Environmental conditions for the safeguarding of collections: Future trends

Abstract

This paper sets out the role of the International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (IIC) in facilitating the current international debate on the selection of appropriate environmental conditions for collections to optimise their future condition while minimising energy consumption. It looks back 35 years to when Garry Thomson first published The Museum Environment and forward 35 years to demonstrate how IIC can care for the future as well as care for the past. It asks whether we are posing the right questions in this debate, draws attention to leadership in the cultural sector, and suggests that more conservation professionals should aspire to leadership positions directing museums and heritage organisations.

A Method for Studying Climate-related Changes in the Condition of Decorated Wooden Panels

“…This declaration acknowledges that the issue of museum sustainability is much broader than the discussion on environmental standards and also recommends that museums reduce their carbon footprint by considering simpler technology, renewable energy and risk management (Bickersteth, 2016). Bickersteth (2014Bickersteth ( , 2016 and Staniforth (2014) call upon the conservation community, which is not fully unified in its opinion on appropriate environmental standards, to take a more active role in the discussion on environmental standards. Until now, most research has been experimental, performed by conservation scientists, and carried out using single, new or artificially aged materials (Bratasz, 2013).…”

“…Not only by characterizing the properties of their materials but also, and perhaps more importantly, their construction. Recent articles in Studies in Conservation by Staniforth (2014), Bickersteth (2016) and have pointed out that despite the existing bulk of information, research on actual objects is still limited. One of the strongest recommendations made by over 30 experts who participated in a meeting to define a research agenda for panel paintings conservation in Amsterdam, January 2011, was that more information on actual objects should be made available (Kos & Van Duin, 2014).…”

“…Museums are expected to become more sustainable, and avoiding unnecessarily strict climate specifications is one of several important aspects to achieve this goal. Recent reviews state that despite the bulk of research performed it nevertheless remains very difficult to predict how far climate specifications can be relaxed without putting the objects at risk (Staniforth, 2014;Atkinson, 2014;Bickersteth, 2014).…”

Preventive conservation and the environment: Summary of IIC Hong Kong Congress panel discussion

“…Staniforth, and Bickersteth on environmental conditions for safeguarding collections, printed especially for the Congress with abstracts in Chinese (Atkinson, 2014;Bickersteth, 2014;Staniforth, 2014).…”

“…Staniforth began the proceedings by outlining the salient points in her 2014 paper, 'Environmental conditions for safeguarding collections: Future trends' (Staniforth, 2014). Her first point was on research: whether more research into recommended relative humidity (RH) levels was needed.…”