Dear colleagues,

I am working on converting a relatively small (8ft. x 11 ft. x 9ft. high) closet into an archival storage space at my institution. The room has painted cinder block walls and no windows. Record storage boxes will be housed on shelves lining the walls.

Anecdotal experience tells me that the temperature in the room stays relatively constant, but the humidity is sometimes much higher than is ideal for an archival collection that is mostly paper materials (with a few VHS tapes and other miscellaneous objects).

I am planning to purchase a dehumidifier to rectify this situation, but I would like to monitor the temperature and humidity level in the room more precisely than I am able to by just walking in and making an educated guess.

I've taken a look at a number of fairly basic humidity monitors (such as this one from Gaylord: https://www.gaylord.com/Environmental-Control/Temperature-%26-Humidity-Monitors/Testo-High-Stability-Temperature-%26-Humidity-Logger/p/T175H1), but I find myself without a good sense of the features I'll realistically need.

Archivists and collections managers of AAM, I'd love your help! Do you have any advice on developing a shoestring humidity management and monitoring system for your archival storage?

Thank you so much in advance for your thoughtful advice.

Best,

Nora Katz

------------------------------
Nora Katz
Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL)
Jackson, MS
------------------------------

------Original Message------

Dear colleagues,

I am working on converting a relatively small (8ft. x 11 ft. x 9ft. high) closet into an archival storage space at my institution. The room has painted cinder block walls and no windows. Record storage boxes will be housed on shelves lining the walls.

Anecdotal experience tells me that the temperature in the room stays relatively constant, but the humidity is sometimes much higher than is ideal for an archival collection that is mostly paper materials (with a few VHS tapes and other miscellaneous objects).

I am planning to purchase a dehumidifier to rectify this situation, but I would like to monitor the temperature and humidity level in the room more precisely than I am able to by just walking in and making an educated guess.

I've taken a look at a number of fairly basic humidity monitors (such as this one from Gaylord: https://www.gaylord.com/Environmental-Control/Temperature-%26-Humidity-Monitors/Testo-High-Stability-Temperature-%26-Humidity-Logger/p/T175H1), but I find myself without a good sense of the features I'll realistically need.

Archivists and collections managers of AAM, I'd love your help! Do you have any advice on developing a shoestring humidity management and monitoring system for your archival storage?

Thank you so much in advance for your thoughtful advice.

Best,

Nora Katz

------------------------------
Nora Katz
Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL)
Jackson, MS
------------------------------

we have purchased loggers from this company. The ones we currently have require us to download data from it every so often, which can be downloaded via their software and converted into spreadsheets, jpegs, etc.  We are hoping to upgrade to ones that send the data to the cloud so the physical downloading will no longer be necessary. Temperature Humidity Data Loggers - CAS DataLoggers

CAS Dataloggers		remove preview
Temperature Humidity Data Loggers - CAS DataLoggers Read More... Temperature Humidity Data Loggers are available with a wide range and a variety of features to fit any application. Environmental temperature and humidity loggers generally include sensors and are used to measure ambient temperature and RH% in many settings. View this on CAS Dataloggers >

/

------------------------------
Olivia Lahs-Gonzales
Director
The Sheldon Art Galleries
Saint Louis MO
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-23-2019 08:57 AM
From: Rachael Arenstein
Subject: Temperature and humidity monitoring systems

Dear Nora,

Testo is a good company that has made a real effort at understanding the needs of cultural heritage institutions.  To determine what product might meet your need you might find a webinar that I did for the Connecting to Collections Care website helpful

https://www.connectingtocollections.org/recording-community-webinar-choosing-the-datalogger-that-is-right-for-you/

as well as the NPS Conserve O Gram.

https://www.nps.gov/museum/publications/conserveogram/03-03.pdf

Products come and go but understanding the various specifications may help you think about your application and what will best meet your need.

Best,

Rachael

 

Rachael Perkins Arenstein

AIC Professional Associate & e-Editor

rarenstein@conservation-us.org

917-796-1764

 

Original Message------

Dear colleagues,

I am working on converting a relatively small (8ft. x 11 ft. x 9ft. high) closet into an archival storage space at my institution. The room has painted cinder block walls and no windows. Record storage boxes will be housed on shelves lining the walls.

Anecdotal experience tells me that the temperature in the room stays relatively constant, but the humidity is sometimes much higher than is ideal for an archival collection that is mostly paper materials (with a few VHS tapes and other miscellaneous objects).

I am planning to purchase a dehumidifier to rectify this situation, but I would like to monitor the temperature and humidity level in the room more precisely than I am able to by just walking in and making an educated guess.

I've taken a look at a number of fairly basic humidity monitors (such as this one from Gaylord: https://www.gaylord.com/Environmental-Control/Temperature-%26-Humidity-Monitors/Testo-High-Stability-Temperature-%26-Humidity-Logger/p/T175H1), but I find myself without a good sense of the features I'll realistically need.

Archivists and collections managers of AAM, I'd love your help! Do you have any advice on developing a shoestring humidity management and monitoring system for your archival storage?

Thank you so much in advance for your thoughtful advice.

Best,

Nora Katz

------------------------------
Nora Katz
Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL)
Jackson, MS
------------------------------

Nora,

Have you looked into what it would take to get the room ventilated to the rest of the building?  If the room has a false ceiling that is open to the rest of the building, it wouldn't take a lot to put a small tap off existing duct work to feed a ceiling vent.  If not, it wouldn't be too difficult to remove 1 cinder block to an adjoining room and replacing it with a grill to allow air flow.  Then add louvers in the door to allow for return air.

This would do away with the maintenance issue of having to routinely empty the dehumidifier if the room doesn't have a drain.

------------------------------
Bill Browne
Westlake LA
------------------------------

Another potential concern, especially because the room is small, is the heat generated by the dehumidifier. That's going to affect the stability of the temperature which will in turn affect the RH. I'd put in the data logger and let it give you some figures before buying and installing the dehumidifier, just to be sure what the  levels and fluctuations actually are.

db

------------------------------
Dan Bartlett
Curator of Exhibits
Elmhurst History Museum
Elmhurst IL
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-23-2019 09:54 AM
From: Bill Browne
Subject: Temperature and humidity monitoring systems

Nora,

Have you looked into what it would take to get the room ventilated to the rest of the building?  If the room has a false ceiling that is open to the rest of the building, it wouldn't take a lot to put a small tap off existing duct work to feed a ceiling vent.  If not, it wouldn't be too difficult to remove 1 cinder block to an adjoining room and replacing it with a grill to allow air flow.  Then add louvers in the door to allow for return air.

This would do away with the maintenance issue of having to routinely empty the dehumidifier if the room doesn't have a drain.

------------------------------
Bill Browne
Westlake LA
------------------------------

Take a look at the following webinars from Connecting to Collections Care - they might be of help:

Choosing the Datalogger That Is Right for You
https://www.connectingtocollections.org/recording-community-webinar-choosing-the-datalogger-that-is-right-for-you/

Wireless Dataloggers https://www.connectingtocollections.org/online-event-wireless-dataloggers/

Wireless Environmental Monitoring: Is it right for you? https://www.connectingtocollections.org/wireless-environmental-monitoring/ 

Susan

------------------------------
M. Susan Barger PhD
Online Community Coordinator Connecting to Collections Care
Foundation of the American Institute & Artistic Works (FAIC)
Washington DC
------------------------------

Good evening, all - Can you determine if there is a vapor barrier installed in those cinder block walls? I am concerned that if there is no vapor barrier, due to the process of osmosis, moisture travels to the interior from the outside.
Regards,
Meg

------------------------------
Margaret Geiss-Mooney
Conservator
meg@textileconservator.com
------------------------------

Original Message:
Sent: 04-23-2019 11:59 AM
From: M. Susan Barger
Subject: Temperature and humidity monitoring systems

Take a look at the following webinars from Connecting to Collections Care - they might be of help:

Choosing the Datalogger That Is Right for You
https://www.connectingtocollections.org/recording-community-webinar-choosing-the-datalogger-that-is-right-for-you/

Wireless Dataloggers https://www.connectingtocollections.org/online-event-wireless-dataloggers/

Wireless Environmental Monitoring: Is it right for you? https://www.connectingtocollections.org/wireless-environmental-monitoring/

Susan

------------------------------
M. Susan Barger PhD
Online Community Coordinator Connecting to Collections Care
Foundation of the American Institute & Artistic Works (FAIC)
Washington DC
------------------------------

There is a discussion and description of the kinds of monitors on the NEDCC's website, including the snapshot and continuous monitor data loggers.  Also check out the Image Permanence Institute's (IPI) discussion on monitoring and their data logger.


------------------------------
MICHELE F. PACIFICO
Archival Facilities Consultant
PO Box 1490, Jackson WY 83001
301-908-8720
martinpacifico@comcast.net
www.pacificoarchivalconsulting.com
------------------------------

The recent replies have offered helpful suggestions on two fronts:
1. what to do to make the space more appropriate with vapor barriers, ventilation, etc.
2. resources on how to evaluate loggers

Susan Barger's post mentioned two webinars that I did for the Connecting to Collections Care website that deal with wireless monitoring and are follow ups to the one that I mentioned on stand-alone dataloggers. If you are interested in this route then the Wireless Monitoring: Is it Right for You is the more updated talk.

Wireless systems can be great - but they are not for every application. I would emphasize, that there are a lot of products on the market that will do the job of giving you temp and RH data to check on how well your space is meeting the needs of your collections. What works for a different institution may not be right for you based on your budget, infrastructure, IT capacity, etc.  You can use the NPS, NEDCC and C2CCare resources to learn which products are in wide use by similar institutions and have good reputations in our field. These are not the only products.  But ultimately the goal of monitoring is not to make choosing a datalogger a major project, but to get data that will allow you to make sensible decisions about your space and guide any modifications it will need to be safe for your collections.

Best,
Rachael

------------------------------
Rachael Arenstein
Conservator
A.M. Art Conservation LLC
Scarsdale NY
------------------------------

​For what it's worth, these data loggers are pretty handy.
HOBO Bluetooth Smart Data Loggers | Onset HOBO

They are Bluetooth-enabled, so you can read the Temp/RH on your smart phone without actually going into the space (as long as you are about 20-30 feet away from device).  This makes it so you wouldn't have to open the door which could change the Temp/Rh in the space you are trying to maintain.

Note*- There are probably other Bluetooth-enabled Temp/RH monitors out there that work great.  I am not connected to the Onset/HOBO company.  I have been using these for about 2-3 years though, and so far they have been pretty solid.     


------------------------------
Todd Holmberg
Collection Maintenance Technician
Minneapolis Institute of Art
Minneapolis MN
------------------------------