Dear Listserv,

We are shifting the useage in our basement storage area.  Housed throughout
the over 5000 sqft area will be an even wider range of artifacts (i.e
costumes, paper and manuscripts, photographs, iron, leather, wood, etc.)
Presently, we are investigating whether it would be better to continue with
free-standing dehumidifiers or if would it be better to install a
centralized dehumidifier system?  The storage area is located in the
basement of a heritage house museum/resesarch center that has no central
a/c--but lots of window a/c units and fans throughout the visitor areas.
The basement walls are cement, painted with white latex paint. Most of the
basement ceilings have a plastic barrier installed to protect the artifacts
from falling debris that manages to work its way through the floor boards.
The storage area is broken into smaller rooms of varying sizes that houses
a particular collection.  Each room has their own door. To add to the mix a
portion of the space will be used for a new research center that averages
about 15 people a week. The new research room will be have its own door,
which should prevent a majority of human moisture getting to the
artifacts.

Has anyone had any good and bad experiences with a centralized dehumidifier
system that they would care to share?

Kim Olsen-Clark
Development Officer
Evanston Historical Society
Evanston, Illinois

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