Museums require a specific level of maintenance in order to preserve historic artifacts. December 2, 2024
Museums are so much more than a popular school field trip destination. Museums allow for the present to meet the past, as museums help preserve and protect important and historical artifacts. These facilities help bridge cultural divides by offering experiences that aren’t always widely available to community members. Because of this, the American public believes museums are extremely trustworthy, according to the American Alliance of Museums.
With these facilities seen as educational assets for communities, museum facility managers can feel the pressure of maintaining the building so that artifacts remain in pristine condition.
Not all museums house the same items. Art museums have different maintenance needs than a children’s museum. Meanwhile, natural history museums can have a range of items that span across different cultures, requiring different needs from the spaces they are displayed in.
“The main preservation techniques we utilize to safeguard our collections consist generally of environmental and material considerations,” says Sara Podejko, registrar and collections move project manager, Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM). “We make sure to tightly control the exhibit and storage environment, focusing on creating setpoints and range deviations for temperature, relative humidity, and light exposure based on the material type of the objects. We utilize materials that are acid-free and chemically inert, which means they won’t react negatively with the objects in our collections. We also ensure that any material used in close contact to collections won’t off-gas hazardous fumes, which can cause degradation over time.”
A well-known phrase within the museum community is “light damage is cumulative and irreversible.” Facility managers need to be careful about the amount of light each object is exposed to over the course of its existence as it can cause a bleaching affect, thus damaging it forever. Utilizing light sensors in the facility can help control the amount of exposure an object gets. LED lights with no UV output, low-to-no IR and an appropriate color temperature can also aid in protecting the objects from any long-term damage.
“Lamps are selected for specific parameters such as UV, IR, light output and light color,” says Steve Raynier, director of facility operations and projects, Milwaukee Public Museum. “Where we are unable to avoid UV emittance with lamp selection, we employ UV filters and sleeves. We monitor lamp and filter degradation and proactively replace them as needed. Where objects may be affected by natural light, we utilize window films. We always specify proper lamp selection for the application; often, an object can be illuminated safely by using indirect lighting.”
Collections are typically monitored using a “spot-based” process. This is achieved by using small, handheld data loggers that monitor temperature, relative humidity and light exposure. Managers can deploy loggers within exhibit cases, storage drawers, crates or within rooms to generate a detailed, albeit narrow picture of the environment. In addition, accelerometers, light meters, building automation system devices, temperature/relative humidity data loggers can be used to ensure the safety of items.
However, items that aren’t on display need to be handled with just as much care. Environmental and lighting controls are carefully tuned for materials that are being put in storage, with ongoing monitoring occurring to ensure compliance with established allowable parameters. It is recommended that objects be stored in dedicated collections storage rooms that are outfitted to protect against the agents of deterioration. At MPM, storage rooms contain shelves that store objects 7-10 feet off the ground to protect against flooding. Raynier explains that water detectors are strategically placed throughout storage areas within MPM and are tested monthly to ensure a reliable operation.
“Most collections are enclosed in gasketed steel cabinets, which assist in ensuring environmental stability and also protect from general dust buildup,” says Podejko. “These cabinets can be vented to allow for controlled airflow to objects that may off-gas due to natural degradation. However, even the most well-outfitted storage areas require building-wide control and monitoring.”
Considering the important history of some of the artifacts, it is essential that the facilities team conduct regular drills to ensure the safety and security of the building. At the MPM, building rounds are performed on all three shifts every day, and the staff is trained to use all their senses to detect issues. Raynier has taught his staff ask the following questions during rounds:
- Do you smell gas/smoke/burning belts?
- Do you see water or smoke?
- Does it feel unusually hot or humid?
- Do you hear a squeal, hiss or vibration?
Raynier and the museum’s emergency response team meet monthly to review and update policies, discuss trends/threats, schedule drills, capture and discuss lessons-learned from previous drills and actual events and perform tabletop exercises in disaster response. To best facilitate this, MPM has stocked mobile emergency carts that contain materials such as flashlights, gloves, wet-vacuums, paper, buckets and more.
“The most important preparation tool for many museums is to have a dedicated emergency response plan that details the museum’s course of action in the event of a disaster,” says Podejko. “As part of this building-wide plan, there are specific sections dedicated to collections salvage after an emergency has occurred. This information is broken down by material type, and includes resources, procedures, and local contacts to assist in salvage. There are also features built into our collection storage areas that help guard against natural disasters, like water and fireproof cabinetry, earthquake bars, and ensuring that all collections are covered by a barrier layer against dust and water.”
It’s not always easy maintaining a building like a museum, though. Any work that needs to be done within the facility will likely affect many other parties and stakeholders. In order to get projects done, Raynier will schedule maintenance activities to occur around the museum’s operating hours or after events. Openly communicating maintenance needs can help with scheduling and troubleshooting and problems that may arise.
“[They say] Challenges are just opportunities,” says Raynier. “I wouldn’t love the job as much as I do without them. No two days look alike in facilities operations at the museum -or anywhere for that matter. Every day requires me to think on my feet and have a tactical response, work on long range strategic plans and embrace the issue of the day. It really is a fulfilling career.”
By Mackenna Moralez, Associate Editor
Mackenna Moralez is the associate editor of the facilities market.
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