Abstract:
As we increasingly confront the environmental consequences of climate change, it is vitally important that natural science museums continue to collect and preserve specimens and objects to document its effects. Because scientific specimens are a record of the occurrence of a species at a particular time and place and contain clues to what their environment was like, natural science collections allow us to analyze past environmental patterns and predict future changes, but our ability to use collections in this way depends on having specimens collected over a long timespan. Continued collecting should be conducted in accordance with standards for equitable biological fieldwork. Although it is important to continue preparing specimens in traditional ways (e.g., dry specimens, skeletons, fluid-preserved specimens), it is equally important to develop new preservation techniques to meet the needs of future research (such as molecular systematics, isotope studies, microbiome research). To accommodate this increase in collection size, institutions should use the principles of preventive conservation to design more efficient collection storage arrays and facilities with stable, passive environments.
Presenter:
- John E. Simmons, Writer and Museum Consultant at Museologica; Associate Curator of Collections at Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery of Penn State University; and Investigador Asociado, Departamento de Ornitologia Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima
Abstract:
Climate change is an incredible threat to ecosystems globally. We therefore need collections as a stronghold of taxonomic and biological information, including historical distribution and occurrence records to enable conservation and environmental management.
The Australian National Herbarium (ANH) at CSIRO contains ~1,209,000 specimens dating back to 1770. This vast collection supports the work of those researching the influence of climate change.
The ANH ethanol collection contains 28,000 specimens. This collection had received limited curatorial attention prior to 2021 but is now the subject of a major curation project. Several challenges have been encountered, including remediation and elimination of formaldehyde as a preservative, locating lost specimen information, and improving accessibility of specimen data. These challenges highlight the necessity of collections upkeep and how it is essential in their function as a scientific resource. The ethanol collection supports the main herbarium collection, providing an additional storage option for uncompressible material, and preserving three dimensional morphological characteristics in groups such as the Orchidaceae.
CSIRO is currently building a new collections facility with purpose-built storage for the ethanol collections of the Australian National Herbarium, Australian National Insect Collection, and Australian National Wildlife Collection. This facility will provide improved protection for collections and will also improve access, bringing all collections together. This will facilitate ecological and other research and allow for more effective collections management.
Though climate change mitigation research can draw on collections data, collection management itself can be a contributor to climate change. For example, the ethanol relocation project required new jars, lids, and seals which were shipped internationally, involving the manufacture of new materials and disposal of old. Formaldehyde contamination additionally limited the responsible disposal of products. Impacts like these need to be considered and mitigated into the future, to protect the future.
Presenter:
- Tasha James, Curatorial Technician The Australian National Herbarium, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO)
Abstract:
The Climate Smart Humanities Organizations program strengthens the institutional base of the humanities by supporting strategic planning for climate change. This type of comprehensive planning increases organizational resilience and involves two primary assessment types: mitigation, which looks for ways to reduce an institution’s impact on the environment, and adaptation, which looks for ways to protect an organization from climate impacts. Together, mitigation and adaptation form the basis of the resulting strategic plan and help humanities organizations increase resilience and sustainability in the long term—they become climate smart.
The Climate Smart program supports these efforts by offering federal matching funds for the completion of comprehensive assessments that lead to strategic climate action and adaptation plans. Strategic planning considers operational, physical, and financial impacts of climate-related events on institutions, while also seeking to reduce overall environmental impact. Projects should propose to undertake a range of assessment activities such as comprehensive energy audits, climate risk assessments, and/or carbon footprint calculation. These efforts should include institutional staff at all levels and may also rely upon outside consultants, experts, and community partners.
The result of the grant will be a climate smart strategic plan that establishes goals and prioritized actions to reduce the organization’s impacts on the environment and/or vulnerability from extreme events, while supporting work in the humanities over the long term.
Eligible organizations can apply on behalf of their own institution or lead a community-based consortium of collaborating cultural organizations. All applicants must raise third-party, nonfederal funds in an equal amount to what is requested from NEH.
Award levels and matching requirements:
- Up to $300,000 in NEH funds
- All projects require a 1:1 match (max. total award $600,000)
Deadline: January 17, 2023
https://www.neh.gov/program/climate-smart-humanities-organizations-0
Presenter:
- Tatiana Ausema, Senior Program Officer, National Endowment for the Humanities
Abstract:
Bioplastics are a category of plastics that are relatively new to the museum field. They can be, often by design, relatively unstable in the context of other artist materials found in museums. This paper discusses works of “designed decay” in contrast with “inherent vice”- a term long used in the heritage field to describe misbehaving materials. Drawing on literature from material culture history, material ecology, material politics, industrial ecology, and economics, I argue that we should use the framing of “emotional durability” (a term borrowed from design/economists) and “uncanny preservation” (described here) to help shed light on this problem. For bioplastics designed to decay, treating them with other materials in a state of suspended or arrested change is counter to their stated purpose, yet essential to maintaining displayable examples for the future, according to current norms.
First, we must acknowledge that museum professionals frame material durability in very different terms from the general public. Plastics are a paramount example-- if you asked most conservators whether plastics were durable materials, they would certainly say no. Plastics in museum collections are problematic: oozing plasticizers, blanching, cracking, crazing, and fatiguing. But in terms of environmental impact, plastics, especially single-use plastics designed for packaging, are far too permanent and degrade too slowly. How can we, as caretakers of cultural heritage, reconcile these philosophically conflicting issues? What would it look like if conservators abandoned their habitual behaviors to preserve and protect materials and instead actively encouraged decay?
Presenter:
- Jessica Walthew (she/her), Objects Conservator, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
Abstract:
Our museum’s collections reflect 125+ years of research, education, and industrial collaborations at the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences, Penn State. Over time, the college’s emphasis has evolved from mining engineering to mineral industries and sciences to the advancement of knowledge of Earth processes, natural resources, energy, environment, and sustainability. As the college focus shifted away from traditional natural science object-based research, the museum has modified its use and interpretation of its collections to remain relevant within the college. Taking a critical look at the museums’ mission and collections stewardship practices, the college’s and university’s strategic plans, and the use and interpretation of the museum’s collections in current research and teaching has been critical for developing strategies that promote the museum and its collections as institutionally relevant and sustainable. During the last decade, the museum has endeavored to incorporate sustainability into its operations, policies, and planning in an effort to ensure its diverse collections of earth materials, technologies and tools of research and teaching, and industrial art gain recognition as physical objects that embody data, knowledge, and unique pathways of engagement with science, technology, engineering, art, history, and the environment. Efforts to promote the relevance of the collections are balanced with the reality of limited budgets, limited space, limited staff positions, and increasingly non-traditional use of the collections for research and education. Successful outcomes of our approach are dependent upon not only adopting sustainable practices and policies of collections care but on the museum creating sustainable relationships with individuals and groups in and out of the college. Creating a multifaceted model that promotes mission and sustainability across museum operations and planning has facilitated the development of museum practices and policies that prioritize sustainability.
Presenter:
- Julianne Snider, Director / Associate Research Professor of the Earth and Mineral Sciences Museum & Art Gallery at Penn State University
Abstract:
For decades, the organic materials study collection at the Winterthur/University of Delaware Program in Art Conservation (WUDPAC) has played a pivotal role in teaching. It has grown over time to include numerous examples of plant- and animal-based materials in their raw and worked states, along with an array of rubbers and plastics. For students, being able to examine and physically handle these materials enhances learning, often in profound ways. This talk will further explore how the study collection has impacted education and outreach, both within and beyond WUDPAC, and discuss the ways in which our approaches to using, organizing, and adding to it have evolved throughout the history of the program. It will also consider the importance of such study collections not only for teaching about material properties and traditions of use, but in fostering a greater sense of connection to the natural world and raising awareness of critical environmental issues.
Presenter:
- Lara Kaplan (she/her), Objects Conservator, Winterthur Museum and Affiliated Assistant Professor, University of Delaware
Abstract:
Public Historian Donna Graves will share a new National Park Service project that expands how the agency communicates about the climate crisis. “History and Hope: Interpreting the Roots of Our Climate Crisis and Inspiring Action” is a toolkit designed to help interpreters and other NPS communicators use history to help people understand climate change in new ways and feel inspired to take climate action.
National parks protect some of the nation’s most precious places and objects and hold stories of who we are as a nation and what we value as a society. Rangers and other NPS staff are trusted sources of information, making national parks prime locations to help people grapple with the challenges of the climate crisis.
The purpose of “History and Hope” is to expand our interpretation of climate change. Existing interpretation generally uses scientific and technical language to focus on the physical impacts of climate change on individual national parks. Scientific data about climate change doesn’t reach everyone and misses crucial opportunities to deeply engage the public.
The toolkit supports using narratives based in the history of sites to help people see climate change in a new light — from its human-caused origins to its solutions. Centering human narratives allows visitors to see themselves and their communities within the story. This toolkit can help move people beyond individual action to the collective and systemic changes needed to build a sustainable and just future.
Graves will describe the development of the toolkit, which included consultation with a variety of national parks.
Presenter:
- Donna Graves, Independent Historian and Urban Planner
Abstract:
Two hundred and twenty-two dried and pressed plant specimens sit in a climate-controlled, windowless room at the Academy of Natural Sciences in downtown Philadelphia. The room is filled with tall metal cabinets that nearly touch the ceiling. Opening the cabinet doors releases the tangy odor of dried, dead flowers. It’s a musty fragrance of age, of decay arrested, of captured moments in the lives of landscapes and collectors long dead. Three of the cabinets contain the Herbarium of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, housed today in the city where in 1803 Meriwether Lewis was sent to be trained for the scientific work of the expedition. The flattened flora specimens are mounted on paper sheets and represent the enduring scientific physical and legacy of the iconic journey across the North American continent 1804-06. This presentation will give an overview of the history of the collection, which spans more than two centuries, beginning with the collection of the plants, and their preservation and study by 19th-century scientists. Meriwether Lewis was the primary plant collector on the trip, charged with learning about the vegetation of the unexplored landscape from the Native Nations living there, writing descriptions in the journals, and bringing back specimens and seeds to his scientific mentor, President Thomas Jefferson. The presentation will also focus on the work of Academy Botanists and conservators at the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts at the time of the expedition bicentennial, to modernize the materials used to preserve the specimens so that they can be preserved and, on occasion, displayed, for another two centuries and beyond. Customized protective folders, temperature and humidity controls, and other improvements were developed especially for this priceless collection. A video guided tour of the collection will be provided, with commentary by curators and Botany staff.
Presenter:
- Richard McCourt, Curator of Botany at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University and Professor in the Department of Biodiversity, Earth and Environmental Sciences (BEES) at Drexel University
Abstract:
The goal of exhibition planning through the lens of a preventive conservator is to identify and mitigate risks to long-term preservation of the collection on exhibit. Within the realm of natural science collections, that goal is further complicated by the need for preservation to address not only the aesthetic and structural stability routinely considered in art and history collections, but also the scientific utility of the specimens to answer contemporary and future questions about the natural world. Natural science collections are vast, diverse, and heavily altered from their natural state for long-term preservation within the museum context; often their preparation and preservation materials and methods were employed with research rather than aesthetic goals in mind. To exhibit such materials in a manner that satisfies education and public engagement needs without sacrificing scientific utility, a collaborative process with an equally diverse team of colleagues is required. Various forms of formal and informal communication are also required for this effort, including (but not limited to): team meetings, collections tours, review of construction and design drawings and schedules, and even ad hoc calls and emails. At the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, a temporary exhibit of some of its most treasured collections entitled “Objects of Wonder” stands as a case study in influencing exhibition design from the preventive conservation perspective through the various forms of communication.
Presenter:
- Rebecca A. Kaczkowski, Preventive Conservator at the Smithsonian’s Museum Conservation Institute
Abstract:
The Explorers Club Research Collections are home to more than a century’s worth of materials relevant to climate change that contemporary climate scientists and explorers use to inform their work. The 1881-1884 Lady Franklin Bay Expedition is one such example. The expedition team, led by Adolphus Greely, set out as part of an effort to study and document conditions above the Arctic Circle. Originally intended as a two-year mission, Lady Franklin Bay extended into its third year when multiple relief and supply vessels were unable to reach the team. Of the 25 men who began the expedition, only 6 survived.
Remarkably, after the surviving members of the expedition were rescued, this collection of documents detailing day-to-day official life and meteorological data remained intact in the Arctic until it was recovered on a subsequent expedition in 1899. This session will explore the ill-fated expedition, its surviving materials, and how explorers have used these materials to document and track our changing planet
Presenter:
- Lacey Flint, Archivist and Curator of Research Collections at The Explorers Club
Abstract:
Natural history collections are wonderful repositories of knowledge and beauty. They hold information about where and when different organisms have lived in our planet, about diverse human cultures around the globe, and about the building blocks of planet Earth. They house specimens and cultural objects as well as art, archives, field notes, and scientific instruments, to name only a few. Research and exhibit have traditionally been the main goals of these collections but throughout the years, many institutions have begun to embrace the power of community connections and the importance to decolonize attitudes towards access. Natural history institutions are also key players in the understanding of climate change and its effects on human life and collection care. In addition, the great numbers associated with these collections make them ideal to understand sustainable models for environmental control and reduction of carbon footprint. Conservation of natural history collections involves the understanding that every item in the collection may be researched, exhibited, used, or worn, which adds to the complexity of their care. Unfortunately, conservation of natural history collections does not have the same access to funding sources as other disciplines, limiting the treatment of important specimens, objects, and art, but also limiting who enters the field, as most fellowships in conservation exclude the work on these types of collections. Natural history institutions are becoming well connected through efforts as those by the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections, but still lack connections to non-natural history institutions. This translates into siloed expertise and lack of networking, which only hinders innovation and creativity in the care of all heritage collections. By building bridges of collaboration between different museums, collections, and disciplines, natural history collections can become key players in aiding to understand our changing world, while preserving collections for the future.
Presenter:
- Mariana Di Giacomo, PhD, Natural History Conservator at the Yale Peabody Museum and Chair of the Conservation at Yale Steering Committee of the Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage
Abstract:
Can cultural heritage itself can be sustained through ongoing use and preservation? How many resources are expended assuring a certain level of preservation, and how much of that is necessary versus wasted?
This discussion will look at how risk assessment is essential in providing a measure of anticipated loss of value over time due to adverse material change. This can help determine whether cultural property is being sustained through effective preservation without impeding beneficial use. In regards to the effectiveness of resource expenditure, such as time, attention, materials, energy, and revenue, quantitative risk assessment is crucial.
But how can we determine how to properly allocate resources in order to maximize resource and capital efficiency? Without an in-depth, quantified understanding of what risks are affecting a collection, it can be overwhelming to undertake large projects with no clear understanding of how it will reduce risks or improve the collection. A comprehensive risk assessment can provide insight into the demonstrated risks a collection faces, and often the results are not what is anticipated. Understanding risks and how to best mitigate them can reduce waste from unnecessary projects.
One of the most unsustainable practices in collection care is the allocation of both resources and materials toward projects that do not provide any benefit or improvement to collections on exhibit or in storage. This can include rehousing projects, new lighting, security systems, or temperature and humidity monitoring and control. Risk assessment highlights not only egregiously high risks but also many risks perceived as inordinately high even though they are being managed to acceptable levels. Unwarranted resource expenditure on further reducing those already low risks is antithetic to sustainability.
Through clear communication to all relevant decision makers, as well as their managers, we can ensure that institutions are able to effectively manage all risks to collections, hence improve the sustainability of their preservation function.
Presenters:
- Moya Dumville, Paper Conservator and Risk Analysis Advisor at Protect Heritage Corp and Professor of Conservation at the Fleming College Cultural Heritage Conservation and Management program;
- Robert Waller, President and Senior Risk Analyst with Protect Heritage Corp
Abstract:
Every aspect of our lives affects and is affected by climate change – personal and professional; dreamt of and experienced. As systems, both climate and society are sensitive to the changes humans put in motion. The cultural sector is making important strides in recognizing the need to respond to climate change. This session illustrates how, at every scale, cultural heritage professionals and institutions are addressing systems that cause climate change that affect both the natural and cultural worlds. After a brief overview of the sector’s recent successes, Sarah will describe the new approaches and opportunities she sees as the sector accelerates its work in reducing its impact on the climate and developing resilience approaches for the future.
Presenter:
- Sarah Sutton (she/her), Co-founder and CEO of Environment & Culture Partners (ECP)
Abstract:
One of the single biggest problems the world faces is pollution and how people must change their habits to find a better solution. The IUP Special Collections and University Archives welcomes resources that offer collaboration with the community. The Pollution Solution archival collection was one of the first collections donated by a community activist group. This singular collection and now dozens more reflect the diversity and meaningful impact within the community. More than 250 manuscript groups have been donated by individuals, businesses, organizations, and activists throughout Pennsylvania. How can your community change the mindset of students and the future? There are many concerns about the sustainability of recycling in the region as well as the world. This presentation will feature discussion about the collection and the impact on collection development with regard to the environment and finding sustainable methods of recycling that can be exhibited to our students, university employees, and the community.
Presenter:
- Dr. Harrison Wick, Special Collections Librarian and University Archivist, Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP)
Abstract:
The Wagner Free Institute of Science is a natural history museum and educational institution devoted to free education in science. Incorporated in 1855, its museum collections were assembled during the 19th century and encompass more than 100,000 specimens, representing all branches of the natural sciences. It also houses a research library of 45,000+ volumes, primarily of scientific texts published between the late 16th to early 20th century. The Wagner occupies its original building, erected during the Civil War and opened in 1865. The building and the interior were substantially renovated in the 1880s, including new interior finishes and furnishings, and is largely unchanged from that time. The exhibits, arranged by biologist Joseph Leidy, are still in place in their original wood and glass cabinets. In 1901-03, a one-story library wing was added that initially served as the first branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia and now houses the Wagner’s library and archives.
Today, the Wagner is a unique example of an intact 19th century museum and library. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1990, its mission was expanded to include preserving the building, exhibits, and collections and interpreting them in the context of the history of science. Since then, the Wagner has developed a systematic approach to preservation and conservation that seeks to maintain the integrity of building and collections as an exceptionally intact and inseparable ensemble. This talk will focus on past and current initiatives that address environmental conditions and sustainability.
Presenter:
- Susan Glassman, Executive Director, Wagner Free Institute of Science, Philadelphia
Abstract:
A biodiversity study of Eastern State Penitentiary, a historic Philadelphia, Pennsylvania prison, was inspired by a 19th-century prison inmate discovered making an insect collection in the exercise yard of his cell. Eastern State Penitentiary, maintained as a stabilized ruin and now a National Historic Landmark, operated from 1829 to 1971 in the Fairmount section of Philadelphia. The penitentiary is an urban island surrounded by 30-foot-high walls with more than 1,000 species of insects and other invertebrates documented within its 11-acre grounds. The animals and plants collected inside the walls of the prison are displayed as an artist installation, “Specimen,” a cabinet of curiosities housed in a prison cell. The exhibit invites public discussion of urban biodiversity, the importance of insects in our lives, science advocacy, and the history of natural history. The archives of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University and its biological reference collections were invaluable resources in understanding and interpreting the research and installation. An important theme of Specimen underscores the role that the preservation of natural history collections plays in helping to understand the natural world past, present, and future, and in this case, against a backdrop of prison justice reform.
Presenter:
- Greg Cowper, Entomologist at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
Abstract:
Palaeoecological collections at museums comprise a wide range of specimens. Among its collections, the Quaternary Environments program at the Royal Alberta Museum has thousands of plant microfossils (e.g., pollen slides) and macrofossils (e.g., seeds, leaves, shells) documenting over 300 study sites throughout Alberta, and spanning the postglacial interval (about 13,000 years ago) to the present. While being almost invisible, and certainly not "showy", these specimens can provide a wealth of knowledge about past landscapes, changes in the environment and climate over time.
While telling stories and using other techniques like photogrammetry (3D models) to present these tiny specimens, museum curators and educators are faced with unique and similar challenges. On one side, curators are challenged to preserve specimens, disseminate research, and turn data and models about microscopic specimens into compelling narratives, while addressing the controversies arising from the topic of climate change and eco-anxiety. On the other side, educators are concerned with making palaeoecological collections relevant to diverse audiences, and experimenting with communication strategies to make the audiences care about tiny specimens with a great story to tell. Together, both curators and educators are challenged with presenting almost invisible specimens in an engaging way while discussing environmental science topics.
In our presentation, we will provide an overview of the Quaternary Environments’ collections, their composition, use and conservation, and share the learning and interpretive approaches we utilise to help the audience connect with specimens and stories from the collections.
Presenters:
- Eleonora Sermoneta, MA, Adult Learning Programmer, Royal Alberta Museum
- Diana Tirlea, MSc, Assistant Curator of Quaternary Environments, Royal Alberta Museum
Abstract:
Ensuring natural resources are not depleted while constructing conservation-safe diorama elements is a huge challenge. My recent MA dissertation research at Northumbria University, UK, explored the materials used in dioramas over time, and investigated whether preventive conservation was a consideration in the choice of materials for care and construction of dioramas now.
In this presentation I’ll share initial findings from this research in relation to sustainability. As part of the study, I ran an online survey for those working with dioramas. Although the sample size was limited (30 participants), the responses suggest sustainability did not factor as highly in decision-making about materials as other issues including cost and attractiveness to pests.
Key insights from the research include:
- The tensions between choosing conservation safe or sustainable materials when many inert museum materials are derived from petrochemicals
- Changes in sustainable materials use in dioramas over time
- The introduction of new construction materials via 3D printed elements, which are often derived from non-sustainable and potentially polluting sources.
- The challenges a lack of documentation and labelling pose to the reuse, repurposing and recycling of materials for dioramas
- The costs in time and resources of making more sustainable choices
I’ll finish with some results from my own experiments in making diorama elements and encourage others to share their top tips.
The stories we share through our natural science collections can’t be ethically told with unsustainable materials. Working out ways to engage in sustainable resource-use while protecting museum specimens may be difficult, but, I would argue, it's a challenge we need to undertake.
Presenter:
- Dr. Claire Dean (she/her), Curatorial Assistant, Natural Sciences Collection at the Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery Trust and Preventive Conservation MA Student
To continue the conversation about sustainable practices in the collections care field, join the Association of Registrars and Collections Managers for this virtual conference later this year.
Dates: December 5, 7, & 9, 2022
Abstract:
Amid the rapid evolution of the world and our field, how do you define sustainable practice? From the environmental concerns of shipping and exhibitions to institutional planning, impacts to workloads, and staff reorganizations, the lasting changes instigated by COVID-19 call for equilibrium. Today, the advancement of our professional ecosystem invites opportunities to renew the way we work with sustainable practices built on the principles of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility (IDEA), social justice, and decolonization. Join us for the ARCS 2022 Virtual Conference as we explore what sustainable development means for collection management and registration.
Abstract:
Beloit College is located on the ancestral homeland of Indigenous peoples, and the Beloit College Mound Group remains a visual reminder of our settler colonialism. Since its founding in 1846, College-sponsored projects resulted in mound mapping and destruction by development and erosion, excavation and removal of ancestors and funerary belongings, and more recently, mound preservation, education, and reburial. This panel brings together the perspectives of a Tribal Historic Preservation Officer of the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin, whose ancestors called this landscape home, a Beloit College Professor of Anthropology and students whose work focuses on mound preservation and education, and the Director of the Logan Museum of Anthropology who has accelerated NAGPRA efforts at Beloit College. These contemporary perspectives offer examples of successes, shortfalls, and ongoing challenges in recognizing our responsibilities to stewarding our cultural landscape.
Presenters:
- Nicolette B. Meister (she/her), Director of and NAGPRA Coordinator for the Logan Museum of Anthropology at Beloit College; Chair of the Museum Studies Program; and Faculty Director of the Center for Collections Care;
- William “Nąąwącekǧize” Quackenbush, Tribal Historic Preservation Officer and Cultural Resources Division Manager for the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin;
- Shannon M. Fie, Professor of Anthropology at Beloit College and faculty sponsor of the Campus Mounds Sustainability and Advocacy Initiative (CMSAI);
- Elaina Heaton, B.A. in Anthropology and Environmental Studies from Beloit College, 2022;
- Julia Hwang, B.A. in Anthropology and Museum Studies from Beloit College, 2022
Abstract:
According to the Society of American Archivists' Core Values Statement on Sustainability, "caring for collections and serving communities—along with developing acquisition, processing, storage, and service models—must necessarily involve an ongoing awareness of the impact of archival work on the environment." Similarly, the American Library Assocation’s Core Values of Librarianship states that libraries are “leading by example by taking steps to reduce their environmental footprint.”
It is now widely accepted that humanity must rapidly decarbonize to avoid the worst impacts of future climate change, but in order to contribute to a societal net zero goal, the library and archives professions must have a better understanding of the greenhouse gas emissions associated with their activities. This presentation will share the results of a 2021 study at Penn State University to calculate the greenhouse gas emissions generated in one year by its academic library system. It will also explore initial findings from an effort to estimate the emissions generated by the energy consumption and environmental controls employed at a dedicated archival storage facility.
Presenter:
- Ben Goldman (he/him), Interim Co-Head, Eberly Family Special Collections Library, University Archivist, Penn State University Archives