Collection Standards and Sustainability Bibliography
The following bibliography is under construction as a result of discussions and research undertaken by the CAMD Sustainability Working Group. The Working Group, which was established by CAMD in July 2013, is reviewing science and practice in relation to climate control settings in collection storage and exhibition areas in Australia and New Zealand and internationally. Please see current issues for further information about the activities of the Working Group. The bibliography will be added to on a progressive basis.
Debate & Comment
- Julian Bickersteth, ‘A Sustainable Future? The vexed question of environmental conditions in museums’, paper presented at the Museums Australia National Conference, Canberra, 2013 (awaiting release). The paper acknowledges that relaxation of environmental conditions in museums and galleries is still far from resolved. It explores a number of ways forward including: collaboration between engineers and conservators to achieve maximum efficiency from HVAC system and the development of a holistic understanding of each museum’s collection, HVAC systems and capabilities, buildings, outdoor climate and the infrastructure/capabilities of staff.
- Michaela Boland, Things Hotting up in our galleries, The Australian, 23 May 2013
- Jonathon Ashley-Smith, Andreas Burmester and Melanie Eibl (eds) Climate for Collections: Standards and Uncertainties, , Doerner Institut, 2013. The papers in this volume are from the Munich Climate Conference 7 – 9 November 2012. They investigate the known and unknown in relation to suitable environmental conditions for cultural heritage collections.
- Maryanne McCubbin, ‘Environmental Parameters for Collections – A Summary of the State of Play’, paper presented to CAMD meeting (May 2013)
- Carole Hammond, EcoMuseum, ‘Can We Change the Environmental Conditions in Museums and Galleries?’ (June 10 2011)
- Julian Bickersteth, Greener Museums and sustainable practice, Museums Australia Magazine, Vol 18 (3&4) – June 2010
Guidelines & Standards
- International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (IIC), ‘IIC announces declaration on Environmental Guidelines’, 26 September 2014. Joint IIC and ICOM-CC declaration from conservation profession on sustainability and environmental management of conservation items.
- Powerhouse Museum, Environmental Guidelines – Current Measures at the Powerhouse Museum, November 2013
- PAS198:2012 (2012) provides a new UK Specification for managing environmental conditions for cultural collections that acknowledges that ‘museums need to approach long-term collections care in a way that does not require excessive use of energy, whilst recognising their duty of care to collections’.
- European Standard for Conservation of Cultural Property (EN 15757) 2010
- National Museum Director’s Conference, NMDC guiding principles for reducing museums’ carbon footprint, 2009. The 3 page guideline for environmental conditions was released by NMDC UK in August 2009 as a major move towards a less energy-intensive approach to collections care.
- American Society for Heating Refrigeration Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), ASHRAE Handbook, Chapt 23 Museums, Galleries, Archives and Libraries, 2011
Research
- Robyn Sloggett, ‘The Behaviour of Western Artists’ Materials in Tropical Environments’, ARC project (201?) . The project looks at painting conservation in four museums in Malaysia, Phillipines, Singapore and Thailand. The project was designed to develop new methodologies and guidelines for the preventive care, transportation, storage and conservation treatment of western artists’ materials in hot, humid climates.
Strategies & Trials – Australian and New Zealand
- Auckland Museum cuts carbon emission by 50 per cent, Scoop 25 March 2014
- Commissioner for Environmental Sustainability Victoria, A Modern Approach to Sustainability at the State Library (Victoria)
- Scott Mitchell, Colin MacGregor and Glenn Hodges ‘Outside the comfort zone: Energy consumption in the museums sector’, Museums Australia Magazine, Vol. 22(2) – Summer 2013. Outlines experiments carried out at the Australian Museum including periodic overnight shutdowns of the air handling plants servicing collection stores (which had previously operated 24 hours a day) as well as the installation of more energy-efficient equipment. The work is ongoing but, as of mid-2013, the Australian Museum had reduced electricity consumption by approximately 18%.For an abridged version of the article see Scott Mitchell, blog, Australian Museum (2 Jan 2014)
- Jennifer Lloyd, ‘Switching off: trialling sustainable collection storage at the National Library’, paper presented at the Museums Australia National Conference, Canberra, 2013 (awaiting release). Deals with a 12 month trial by the National Library which turned off the air conditioning at its Hume repositry in order to see how well the building passively maintained conditions. The joint project between Building Services and Preservation has involved extensive testing of the storage environment for paper-based collections and Building Services monitors conditions on a daily basis. It was agreed that, if the relative humidity rose above 65% for 1 week, or if the temperature exceeded 26% for more than 48 hours, the system would be turned back on to control conditions. Preservation also placed dataloggers on shelving, and within collection material in order to monitor the conditions within the collection itself, and to analyse the buffering effect that a paper-based collection can provide. The paper discusses the success of the trial, the Library’s research findings, and lessons that the Library is learning about storing collections in an environmentally sustainable way.
- Jennifer Lloyd, ‘Library achieves energy savings‘, NLA Blog, March 14 2014
- Toner Stevenson, ‘At the frontier of heritage conservation. A report from the Museums Australia Conference, Perth, Nov 25 2011‘, Inside the Collection – Powerhouse Museum
- Museum Victoria, Climate Change Challenges, 19 Jan 2009
Strategies & Trials – Overseas
- Museums Association (UK) Museum Practice provides brief case studies of UK museums and historic houses addressing sustainability in relation to, for example, sustainable museum stores, a zero-waste museum, sustainability in heritage listed buildings and temperature and humidity controls (may involve paywall).
- National Archives Kew, Sustainable environmental management, 2014
- Julie’s Bicycle, Sustaining Great Art – Environmental Report – Year One results and highlights, 2013. Outcome of environmental sustainability requirements including in funding agreements under Arts Council England.
- Julie’s Bicycle, Energising Culture: A Guide to Future Energy for Cultural Buildings, 2012
- Museums and Art Galleries: Survival Strategies MLA UK & ARUP, 2010. A guide for reducing operating costs and improving sustainability.
