the rate ofdeterioration so for storage, coolertemperatures are often to bepreferred. In display spaces staff andvisitors often complain if thetemperature is cool, so a balance hasto be found between human comfortand the needs of the object.

Many museums adopt the rangespecified in the GovernmentIndemnity requirements of 16-24°Cwith no more than a 4°C change in a24 hour period.

The main impact that temperature hason collections is its part in affecting RH(relative humidity).

Relative humidity, RH, is a measure ofthe amount of water held by air atdifferent temperatures. It can becalculated as follows:


RH =amount of water in a given quantity of air

� 100Maximum amount of water which the aircan hold at that temperature.

The main impact thattemperature has oncollections is its partin affecting RH(relative humidity).

Vol of air at 20°C

10g/m3 water

10g/m3 water

Vol of air at 25°CVol of air at 5°C

SATURATED AIRCONDENSATION?

10g/m3 water

WHAT IS RH (Relative Humidity)?

RH describes how much thevolume of a quantity of airwater occupies at a specifictemperature.

Imagine a volume of air at20°C that holds 10g/m3 ofwater (the amount of wateris expressed in a weight per volume ratio). In thediagram, the water occupiesabout 20% of the volume ofthe air. This is described as20% RH.

Now imagine thatthe air is heated upto 25°C. This allowsthe air to expandand the volume goes up.

If the amount ofwater is notchanged, theamount of space itnow occupies isless – about 10%.

The RH has gonedown because thevolume of the airhas increased.

If the air is cooled, itsvolume decreases. If theamount of water againdoes not change, it thenoccupies more of theavailable space. In thediagram, the air hasbeen cooled to 10°C andthe water occupiesabout 80% of the spaceand is thus 80% RH. Ithas gone up because thevolume of the air hasdecreased.

If the air is cooledfurther to 5°C, itsvolume decreasesfurther until it is entirelyfilled by the water. Thisis saturated air or 100%RH.

If the air cools down yetfurther, its volumedecreases more and itcannot hold all thewater. The water thusfalls out of the air ascondensation on a coldsurface like a window, or rain outside.

Vol of air at 10°C

10g/m3 water

What this means is that air at 50% RHis holding half the amount of waterthat it could hold. The actual amountof water that this figure representsvaries, depending on the temperatureof the air. It is not practical to try tomeasure the actual amount of water inthe air, so museums use the relativescale. It is important to remember thatchanging the temperature of the airwill change the RH.

Incorrect relative humidity can have a number of damaging effects oncollections. It may result in splitting,cracking or warping. Very low RH maycause objects to become brittle; veryhigh RH may result in corrosion ormould growth. High and low levels andfluctuations (more than a 10% changein 24 hours) cause most of theproblems. Some objects need to bekept in specific humidities to preventdeterioration, such as archaeologicalmetals, but the majority of items in the collection will remain unchanged if the RH is kept in a mid range (40-65% with no more than a 10%change in a 24 hour period) and is kept stable.

Note: objects will come to equilibriumwith their environment and if there isno sign of damage, and the RH is stableand close to this range, it is often bestto leave the environment alone!

Control can be achieved in a number ofways:

• Try to maintain stability by ensuringthat the building and showcases arewell sealed so that changes in theoutside world only have a limitedeffect.

• Use boxes or showcases forvulnerable objects as theenvironment will be more stableinside them.

• Try to run heating 24/7 as this willhelp to maintain stability. Rememberthat you do not need to heat forpeople but to control RH so theheating does not need to be set at ahuman comfort level.

• Control heaters using humidistats –like thermostats, but they use the

humidity of the space to controlwhen the heating runs. Thehumidistat is programmed with thehumidity level that you want tomaintain and then the heateroperates to try to maintain this. Thiscan be linked to the monitoringsystem.

• Dehumidifiers may be needed forvery humid spaces. These are big andneed emptying daily, which takestime. They can be connected to adrain but this may need a holepunching through a wall in thebuilding.

• Humidifiers may be needed to addmoisture if the RH cannot be raisedin any other way. These are also bigand need filling daily, which takestime. They can be plumbed in, butthis then raises the risk of leaks asthere must be a water supply in anobject space. Some people areconcerned about the risk oflegionella when using humidifiers. Ihave talked to colleagues and themanufacturers and am confident tostate that there is no risk – there isno aerosol produced and the daily ortwice daily fill means that the wateris fresh.

5. Maintenance andimprovements to the building

The building is the first line ofprotection for the collections, so it isvital to keep it in good condition. This iseasier said than done, especially if yourbuilding is leased. Some suggestionsfor managing this are:

• Plan in regular walk-arounds of thebuilding inside and out, including the roof if possible, to look forproblems.

• Carry out maintenance little andoften. The £300 roof repair bill will seem very reasonable whencompared to the tens of thousandsneeded to fix the hole in the roof andconserve the damaged collections.

• Try to have a maintenance budget,even if it is very small. You’ll be ableto do something.


The majority of itemsin the collection willremain unchanged ifthe RH is kept in a midrange (40-65% with nomore than a 10%change in a 24 hourperiod) and is kept stable.

• Make the building as airtight aspossible. Fill gaps, fit brush strips todoors and windows, cap chimneys.This keeps your controlled air in andkeeps contaminants and pests out.

• Any improvements you can make to save energy will benefit thecollection as these tend to make theenvironment more stable, e.g.insulation.

• Keep dust-generating surfaces(concrete, brick and breeze block)sealed as this will reduce dust.

• Doing something is always betterthan doing nothing.

6. Housekeeping and pestmanagement

Regular cleaning of all collection areaswill remove contaminants, food for pestand insects. This should be carried outwith a vacuum wherever possible andthis should be seen as an important jobfor everyone working with thecollections. A vacuum with variablesuction will enable you to clean thespace and objects without needingmultiple vacs. This is also one of themost effective methods to remove anddeter pests and should be a key part ofa pest management programme.

Entry mats help to removecontaminants as visitors enter. Keepingthe front door closed will also help toprevent pollutants from entering,although if the door is very imposingthis may also deter visitors! Revolvingor closing doors or a porch creating adouble door entry give an airlockeffect. This is very effective but can becostly and may require listed buildingand/or planning consent.

The housekeeping programme isanother that needs to be planned in toensure that it happens at regularintervals.

7. Storage and display materialsand methods

All materials used for storage anddisplay should be inert; that is they are

materials that do not emit anychemicals that would damage thecollections. They should also be robustso that they can support thecollections. Showcases and boxesshould provide good seals to ensurethe environment within the case or boxcan be maintained and to prevent theentry of dust and contaminants.


Vacuuming – one of the best ways toremove and deter pests.

Poor, and good, storage. Hopefullythis guide will help readers avoid thetop scenario and follow the goodstorage at Selby Manor, below,including inert boxes and cabinets.

Objects that are more likely to react tochanges in environment should be keptin a box or case, more robust objectscan be on open display or on openshelves in store.

Poor support may cause damage toobjects (metal plate hangers can chipplates) or allow the object to collapseresulting in damage. Open displaymakes it easier for objects to behandled or stolen. Barriers can helphere but vigilant staff are one of thebest prevention tools.

The materials used for decorating thebuilding and the interior of showcasesshould be selected so that they are asinert as possible. For example, paintsshould be water-based, wood andwood products should be sealed withwater-based paint or varnish. Oakshould be avoided as this emits largequantities of tannic and acetic acid,which act as contaminants.

Fabrics used to line showcases ordisplay panels should be conservationgrade fabrics or made from cotton,linen, nylon or polyester. These need tobe washed before use (very hot and if adetergent is used this should be non-biological) and be aware that somedyes can be damaging. The BritishMuseum maintains a database ofmaterials that they have tested,including fabrics. For storage, cotton(washed as above) is useful as it isinert, does not attract pests and is easy to wash. The synthetic fabricTyvek can be used unwashed and loses its anti-static properties if it iswashed.

Be aware of objects that will give offpollutants. Wool gives off sulphur thatwill cause silver to tarnish (e.g. buttonson a uniform or a silver cup in the samecase); leather will give off acids thatcan affect metals, paper and textiles,and many historic plastics give off acidsthat will also affect metals, paper andtextiles.

By regularly checking the collectionsyou will be able to see if damage isoccurring and remove either theaffected objects or the source of thepollution. Note that this won’t bepossible if an object has mixedmaterials and one of these is affectingthe others.

What can I do about it?

The list can seem very daunting and itcan be tempting to do nothing as theeasiest option or to focus on only oneagent to the exclusion of the others.It’s important to understand that theagents interrelate with each other andthat a joined-up approach is likely to bethe most effective method. As budgetsand time are likely to be underpressure, it is helpful to prioritiseactions so that resources are focussedwhere they will be of most benefit.

• If you currently don’t have anyCollection Care activities in yourwork programme, carrying out anassessment will help you to decidewhere to start. The free RAPT (RiskAwareness Profiling Tool) online toolwill give you an overview of yourmuseum and may flag up somemajor issues that you need to resolve– it is more important to ensure thatyour organisation is sustainable firstrather than getting bogged down inthe minutiae of monitoring. If youare carrying out collection care, areview such as Benchmarks inCollection Care or Signposts toCollection Care will help to illustratewhere improvements could be made(see References).

• Once you have carried out a reviewor assessment look at the areas forimprovement and carry them out.Prioritisation is helpful – atBirmingham Museums Trust a matrixwas set up to look at the risk of notcarrying out the improvement, thecost and time to do so, and tackledthe high-risk, low-cost, quick actions


It’s important tounderstand that theagents interrelate witheach other and that ajoined up approach islikely to be the mosteffective method.

first. This meant that we couldachieve something and make adifference without spending too longtrying to find the funding. You maywish to look at it a different way; theimportant thing is to generate anaction list and take action.

• You may also find it helpful to thinkabout the requirements of otherstakeholders when trying toprioritise. For example, theAccreditation Standard requires youto carry out monitoring and thinkabout risk. If you have objects onloan then the lender may haverequirements that you have to fulfiland if you are looking to insurecollections via the GovernmentIndemnity scheme you will also haveto fulfil requirements around securityand environmental monitoring.

Summary

• Build collection care into your regularwork programmes – covering casesas part of the opening and closingprocedures for example. This way itwon’t feel like yet another thing thatyou have to do, it will just be part ofthe normal process.

• Encourage members of your team toget involved. That way each persononly has a small task to carry out,there is less reliance on one person’sschedule and it is less likely to stop ifthat person leaves the museum.

• Make sure that you share theinformation you are gathering to helpthe whole team to understand whycollection care is important.

• Keep going! So much of goodcollection care is about repetition –the same tasks have to be carried out regularly, year in, year out. Thiscan seem dull, so introducing anelement of competition betweenteams can help to keep it interesting!

• A good diary or wall planner is a vitaland helpful tool to ensure that thetasks are planned in and don’t getmissed.

• Collection care is a great excuse toget up close with the collection,surely the reason that we are all inmuseums any way, so enjoy it.

References

The Museum EnvironmentGary Thomson 1994 Butterworth-Heinemann. The originaltext and still the only resource togather all the aspects together.

PAS 198:2012 Specification formanaging environmental conditions for cultural collections British Standards Institute. A veryexpensive book but it has some usefulinformation about damage ratescaused by RH/temp and light.

The National Trust Manual ofHousekeeping The National Trust. This book has somegood general information on collectioncare and a lot of directions on caringfor specific types of objects. It is one of the few books that give goodinformation on looking after buildingsand their interiors.The research carried out by theNational Trust, English Heritage andothers on dust monitoring and analysis can be found athttp://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/document-1355786855222/

The Old House Eco Handbook Suhr and Hunt 2013. Francis Lincoln.This book contains information onproofing windows and doors andproducts that can be used toaccomplish this.

www.collectionslink.org.uk has anumber of useful fact sheets includingthose produced by SHARE East onspecific aspects of collection care. Thesite also holds the Standards in the(museum) care of series which giveguidance on caring for specific types ofcollection. This is also where you willfind Benchmarks in Collection Care.


Build collection careinto your regular workprogrammes –covering cases as partof the opening andclosing procedures forexample.

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/document-1355786855222/

Signposts to Collection Care is a miniBenchmarks-type assessment and maybe a simpler place to start if you havenever done this kind of assessmentbefore.Swfed.org.uk/images/resources/Collections/Signposts_to_collection_care.pdf

Pest Management: A Practical Guide.David Pinniger 2009 Collections Trust.Good insect photographs, informationon monitoring and trapping.

www.whatseatingyourcollection.comWebsite with lots of insectidentification information (and themost comprehensive set of insect pestphotos anywhere) and guidance ontrapping, monitoring andtroubleshooting.

On-line e-learning about certain aspectsof collection care can be found athttp://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/.These were developed for the non-specialist.

Risk Assessment Profiling Tool (RAPT)will help identify gaps in yourcollections management policies –www.raptonline.org.uk


Jane Thompson Webb studiedArchaeological Conservation atCardiff University and became afreelance object conservator,moving into collection care in2001 working for BirminghamMuseums Trust (BMT). In 2004as part of BMT’s Renaissance inthe Regions programme shewas involved in establishing theRenaissance at Work (RAW)collection care trainingprogramme to museums andheritage organisation across theWest Midlands region, whichshe still delivers. It is herfavourite part of the job.

http://www.Swfed.org.uk/images/resources/Collections/Signposts_to_collection_care.pdf


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Documents

Successful collection care Association of Independent Museums