April 5, 2021
IPI is looking to partner with three collecting institutions in North America as part of a three-year research project, Integrating Risk Assessment for Pollutants into Energy-saving Strategies, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The project involves two years of field research focused on monitoring room-level pollutant concentrations while implementing energy-saving strategies for mechanical system operation. This is an exciting opportunity for participants to engage in collaborative research with external experts, gain valuable project insights into the presence of pollutants within a storage space, and benefit from energy monitoring and the implementation of energy-saving operations for improved preservation, cost savings, and reduced carbon footprint.
Partner institutions will collaborate with the IPI project team to monitor temperature, relative humidity, pollutant levels, and energy usage in a collection storage space over two years. To ensure field-research goals can be met, partners will be identified through an application process. To be considered, partner institutions must have a collection storage space with a dedicated mechanical system capable of being programmed (i.e. BMS equipment). Monitoring equipment will be provided.
In the first year, monitoring will establish baseline conditions and, in the second year, energy-saving strategies (system shutdowns, fan speed reduction, and outside air reduction) will be implemented and the impact on conditions recorded through continued monitoring. The duties and time commitment of the lead contact at each partner institution is expected to be:
Multiple applications from the same institution for different storage spaces will be considered, but a separate application must be completed for each space. If you have any questions regarding the project and partner expectations, please contact Kelly Krish at kmkpph@rit.edu. Applications will be accepted through May 31, 2021, with notification in mid-June and on-site work to begin in October.
In 2004, IPI released ClimateNotebook, the first desktop software designed specifically for libraries, archives, and museums to graph environmental data and generate reports with preservation analysis. In 2012, eClimateNotebook (eCNB) was launched. A web application that synthesized the strengths of ClimateNotebook, and IPI’s other preservation management tools (MyClimateData and PEMdata) into a single, unified platform.
The Image Permanence Institute has been awarded $315,854 from the National Endowment for the Humanities Research & Development grant program to support a three-year research project titled, Evaluating the Mechanical Stability of 3D Printed Materials to Inform Collections Care Decision Making for Preservation and Access.
IPI is looking for a new team member in a redefined Sustainable Preservation Specialist role. The Sustainable Preservation Specialist supports professionals working in collecting institutions with environmental monitoring and sustainable preservation practices. They assist collecting institutions with basic environmental monitoring and data analysis, advise on logger placement in collection storage and exhibition spaces, and provide instruction on the use of IPI’s data management and analysis software, eClimateNotebook.
Xinxin Li is IPI’s new 3D Design Assistant working under the supervision of Meredith Noyes, Research Scientist, as part of the IMLS-funded project Foundational Research to Inform Preservation Guidelines for the Creation, Collection, and Consumption of 3D Printed Objects in Museums. Xinxin is a MFA candidate in Industrial Design at RIT and comes to IPI after receiving her BFA in Industrial Design from Savannah College of Art and Design.