Environmental Checklist

A variety of small easily accomplished steps can be taken to make any store area better suited to housing museum objects more safely. Most emphasis should be given to good standards of cleanliness. There are other things that affect conditions and deterioration of objects and many of these can be corrected or avoided with small expenditure, a little work and some planning.

Checklist

1.	Keep store areas as clean as possible with good housekeeping standards.
2.	Check where water pipes run and avoid having objects stored near them.
3.	Provide adequate air circulation to discourage mould growth and insect attack.
4.	Store objects in an archival quality box, if possible, wrapped in acid free tissue (where appropriate) to buffer against environmental changes and pollutants and offer some barrier to insects and pests.
5.	Inspect areas regularly and monitor for any signs of change. Maintain a register to be signed off each time the areas have been inspected.
6.	Restrict access to a limited number of authorized personnel.
7.	Avoid composite wood products (chipboard, plywood, etc.) in storage furniture to limit damaging toxins.
8.	Acquire strong, durable stable, space efficient and adjustable shelving to accommodate a range of different sized objects.
9.	Have shelving or trolleys readily available so that objects are not endangered during tricky storage manoeuvres.
10.	It is essential that temperature and relative humidity (RH) in the storage area be at a constant level.
11.	Eliminate all natural light with dark curtains and ensure that the lights can be turned off when the store is not in use. Timers and dimmers on lights should be considered.
12.	Keep gutters clean and plant growth close to the building to a minimum.
13.	Security of facility – both in relation to a disaster (i.e. a proper plan, regularly checked fire extinguishers etc.) and in relation to adequate locks and after hours lighting.
14.	As part of the planning process, develop a disaster preparedness plan to eliminate or reduce potential risks to the collection including: fire and flood, theft and burglary, vandalism and accidental damage. In addition to prevention, a comprehensive recovery plan should be developed that details skills and resources that can be accessed in case of an emergency or disaster.