As a part of its preservation efforts, the Museum has established a number of environmental monitoring programs to mitigate damage from biological organisms and environmental conditions. The environmental monitoring programs are all the responsibility of the Collections Management Section under the purview of the Collections Manager. Environmental monitoring consists of:
List of Components of Environmental Monitoring
- Integrated Pest Management
- Temperature/Humidity Monitoring
- Mold Mitigation and Mold Spore Testing
- Light Level Readings
Integrated Pest Management
The Museum’s strategy for controlling and eradicating pests is Integrated Pest Management (IPM). The components of our IPM program include monitoring, inspection, identification and record-keeping, treatment actions, habitat modification, cultural practices, good housekeeping, and education. IPM is preferred as it reduces risks to artifact collections and personnel and is most effective when conducted as a team effort. Thorough monitoring by the entire Museum staff between scheduled weekly IPM duties will ensure that the Museum remains a relatively pest-free environment.
To help ensure full staff participation in the IPM system, all staff members must read the Integrated Pest Management Rules Regarding Food and Drink and read and sign the Personal Commitment to the Integrated Pest Management System.
Monitoring is primarily conducted with a system of traps; additionally, when pests are observed, they are collected. Traps, which are collected periodically, are placed in strategic areas to best sample pest populations. Pests found in traps throughout the facility are identified and their provenance is recorded in the IPM databases.
Temperature and Humidity Monitoring
The Museum uses strategically placed dataloggers that electronically measure and record the temperature and humidity on regular intervals (normally, every few minutes). Dataloggers are placed in select locations in exhibit cases, galleries, and storage. The data is downloaded and analyzed once monthly. Any staff member who notices a malfunction in the climate control system or a building issue that compromises the internal climate should inform the Collections Management, Administrative, and Security Sections as soon as possible so the problem may be fixed and the detrimental impacts on the Museum’s Collections may be minimized.
Mold Mitigation and Mold Spore Testing
Mold mitigation includes detection, isolation, treatment, and cleaning.
The Museum set baseline mold spore counts in 2007 by testing for spores once during each season (four times in twelve months). The Museum intends to test for mold spores again after any major mold outbreak, or every ten years, whichever comes first, in order to set new baseline numbers.
Light Levels Monitoring
The Museum tests the light levels of a representative sample of objects at least once every three years. When the lighting of an exhibit has undergone significant changes, light level readings are taken for all objects on display. Following analysis of new and historical data, exhibits are changed as necessary.
Environmental Monitoring Manual
Spurlock Museum environmental monitoring practices and procedures are described in the Environmental Monitoring Manual. It covers the following topics:
List of Topics in the Environmental Monitoring Manual
- Integrated Pest Management
- Pest monitoring and identification
- Inspection
- Good housekeeping and cultural practices
- Treatment action and de-infestation of objects
- The IPM databases
- Temperature and humidity monitoring and control
- Operation of dataloggers
- Analysis of temperature and humidity data
- Microclimate maintenance
- Mold mitigation and mold spore testing
- Mold mitigation and treatment
- Historical mold spore counts
- Light level readings
- Procedures
- Photographs and illustrations of materials, equipment, and techniques used in environmental monitoring