Indiana Historical Society


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DOCUMENT CONSERVATION :: integrated pest management

Controlling pests in the collection environment depends upon the development and implementation of procedures that prevent pests from entering the building coupled with knowledge to safely eliminate infestation at the source. A properly maintained collections environment will prove inhospitable to most insects, molds and mildews. Good housekeeping and frequent monitoring of collections also helps prevent pest infestation
A pest management strategy will always attempt to halt sources of infestation prior to entry into the building. Some aspects of the design of the Indiana Historical Society building take this into account. The dock area employs a curtain wall of air that blows air down and out to keep entry of flying insects at a minimum. Sticky traps are placed at optimum levels for flying insects along with ultraviolet lights to attract certain insects that may have entered. Food brought into the building for the café is moved down a single story elevator to keep food from entering other service elevators that are used for collection material.

As part of a pest management program, a 1,500 square foot area close to the loading dock is used to segregate in-coming collections. It has been designed to sequester materials brought from attics, basements, barns and other out buildings. Curators notify the conservation staff and the materials are examined for possible infestation.	Click image to enlarge
Click image to enlarge	Collections with evidence of previous infestation are subjected to a 48 hour freeze/thaw/freeze cycle at 20 degrees below F. Two commercial Puffer Hubbard sub-zero freezers are used to freeze collections suspected of possible infestation. It has been found that cycling the temperature kills the insect at all stages (egg, pupae, and adult).
Originals with mold or mildew are further segregated into a room that can be washed down after vacuuming with HEPA vacuums	Click image to enlarge
Click image to enlarge	Originals with heavy layers of soil are surface cleaned in the segregated area
Conservation staff maintain a policy to cover hair, shoes, clothes, and mouths whenever mold is present. Efficient HEPA vacuums are used to gently vacuum away mold. This tiled area is easily washed down for the next collection that may have a problem with mold.	Click image to enlarge

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