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The Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Material has published a range of resources that promote environmentally aware collection care and management practices including climate-specific Environmental Guidelines, the Sustainable Collections wiki and the Climate Adaptation resource. The Climate Adaptation resource provides access to 180 maps illustrating potential future climate scenarios for Australia in 2030 and 2090, using the two Representative Concentration Pathways RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. These maps were produced as part of research undertaken in 2019–2020 by Pagliarino and Meredith and supplement those published in volume 41 (issue 1) of the AICCM Bulletin. The release of updated climate change projections in the Sixth Assessment Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) – Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis – precipitated a review of the Climate Adaptation resource to confirm the continued veracity of the maps. This paper provides the results of that assessment, which confirmed the resource's ongoing accuracy and currency. In addition, the paper includes discussion of the new IPCC future climate scenarios of Shared Socioeconomic Pathways, which supersede RCP, and a summary of the state of the climate in Australia with warming, humidity, fire, weather and sea level rise investigated in more detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the process of adapting the Carbon Literacy for Museums Toolkit to develop a course specifically for the archive sector, Carbon Literacy for Archives, Records and Special Collections. This toolkit was launched to the sector in spring 2024. It discusses why carbon literacy (CL) is important, covering the benefits, co-benefits and what CL is. It examines the impact of carbon literacy training (CLT) on greenhouse gas emission and energy use reduction, and why CLT is so effective in generating the transformational behavioural change that is needed to create a sustainable future.Este artículo revisa el proceso de adaptación del kit de herramientas Carbon Literacy for Museums para desarrollar un curso específico para el sector de archivos, Carbon Literacy for Archives, Records and Special Collections. Este conjunto de herramientas se lanzó al sector en la primavera de 2024. Se analiza por qué la formación sobre carbono (fC) es importante, abarca los beneficios, los beneficios colaterales y qué es fC. Examina el impacto de la capacitación sobre carbono (CsC) en la reducción de las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero y el uso de energía, y por qué CsC es tan eficaz para generar el cambio de comportamiento transformador que se necesita para crear un futuro sostenible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nine engravings in the hinterland around Hong Kong Island have been studied independently by the authors, as part of an overall assessment of current management practices, the state of the engravings, conservation impacts and future survival. Four independent studies were commissioned in 2009 by the Hong Kong Heritage Museum in conjunction with the Antiquities and Monuments Office who have legislative responsibility for all archaeological sites within the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The sites have received varying levels of protection in the form of roofs, fences, and screens, and in more recent times, a range of conservation treatments aimed at prolonging their life and improving legibility. This paper reviews the state of the engravings from the point of view of protection and presentation and considers the effectiveness of the infrastructure in mitigating what are often conflicting needs. Modern conservation treatments must be considered in several dimensions: their effectiveness and durability in an aggressive climate, given that the engravings have survived for 3000 years, and the feasibility and cost of maintaining such treatments over the next 3000 years and longer. This paper describes field observations rather than measured data, due to the nature of the commission, highlighting the value of intelligent observation as an investigative tool. The main focus of the paper is on the impact of protective shelters and applied treatments as observed during two of the independent surveys, concluding that protection must address all environmental and visitor impacts to be fully protective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Collections care in temperate zones of the world, including Scotland, is generally well served by a system of heating control known as conservation heating or humidistat-controlled heating. This system adjusts temperature in a building in order to maintain relative humidity at desired levels. An alternative control method is through the use of dehumidification, although airtightness of the building influences the effectiveness of this. This paper assesses three sites where these methods of control have been used: the Great Hall at Edinburgh Castle, Abbots House at Arbroath Abbey in eastern Scotland and Skelmorlie Aisle in western Scotland. The benefits of each system are discussed, together with consideration of the effect of climate change on the efficacy of each. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exhibitions in general and loans in particular still appear to be driving median and relatively tight climatic parameters for collection environments. This paper explores the impact of international loans on the adaptation of more sustainable climate control strategies. By offering a description of the complexities and (un)certainties associated with international loan policies that moves beyond the climate parameters, it explores why a more pragmatic approach to environmental control strategies is impeded. It describes how the Getty Conservation Institute’s Managing Collection Environments initiative is addressing this impasse and gives some suggestions for moving the debate forward. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides the climate specifications of several museums in the Netherlands that have been renovated. These climate specifications developed in the last two decades are very similar, and hence demonstrate that not much has changed in 20 years. Since the use of the climate classes presented by ASHRAE often plays a major role in developing climate specifications in Dutch museums, an analysis was made of its pros and cons. Issues concerning the use of the ASHRAE table are presented: the table is used as a list, the meaning of short fluctuations is unclear, and translating the numbers to a control algorithm is troublesome. An alternative table is presented for temperature and relative humidity specifications to overcome these issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient air-conditioning systems facilitate climate control in modern museums, libraries, and archives. The climate in Hong Kong is typically hot and humid, so the survival of collections is highly dependent on 24-hour air-conditioning systems to maintain the desired environment in repositories of archives and books, or artefact stores. The continuous operation of such systems in turn relies on a number of factors, such as uninterrupted electricity supply, an active maintenance programme, daily monitoring of their performance and quick response to irregularities as well as backup or alternative systems to support the air-conditioning load in case they are down for servicing. From the risk management point of view, unlike the latter four factors, electricity supply is an external factor that cannot be guaranteed. Fluctuation in the power level that results in stoppage of air-conditioning equipment is not uncommon even in well-developed countries. Long power outages could be catastrophic as they might lead to irreversible damage to collection items as a result of fast, large, changes in temperature and relative humidity (RH) towards the external environment if the air-tightness or hygrothermal stability of the storage are not good enough. Understanding storage environmental stability, especially during electrical power disruptions, is an essential part of the preservation measures and disaster preparedness necessary to protect valuable collections in cultural heritage institutions in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a research study conducted into the evaluation of microclimate conditions in the environment withing museum enclosures for art objects. Topics discussed include the use of lead-based piezolectric quartz crystal (PQC) as the material for monitoring museum enclosures, the experiments conducted using dosimeters, and their use on test frames. The article also includes the results of the performed research tests using L-PQC crystals and the conclusion derived from the research project.

The impact of relative humidity (RH) and temperature variation on the mechanical behaviour of paintings on canvas was investigated, based on the various environmental recommendations that are applied by museums and institutions worldwide. Paint samples were constructed based on the works of twentieth-century artists such as Soulages and Riopelle. The various samples are based on criteria such as paint media, additives, pigment type, canvas type, thickness, type of application, and drying time. Once they are fully dry, paint films behave as elastic, viscoelastic, or viscoplastic materials depending on the chemical nature of their components. These properties, as well as tensile strength, were determined by a series of tensile tests. Other samples were included, originating from discarded oil paintings on canvas from the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries. To carry out mechanical tests under controlled conditions of temperature and RH, a climatic chamber was built around the column of a universal testing machine. Samples were submitted to stress relaxation tests to observe their response to changes in environmental conditions. RH was increased from 20 to 90% and temperature from 15 to 60°C. Reactivity diagrams were drawn based on the results. The endurance limit under mechanical fatigue was determined from the diagrams and helped define the risks associated with each painting type when exposed to the accepted environmental recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We argue the need to demonstrate the value of preservation services to institutions, the public and funders, because it matters conceptually and needs to be supported and validated. To address this imperative, improved and focused data capture and its use by collection managers is advocated as the necessary first step towards the development of an evidence-based culture for preservation services and synoptic decision-making, where evidence enables us to optimise the outcome of planning. To do so, we need tools that enable us to evaluate diverse preservation scenarios. We demonstrate the potential of emerging cross-disciplinary tools and protocols developed in the recent years such as attitude surveys, computational modelling and demographic modelling. These offer evidence that informs prospective preservation planning and, importantly, provides a credible evidence base for advocacy. These possibilities are discussed within the wider context of well-established preservation planning protocols that have shaped collection management for three decades, broadly characterised as retrospective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The on-site monitoring of acoustic emission (AE) has allowed the direct tracing of climate-induced crack propagation in an eighteenth-century wardrobe displayed in the Gallery of Decorative Art in the National Museum in Krakow, Poland. The anti-correlation measuring scheme and frequency filtering allowed very low levels of physical damage to the wardrobe to be detected in spite of the high background noise typical of the museum environment. The total AE energy recorded during two years of monitoring corresponded to a fractured area of 12 mm2 or a total crack propagation of 1.2 mm for two10-mm-thick panels. Although the total damage recorded was minute, correlation between the events of fracturing and falls in indoor relative humidity (RH) in winter due to insufficient humidification was evident. The risk of damage, expressed in terms of crack propagation, was quantified as a function of the magnitude of the RH falls of the duration compatible with the response time of the object. The data allow acceptable RH falls to be identified if a conservation professional or a curator selects a 'tolerable' yearly propagation of the fracture, in other words the progress of damage considered insignificant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insect pests are an important source of concern in historic houses as the larval stages in particular can feed on a variety of important heritage materials, causing significant and sometimes irreparable damage to collections. Damage to wood and textiles is a special problem. The lifecycles of insects are sensitive to climate and require relatively warm conditions. There has been a significant increase in the presence of insect pests within historic houses in the early twenty-first century. The reasons may include: warmer winters, widespread use of natural fibres, less potent insecticides, and occupation of new niches indoors. The interior climate, especially increasing warmth, offers the potential for greater insect growth and survivability. Modelling changes in the temperature and humidity within the Cartoon Gallery at Knole, southern England, for the period 1770-2100 suggests a dramatic increase in favourable temperature conditions through the current century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sustainability of historic buildings often depends on continued use. Institutions provide significant resources for repair and maintenance. Increased flood risk as a consequence of climate change is growing in a number of places. Once wet, a building could be unusable for a long time, leading to losses and possible abandonment. An initial study as part of the EU research project, Global Climate Change Impact on Built Heritage and Cultural Landscapes (Noah’s Ark) has shown how novel computer modelling can predict how wood left to dry naturally will dry in future climates. This knowledge will help develop strategies for safe and rapid drying of flooded wooden buildings. Conventional rapid drying using mechanical dehumidification can cause large moisture gradients within wood, leading to mechanical stress and failure. It is hoped to find fast, safe drying regimes by optimizing the pattern of rapid and natural drying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]