[Nhcoll-l] [EXT] Animal bone collection and temperatures

[Valerie Tomlinson]

Hi Nadja,
There is movement in the museum world when it comes to sustainability practices to expand the allowable environmental conditions allowed for artefacts (other than for the highly sensitive ones). With this in mind, new standards are allowing a temperature range of 0+°C - 25°C, i.e. not exceeding 25°C and not below 0°C (no freeze-thaw cycles). Most specimens and artefact materials are actually better off at lower temperatures (provided you don't allow freeze-thaw cycles), however, you have to pay attention to the impact of temperature on humidity. You don't want to let the humidity rise above 60% if you are letting the temperature drop.
Ideally you don't allow rapid fluctuations in this range either.
Bone material should be fine in this temperature range, so long as you don't allow the humidity to go crazy, and don't allow things to freeze (especially with wet/moist bone).
That's my recommendation.
Valerie Tomlinson

From: Nhcoll-l <nhcoll-l-bounces at mailman.yale.edu> On Behalf Of Nadja Pöllath
Sent: Saturday, September 3, 2022 2:16 PM
To: nhcoll-l at mailman.yale.edu
Subject: [EXT][Nhcoll-l] Animal bone collection and temperatures

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Dear all,
this is my first post to nhcoll listserve - so please bear with me, if I am not following the conventions of this list.

I am a curator at a collection housing archaeological animal bones and modern reference specimens. With the energy crisis, the Bavarian state ordered that the heating system in the collection shall only be working before room temperature drops below 0°C. According to the Preventive Conservation 'bible' temperatures in storage rooms generally should not drop below 15°C. I'd like to hear about the guidelines regarding room temperature limits in comparable collections.

More critical for archaeological and subfossil bones apparently are low RH values. As RH and temperatures are dependent variables, it would be good to know at which RH values damages are induced.

Many thanks,
Nadja
(Staatssammlung für Paläoanatomie München, Staatliche Naturwissenschaftliche Sammlungen Bayerns)



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