Causes of Deterioration & Risk to Collections

Vicki HumphreyHead of Conservation, NMA

CHG 2014

Aims• Basic understanding of factors that contribute to

deterioration• Touch on how to minimise their effect• Introduction to Risk Management as integral to

Collection Management• In the context of the CHG process of Significance

Assessment & Preservation Needs Assessment• Provide general introduction to following

presentations and workshops

Preservation Basics

Where to Begin?

• Build knowledge• Understand your context • Smart use of the resources you have• Step by step – plan and prioritise• Incremental improvement• High tech is not necessarily best• Don’t try to be what you aren’t• Common sense

Preservation Basics

Agents of Deterioration

Preservation Basics

• Good understanding of what contributes to deterioration

• Organised into 10 categories– 10 agents of deterioration– http://

www.cci-icc.gc.ca/resources-ressources/agentsofdeterioration-agentsdedeterioration/index-eng.aspx

• Focus is on understanding these and taking steps to eliminate them or minimise their effect (risk management)

Physical Forces• Impact• Shock• Vibration - earthquake• Wear and tear

Preservation Basics

Prevention or damage limitation through:

•Protective storage

•Adequate and appropriate support

•Careful handling

•Adequate packing in transit

Thieves & Vandals• Theft• Damage during theft• Deliberate damage

Preservation Basics

Munch’s the Scream stolen in 1994 from National Gallery, Oslo. Thieves left a note saying: "Thanks for the poor security".

"Vandalized Night Watch 1975-09-16c" by Bogaerts, Rob / Anefo - [1] Dutch National Archives, The Hague, Fotocollectie Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau (ANeFo), 1945-1989, Nummer toegang 2.24.01.05 Bestanddeelnummer 928-1537. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0-nl via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vandalized_Night_Watch_1975-09-16c.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Vandalized_Night_Watch_1975-09-16c.jpg

To prevent or limit damage:

•Know what you have

•Know the significance and value

•Plan for security – policy & practices

• Issue keys etc on a need basis

• Secure your spaces

•Be vigilant

Dissociation• Affects the legal, intellectual, and/or cultural aspects

of an object• Includes:

– Loss/misplacement of objects– Failure to catalogue/failure to record culturally

sensitive status– Removing identifying labels or tags – Recording data illegibly or ambiguously or with

materials that will fade etc– Making errors in recording data

Preservation Basics

Prevention or damage limitation through:•Effective and fully implemented policies and procedures that deal with:

• Legal title checks

• Collection documentation

• Tracking object movements

• Storage planning

• Good labelling

• Rigorous loan procedures

Fire• Loss of life• Loss of, or damage to

building• Loss of, or damage to

collection/objects• Loss of, or damage to

records• Soiling of collection• Water damage• Contamination

Preservation Basics

To prevent or limit damage:•Seek specialist advice on fire prevention and detection, especially if in a bushfire zone

•Keep your building clean and tidy – remove flammable material

•Train staff and volunteers and keep them informed

•Prepare plans of your building and inform the fire brigade of potential “hot-spots”

•Disaster Preparedness and Response Plan

Water

• Floods• Water leaks• Water used in fire fighting• Can lead to mould growth on objects• Staining, ink runs, contamination • Contributes to distortion and physical damage

Preservation Basics

To prevent or limit damage:•If you have a choice – think about the siting of your building and the finishes within

•Building maintenance regime & make maintenance workers aware of collection

•Give maximum protection to objects most vulnerable to water damage

•Use water resistant storage containers

•Disaster Preparedness and Response Plan

Pests

• Insects eat organic materials• Moulds digest organic materials• Rodents gnaw on collections• Bird, rodent and bat faeces attract insects and

are potential disease carriers.

Preservation Basics

To prevent or limit damage:•Keep collection areas clean, uncluttered & well ventilated

•Seal building to stop them getting in

•Identify pests so treatment can be targeted – not all insects attack collections (some may attack the attackers)

•Isolate affected objects

•Determine most effective treatment for infestation

•Consider establishing an Integrated Pest Management program (IPM)

Pollutants• Cause damage through chemical

reactions • Can be atmospheric, particulate, from contact

(eg mounts), handling or inherent in the object

Preservation Basics

Prevention or damage limitation through:•Developing your knowledge of identified problems

•Controlling pollutant contact with collections by:

• Good building maintenance and sealing

• Keeping storage and display areas clean

• Careful choice of materials for storage and display

• Housing objects in inert enclosures

• Use of gloves, secondary supports when handling

•Buffering against high temperatures and RH which speed up chemical reactions

Light & Ultraviolet• Visible light causes fading and

colour change• UV causes weakening of fibres,

chalking of paint, disintegration of some materials

• Different materials different sensitivities

• Light and UV damage is not reversible

Preservation Basics

To prevent or limit damage:•Develop knowledge of materials in your collection•Know your building and the lighting levels within it•Agree what levels of colour change or fading are acceptable, if any • Weigh this against visibility for your audience.

•Limit light exposure – housing & storage, proximity switches, display case covers, short display periods for sensitive items, use facsimiles•Block UV. Avoid direct sunlight on objects•Use CCI’s Light Damage Calculator as a guide

Incorrect Temperature• Too high increased

chemical deterioration, pests & mould more likely, some materials melt/distort

• Too low some materials become more brittle

• Fluctuations delamination, stress fracturing

Preservation Basics

To prevent or limit damage:•Develop knowledge of materials in your collection•Know your building and its thermal properties/characteristics•Insulate your building. Insulate objects in transit.•Protect collections from heat

• At the least, provide an air space between collections and external walls, floors and ceilings

•Avoid direct sunlight on objects•If possible, store heat sensitive materials in cool conditions•Isolate unstable materials in the collection so their degradation products don’t adversely affect other materials

Incorrect Relative Humidity

Preservation Basics

To prevent or limit damage:

•Develop knowledge of materials in your collection

•Know your building climate and internal microclimates

•Maintain your building and your storage and display furniture

•Identify sources of damp and take action to eliminate them

•Provide buffering layers of protection – storage boxes, inert plastic bags, backing boards on paintings

•Remember that objects are likely to have stabilised in their current environment and will need to acclimatise to a new one

•Use humidifiers and dehumidifiers if necessary

Use Risk Management

• Provides framework in which to assess your collection's vulnerability to the various agents of deterioration

• Is cyclic if done well and therefore provides framework for ongoing monitoring

• Provides a framework in which collection risk can be looked at alongside other organisational risks

• Is a widely accepted methodology in organisational management

Preservation Basics

Risk Management provides:

• Systematic approach for analysing and evaluating risks and opportunities

• Tools to identify possible hazards, prevent loss and contain “costs”

• Means to reduce uncertainty by treating risks by means that are in proportion to the level of risk faced

• Systematic approach to evaluate the effectiveness of risk treatments

Preservation Basics

Preservation Basics

Resources

• AS/NZS ISO 31000:2009 Risk management - Principles and guidelines

• Risk management guide for small businesshttp://www.significanceinternational.com/Portals/0/Documents/2005-sme-risk-management-guide-global-risk-alliance-nsw-dsrd.pdf

Preservation Basics