Thermohygrometric Climate, Insects and Fungi in the Klosterneuburg Monastic Library

Abstract

The abundance of insect and fungal pests under a changing climate may threaten historic interiors, libraries and museums, with warmer, potentially more humid winters. This work examines local and indoor climate, insects and fungi in a historic library near Vienna. It reveals a mostly dry and cool environment for the storage of books, but few visitors to induce changes. Temperature and relative humidity have been monitored for 12 months (2021-07/2022-07), with 14 monitors positioned insect traps (blunder traps and some pheromone traps). Fungi in air, on surfaces and in settled dust were also sampled. Winter temperatures in library cupboards and behind shelves were slightly warmer (~1 °C) and more humid than in the library environment. Over the last decade there have been infestations of the biscuit beetles (Stegobium paniceum) but since treatment with sulfuryl difluoride, Anthrenus sp. have dominated. Silverfish are also present, but only in one corner. Fungal outbreaks have also been found, but over five years fungi in air samples have shifted from Penicillium commune and P. chrysogenum to Aspergillus sp. The stable environment at Klosterneuburg is suitable for books, yet insects and mould present suggests vigilance remains necessary, as some microenvironments (e.g., cupboards) can be at risk and there may be materials with high water content, hygroscopic or of nutritional value.

Assessing the Impact of Climate Change on the Biodeterioration Risk in Historical Buildings of the Mediterranean Area: The State Archives of Palermo

“…This evidence stresses the importance of to plan right now strategies to limit the access of adult insects in the space, as their proliferation might be greatly favoured by the high future temperatures, particularly in the occurrence of scenario SSP5-8.5. As an example, vulnerable collections should not be placed in areas nearby windows to reduce the infestations by S. paniceum which is strongly attracted by light [17]. The assessment of the risk of both moulds and insects confirmed the results from [7,30].…”

“…In the case of the State Archives of Palermo, it was found that spore germination and mould growth were less favoured in the coming years thanks to lower relative humidity levels. However, as highlighted by Brimblecombe et al [17], fungi might still be detected in the interior of closed cupboards due to high water content of materials that can favour enough mould's growth. It is also worth noticing that xerophilic moulds such as Eurotium halophilicum can grow also in drier conditions [57].…”

“…Climate change poses new serious threats to the durability of climate-vulnerable objects exposed to outdoor conditions [4,16] as well as objects housed indoors [17,18]. During the latest Conference of the Parties (COP27) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2022, the critical linkages between cultural heritage and climate change have been finally acknowledged [19,20].…”

“…Indeed, the increasing occurrence of extreme events due to ongoing global warming, as already projected by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in the Fifth and then reconfirmed in the Sixth Assessment Reports [21,22], may further reduce the durability of climate-vulnerable objects [5,23,24]. Moreover, as higher temperatures can enhance biodeterioration risks being responsible for the migration and adaptation of new species of biodeteriogens [25], global warming can increase the deterioration risks related to biodeteriogens [17,25].…”

Indoor Climate Characterisation of the Quarantine Room of NTNU University Library

“…It is nowadays well-known that indoor climate conditions in spaces housing climate-vulnerable cultural collections (e.g., cellulose-based materials) can pose a risk in terms of biological, chemical, and mechanical degradation [1,2,3,4]. For this reason, in the preventive conservation, the monitoring of temperature and relative humidity is becoming a common practice within museums, churches, archives, and historical buildings, and it is recognized to be an effective task to assess the conservation risks induced by microclimate conditions.…”