Präventive Konservierung
Collections Maintenance (Museum)
Collection maintenance is a form of preventive conservation and consists of the day-to-day care of collections and cultural heritage. The primary goal of collections maintenance is to prevent further decay of objects through monitoring and controlling storage environments, and by ensuring proper storage and upkeep including performing regular housekeeping of the spaces and objects. Collections maintenance is closely linked to collections care and collections management. The professionals most influenced by collections maintenance include collection managers, registrars, and archivists.
Environmental Control
There are four main environmental agents of deterioration which should be monitored on a regular basis as part of maintenance. These are temperature, relative humidity, light and dust. It is important to recognize the type of damage each agent may present as well as ways to mitigate any harm.
Temperature
Temperature as an agent of deterioration acts primarily in conjunction with relative humidity but can trigger damage in its own right. At the extremes, temperature can cause structural damage to some materials; paint may become brittle in excessive heat and some plastics may soften or melt in the heat. [1] “High temperatures also accelerate chemical and biological processes.” [2]
Relative Humidity
Relative Humidity (RH) is the amount of water held in the air as related to how much could be held in fully saturated air. The possible amount of moisture held at a given time is directly related to temperature; warm air holds more humidity than cold. Collecting institutions aim to keep the RH constant in exhibitions and storage areas because many organic objects expand and contract as both temperature and RH change. [3] Furniture will swell and stick with high moisture, but may crack or shrink if there is too little. “Rapidly fluctuating temperature and relative humidity compound all of these effects.” [4] High humidity may accelerate mold growth and some chemical changes, like metal corrosion, if not properly maintained. [5]
Some changes undergone by objects are reversible by adjusting the RH, but damage like cracks are more permanent. Keeping the RH within a reasonable span for the type of object and as consistent as possible will prevent most RH based damage. It is important to measure the RH of spaces regularly by using a number of tools including humidity strips, thermo-hygrographs, hygrometers, psychrometer and data loggers. Once the per cent humidity identified, there are a number of ways to adjust it by using humidifiers, dehumidifiers, improve heating and air conditioning systems and adjust the temperature of the space.
Light
Light, as it relates to collections maintenance, consists of visual and ultraviolet light (UV). Both types of light can cause damage as “light radiation falling on a surface provides energy to induce chemical changes in the molecules of the material.” [6] Damage from light, including loss of color and strength, is cumulative and irreversible. It is therefore crucial that light levels are monitored.
Preventing light damage is difficult because it is necessary for visitors as well as people who are working with the objects. Exposure, however, can be diminished by ensuring lights are only on when people are present, either by vigilant staff members turning on and off lights, timer switches or with motion sensors. Natural light from windows should be reduced or eliminated in all spaces by covering them with curtains, shades or UV absorbing filters. [7] Where lights frequently on, like in galleries and office areas, a light meter should be used to determine how much exposure the collections are getting at least once a year and adjustments should be made accordingly.[1]
Dust and Dirt
Dust can contain a number of materials including skin, mold and inorganic fragments like silica or sulfur. It is important to keep collections free of dust whenever possible because it can become bound to a surface over time, making it that significantly more difficult to remove. [8] Dust is hygroscopic, meaning it is able to attract and hold water molecules creating an ideal climate for mold spores to grow and cause biological damage. [9] This hygroscopic trait can also prompt chemical reactions on a surface, especially upon metals. Inorganic dust particles may have tough sharp edges which can cause a number of types of damage from tearing fibers to abrading softer surfaces if not properly removed. Wiping a clean cloth over a surface dusty with these inorganic particles may result in irreversible abrasions.
The best way to prevent damage from dust is to control and prevent substantial buildup of dust in the first place. This can be done by using air filters in the heating and air conditioning systems as well as using vacuum cleaners equipped with HEPA filters when possible. Limiting the amount of exposed surface areas of collections can also prevent dust from settling on objects. This can be done by storing objects in acid-free boxes, object specific enclosures, in drawers or covering open shelves with a polyethylene sheet.[10] [11]
Storage and Upkeep
Maintaining a clean and orderly spaces ensures not only ease of accessibility but also the safety of the collections and those who work with them.
Organization
It is essential that collections have an organizational system to store and house objects. The system may be grounded in relations to size, material, cultural or historical grouping as it makes sense to the collection. [12][13] Structured organizational systems make identifying object locations straightforward and consistent which may help locating an object if a record ever goes missing.
Part of a system is the use of “successive layers of protective envelopes and enclosures.” [13] Types of “layers” include nearly everything from storage spaces, padded shelves, non-acidic archival boxes and individual packaging. Each new layer should provide further protection by creating a microclimate buffer between an object and environmental fluctuations, light, dust and pollutants. All
Housekeeping
- cleaning spaces, objects, and storage (shelves ect)
References
External links
- Collection Maintenance
- NDCC Monitoring Temperature and Relative Humidity
- National Park Service Museum Handbook
- National Park Service Conserve O Grams
- Connecting to Collections Housekeeping Webinar
- Minnesota Historical Society Housekeeping Handbook
Vorlage:Cultural Conservation-Restoration
- ↑ a b Vorlage:Citation
- ↑ Sarah Staniforth: Manual of Housekeeping: The Care of Collections in Historic Houses Open to the Public. Elsevier, 2006, 5: Agents of Deterioration, S. 51.
- ↑ Timothy Ambrose, Crispin Paine: Museum Basics. 2. Auflage. Routledge, 2006, 3: The Development and Care of the Museum’s Collections.
- ↑ Konstanze Bachmann: Conservation Concerns: A Guide for Collectors and Curators. Smithsonian Books, 1992, Control of Temperature and Humidity in Small Collections, S. 15.
- ↑ Sarah Staniforth: Manual of Housekeeping: The Care of Collections in Historic Houses Open to the Public. Elsevier, 2006, 10: Relative Humidity as an Agent of Deterioration.
- ↑ Linda Bullock: Manual of Housekeeping: The Care of Collections in Historic Houses Open to the Public. Elsevier, 2006, 9: Light as an Agent of Deterioration, S. 93.
- ↑ Konstanze Bachmann: Conservation Concerns: A Guide for Collectors and Curators. Smithsonian Books, 1992, ISBN 978-1-56098-174-9, Principles of Storage, S. 3.
- ↑ Katy Lloyd, Lithgow: Manual of Housekeeping: The Care of Collections in Historic Houses Open to the Public. Elsevier, 2006, 6: Physical Agents of Deterioration, S. 62.
- ↑ Gregory Landrey, Robert Hoag: The Winterthur Guide to Caring for Your Collections. University Press of New England, 2000, 1:General Care, S. 13.
- ↑ Gregory Landrey, Robert Hoag: The Winterthur Guide to Caring for Your Collections. University Press of New England, 2000, 1:General Care.
- ↑ Konstanze Bachmann: Conservation Concerns: A Guide for Collectors and Curators. Smithsonian Books, 1992, Principles of Storage.
- ↑ Konstanze Bachmann: Conservation Concerns: A Guide for Collectors and Curators. Smithsonian Books, 1992, Principles of Storage.
- ↑ a b Vorlage:Citation