IPI environmental research initiatives focus on creating tools that help cultural
institutions monitor and analyze environmental data to make informed decisions about how to improve the
preservation quality of storage environments. Monitoring and controlling temperature and relative humidity (RH)
in collection spaces is essential to providing adequate preservation conditions for collections. Recommendations
for storage temperature and RH levels are periodically re-examined following the latest advancements in
preservation science, and in recent years have been further informed by improved data-gathering methods, and
greater interest in sustainability issues. In the 21st century, there has been a shift in thinking from static
environmental management in cultural institutions – that is one in which institutions aim to achieve the same
temperature and RH levels in collections spaces year-round – to dynamic environmental management in which
conditions are allowed to vary within safe ranges, particularly seasonally.
Monitoring alone will not improve preservation environments or the longevity of collections. Environmental management includes analysis and interpretation of the preservation quality of the environmental conditions recorded and the implementation of improvements as necessary. Maintaining an optimal balance of the slowest rate of collection decay, lowest energy cost, and best practice operation of HVAC systems requires an ongoing commitment to monitoring, analysis, and management. IPI’s web-based application eClimateNotebook® is the essential tool for environmental management in collections and provides graphing, analyzing, and archiving of environmental data collected from a variety of compatible temperature and relative humidity dataloggers.
1.9b
Data Points
IPI's eClimateNotebook® has processed and analyzed over 1.9 billion data points for
thousands of institutions worldwide.
3k+
eClimateNotebook Users
IPI's eClimateNotebook® is the only environmental management software supported by preservation specialists and research scientists.
60+
Countries
Institutions in over 60 countries use IPI’s tools to monitor their collection environments.
Recent Initiatives
Mapping Environmental Conditions That Prevent Plastic Deterioration While Contributing to Sustainable Preservation Environmental Management
Mapping Environmental Conditions That Prevent Plastic Deterioration While Contributing to Sustainable Preservation Environmental Management
This research project will study the relationship between equilibrium moisture content (EMC) and the physical stability of plastics and plastic composite artifacts found in museums. Objects such as modern and contemporary artworks, design, fashion, and ethnographic items often include plastics, as do the storage materials used for photographs. The project team will use multiple types of analyses, including a case study, to assess the effect of microscopic changes in humidity on the physical structure of two types of plastics commonly found in museum collections. The project will establish safe preservation and handling conditions for these plastics, specifically temperature and relative humidity. Findings will be shared through journal articles, conference presentations, and a web publication.
Funded by:
Institute of Museum and Library Services
Award:
$711,598
Project Dates:
2024
- 2025
Principal Investigator:
Emma Richardson, PhD
Integrating Risk Assessment for Pollutants into Energy-saving Strategies for Sustainable Environmental Management of Collection Storage Spaces
Integrating Risk Assessment for Pollutants into Energy-saving Strategies for Sustainable Environmental Management of Collection Storage Spaces
Energy-saving strategies for mechanical system operations such as temporary system shutdowns, fan speed adjustments, and outside air reduction are proven effective ways to maintain or improve the preservation quality of a collection environment while reducing the financial burden and carbon footprint of a collecting institution. However, current criteria guiding safe implementation of energy-saving strategies focus on temperature and relative humidity alone, which ignores the significant risk to collections posed by outdoor and indoor-generated pollutants. This project will address that problem by developing a methodology for monitoring room-level pollutant concentrations while implementing these energy-saving strategies and then analyzing that data to quantify and respond to risks.
Funded by:
National Endowment for the Humanities
Award:
$350,000
Project Dates:
2021
- 2024
Principal Investigator:
Emma Richardson, PhD
Training Sustainable Environmental Management Teams for Cultural Institutions
Training Sustainable Environmental Management Teams for Cultural Institutions
This two-year project is focused on improving and increasing the capacity of humanities collections professionals to independently establish and maintain sustainable environmental management programs. In cultural institutions an environmental management team that includes both collections and facilities staff creates a structure in which the insights gained from environmental monitoring are actively used to inform environmental management. Webinars and workshops will provide essential knowledge and skills necessary for small, mid-size, and large institutions working to balance the preservation quality of collections environments with responsible building management and lower energy costs. This project has the potential to simultaneously improve the long-term preservation of humanities collections across the US while reducing the long-term costs associated with preserving those collections.
Funded by:
National Endowment for the Humanities
Award:
$199,801
Project Dates:
2019
- 2020
Principal Investigators:
The Impact of Temperature Transitions, Short-term and Seasonal, on the Moisture Content of Library and Archive Collections
The Impact of Temperature Transitions, Short-term and Seasonal, on the Moisture Content of Library and Archive Collections
The potential for deterioration caused by moisture content exists in storage and access scenarios. This research will strengthen our understanding of the complex interactions between hygroscopic collection materials and their environment in response to temperature changes. Data collected has the potential to 1) determine the storage density necessary to effectively have hygroscopic materials control their moisture content, 2) provide a roadmap for controlling moisture content during periods of dryness and dampness, and 3) create a guide for temperature and relative humidity ranges that avoid mechanical damage during access and use. The results of this project have the potential to inform new sustainable preservation and access strategies for both large and small humanities research collections.
Funded by:
National Endowment for the Humanities
Award:
$349,149
Project Dates:
2018
- 2020
Principal Investigator:
Jean-Louis Bigourdan
Digital Image Correlation to Determine Shape Deformation of Paper Based Collections Due to Relative Humidity and Temperature Variations
Digital Image Correlation to Determine Shape Deformation of Paper Based Collections Due to Relative Humidity and Temperature Variations
One of the most frequent questions asked by rare book curators and librarians is: “At what RH, especially with respect to dry conditions, does a serious risk of irreversible mechanical stress occur?” Mechanical (physical) damage due to dryness or excessive dampness is the principal reason why special collection materials require controlled environmental conditions. For many years, recommendations have emphasized close control around a target of 45-55% RH. What is not well established from actual experimentation, however, are the practical limits where irreversible damage takes place. This area of research—safe limits for RH—has received considerable attention in the fine and decorative arts, but not for the complex and diverse mechanical structures of bound volumes. To overcome the difficulty of studying mechanical behavior of complex book structures IPI will employ a new technology, Digital Image Correlation (DIC) to dynamically assess expansion and contraction of composite objects.
Funded by:
National Endowment for the Humanities
Award:
$399,825
Project Dates:
2015
- 2019
Principal Investigator:
Resources
IPI’s Guide to Sustainable Preservation Practices for Managing Storage Environments
This guidebook introduces the fundamentals of defining an optimal and sustainable preservation environment.
It outlines the basics of what you need to know to accurately document the storage environment and establish
sustainable preservation practices. Funding provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities, Division
of Preservation and Access, Education & Training Grant Program.
IPI's Preservation Metrics
IPI’s Preservation Metrics transform temperature and relative humidity data into quantitative numerical measures
of collection risk. Each metric evaluates the quality of environmental conditions into a single value
representing the degree of risk for a particular form of material deterioration including chemical change in
organic objects, dimensional change (or mechanical damage), the potential for biological decay (or mold risk),
and moisture-induced corrosion. IPI's Preservation Metrics provide a quick, automated analysis of
environmentally-induced deterioration and allow collection stewards to accurately and objectively determine how
well a storage area is performing for collection preservation, and to assess how well one environment is
performing compared to another. Metrics can flag potential problems and document the impact of changes or
adjustments made to improve the quality of a preservation environment.
eClimateNotebook®
Web-based environmental data management software designed to help museums, libraries, and archives document, analyze, and improve the storage environment for long-term preservation. Easily evaluate the preservation quality of your storage environments with metrics that calculate the rate of natural aging, the risk of mechanical damage, and the risk of mold. Available at various subscription levels depending on institutional size. eClimateNotebook is compatible with a range of dataloggers capable of converting or producing data as a CSV file. IPI has a partnership with Onset, maker of HOBO dataloggers, which are used in a wide range of collecting institutions. eClimateNotebook subscribers can save 5% off the price of HOBO monitoring products that are compatible with eClimateNotebook by using promotional code eClimateNotebook5 at the time of purchase from Onset. Visit https://www.onsetcomp.com/eClimateNotebook/ for more information. A portion of the proceeds from these sales will be returned to IPI to support our mission.
Dew Point Calculator
This tool is designed to calculate and visually present the relationship between temperature, relative humidity
and dew point. These calculations are used to evaluate the preservation quality of the environment based on four
types of material decay—natural aging or chemical decay, the risk of mechanical damage, the potential for mold
growth or for metal corrosion.
