A24 -- Museums, Galleries, Archives, and Libraries (I-P)

Collections are vulnerable to many threats. Because they must be preserved indefinitely, the steps taken to protect them are sometimes extraordinary. Most threats can be addressed by properly maintained housing and professional support. The level of acceptable risk is a compromise between the theoretically ideal environment and the practical. It is possible to slow deterioration drastically, but doing so may conflict with the ultimate functions of museums, libraries, and archives: not only to preserve, but also to allow public and scholarly access. Additionally, extremely high control over all environmental parameters can help to ensure an object’s survival, but at a price no cultural institution can justify or is willing to pay. Managing risk, not avoiding it altogether, is the objective. This chapter addresses threats to collections that are mitigated by a properly designed HVAC system that provides stability for low-access storage environments and also serves high-traffic visitors’ areas. TERMINOLOGY KEY CONSIDERATIONS CONTEXT AND PREDESIGN OVERVIEW OF RISKS ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS ON COLLECTIONS DESIGN PARAMETERS FOR PERFORMANCE TARGET SPECIFICATIONS CONTROLS DESIGN CONTROL EQUIPMENT SYSTEM DESIGN AND SELECTION CONSTRUCTION COMMISSIONING TRAINING AND DOCUMENTATION OPTIMIZATION