1. Museums Best Practices
Care of photography

2. Seven Agents of Deterioration
Physical Forces
Thieves, Vandals, & Displacement
Fire
Water
Pests
Pollutants
Light

3. Seven 10 Agents of Deterioration
Physical Forces
Thieves, Vandals, & Displacement
Fire
Water
Pests
Pollutants
Light
Incorrect Temperature
Incorrect Humidity
Custodial Neglect & Dissasociation

4. Ten Agents of Deterioration
Thieves, Vandals, & Displacement
Fire
Water
Custodial Neglect & Dissasociation

5. Physical Forces Use care and focus on what you are doing
Have clean hands
Remove jewellery

6. Pests and Pollutants Pests Pollutants Mold and Fungi
Silverfish, Cockroaches, Termites and Book Lice
Pollutants
Dust and dirt cause damage by acting as an abrasive agent.
Dust and dirt are food for insects and pests

7. Light Is accumulative and irreversible
Ultra Violet is not required for human sight but promotes fading
LEDs produces minimal to no UV light

8. Light Damage Colour photographs with “chome” in the name
Medium Sensitivity
High Sensitivity
Colour photographs with “chome” in the name
Kodachrome
Most colour photographs with “colour” or “color” in the name
Fujicolour
Light Damage

9. Incorrect Temperature
Products manufactured in the mid 19th century onward, in particular paper photographic materials, chemically self-destruct within a single human life time.

10. Incorrect Temperature: Biological Damage
Mould becomes active at 4c
Pests become active at 10c

11. Incorrect Temperature
Chemical phenomena occur when photographs are stored at high temperatures.
Storage Temperature
Life Span
Heat Treated, Sun (60c)
1 year
Hot Room (30c)
75 years
Warm Room (25c)
150 years
Normal Room (20c)
A few centuries (300 years)
Cool Storage (10c)
1,500 years
Cold Storage (0c)
6,000 years

12. Incorrect Humidity Damp environments promote mould growth
Table salt will detect 75% RH. A few grains of salt attached to scotch tape will become droplets after a few hours.