In 2007, the Western New York Library Resources Council (WNYLRC) launched the Preservation Environment Monitor (PEM) program as a new service for WNYLRC member organizations. It has been five years since the project was initiated through a grant from the New York State Library Conservation & Preservation Program. The grant allowed WNYLRC to purchase 6 of the devices from the Image Permanence Institute (IPI) at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) that developed the product. WNYLRC used the accompanying software (Climate Notebook) to read the data being collected by the devices and generate reports to be used by institutions in developing preservation plans. This was seen as a project to promote resource sharing, since the cost of the devices would have been prohibitive or not a high priority for many of our member organizations facing tighter and tighter budgets. Since the initial launch, we have provided the devices to twelve different member organizations and have recently upgraded the products with newer devices and software.
Simply put, the PEM is a small device that is placed in a location that an institution normally uses to store or display its archival, library or special collections materials (in most cases, it us used to monitor storage area conditions). The device takes a reading every 5 minutes, and averages six of those together to create a 30 minute datapoint, all day every day for one year. This way, you get a complete picture of the environmental conditions in which your collection “lives” over the year, taking into account changes in outside temperature and humidity and its impact on inside temperature and humidity. The staff at IPI obtains quarterly temperature and humidity readings from local weather service data to measure outside changes against the changes inside the building where the device is stored. Initially IPI only provided these weather readings annually, which caused some delays in WNYLRC getting reports out, but now with quarterly readings, reports come to the client institution in a timely fashion.
The report is generated and sent to the client institution – we can provide reports electronically, hard copy or both, depending on your preferences. The goal of the report is to provide data to estimate the long-term impact of the environment on the natural aging of collection materials, as well as to calculate the risk of mold growth and physical damage to collections in that environment due to current conditions in a calendar year, taking into account seasonal and other periodic changes that normally occur at this location. While daily readings can be obtained from the PEM, this is not the intended use of the product. Failure to operate the equipment correctly to obtain routine readings may result in corrupting or losing data for the final report. A simple hygrothermograph device can be installed for routine readings.
The PEM data report is a scientifically accurate report on environmental conditions in a specific location, and should not be considered as the only resource for analyzing and remediating environmental conditions at your institution. The device cannot detect and warn for things like leaking or freezing pipes, wall or ceiling cracks, the introduction of food or particulate pollutants in the area, and other potentially destabilizing conditions that are occurring. What the device will detect are environmental changes resulting from these conditions when the conditions create a measurable change in temperature and relative humidity in the area. It is up to the staff at the client institution to note occurrences of a destabilizing nature and use the data to estimate the potential damage that could take place as a result.
Several institutions in the region have used the PEM reports to remediate an existing situation, provide evidence for grant funding, provide administrative personnel with information to advocate for changes in the physical facility, and to raise funds or awareness and support for needed changes from advocates of the institution. In many cases, the use of the PEM has proven to be cost effective and useful. Where the PEMs have not been as cost effective or as useful as they could have been has been attributed to lack of administrative support for the needed changes.
The PEM data report is not a stand-alone tool in facilitating, devising, or executing remedial actions to stabilize an environment. The data is most useful when used in conjunction with other information, such as demonstrating the high use of a collection, the unique or irreplaceable value of a collection should it be lost, and other factors that can be used to assess a relative value of taking steps to stabilize the environment against the costs of not taking any action. Remember, the PEM device is only one tool that you can use to analyze and present data about environmental conditions affecting your collections. It is the responsibility of the staff to utilize the information in a way that maximizes the impact of the information in devising remediation actions that will prove cost effective and worth the investment in preserving the materials of the institution for future use.
Generally speaking, staff at an institution will already know that they have a “situation” that requires attention, but may not have the hard evidence to back up their assertions. This is when a PEM is requested. The PEM data reports can be used as one means for convincing facility and administrative staff that remedial actions are required in order to stabilize conditions and slow down deterioration of collections. In some cases, the PEM has been effective to the extent that institutions have purchased their own for use in other areas. In other cases, the staff member requesting the PEM had not informed anyone of the program, and when that person left their position at the institution, there was no follow up taken. It is therefore most useful to have facility, administration and collections staff all on board and aware of the potential problems arising from an unstable environment ahead of time when considering using the Preservation Environment Monitor at your institution. Everyone involved should be fully aware that the investment of time and money for deploying a PEM may only be the first step and investment of resources in effecting a positive long-term change that will ensure future accessibility and use of your information resources.
Be sure to visit the WNYLRC website to find out how you can obtain a PEM.
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