Connecting to Collections Care

Hello, I am having difficulty identifying where to find articles on standards for and scientific tests of environmental monitoring (temp, humidity, etc.) for natural history or archaeological collections. I do not work in a museum setting so am not familiar with what journals I might start with.This topic is generally not discussed in depth in my own field.

Thank you!

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Tamira Brennan
Section Head of Curation
Illinois State Archaeological Survey
Champaign IL
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Hi Tamira,

One of the reference guides I commonly use for the preservation needs of a collection is this book:

Preventive Conservation: Collection Storage is 7 x 10 in., 944 pages, 5 lbs, hardcover. ISBN 9780997867923. Lisa Elkin and Christopher A. Norris, editors.

This article will also take you to the right place:

Hatchfield, P. 1994. "Choosing Materials for Museum Storage." In Storage of Natural History Collections: Basic Concepts. Carolyn L. Rose and Catharine A. Hawks, eds. Pittsburgh, PA: Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections.

The AIC wiki page is also a great source to start with. I included a link to one of their guides below: 

https://www.conservation-wiki.com/wiki/Health_%26_Safety:_Health_and_Safety_Technical_Resources_on_Pesticides_for_the_Conservator

Perhaps my colleagues will also have some good advice.

Best of luck!

Luda

(she/her/hers)

Connecting to Collections Care Monitor

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Lyudmyla Babadzhanova
Book Conservator
Center for Jewish History
Brooklyn NY
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