Dear Listers,

 

We currently use the AAM Standard Facilities Report to provide information about our exhibit areas and also request that it be filled out and provided to us from other museums wishing to borrow exhibits from us.  The SFR provides the questions, but no guidelines or recommendations for interpreting the answers provided. 

 

I did not see any guidelines or recommendations for environmental conditions for various kinds of exhibits (object-based, non-object based, art, natural history, etc.) on the AAM website.  We have several books and references discussing environmental concerns.  There is no shortage of relevant literature, it’s just that most of it gives you lots of information and then you are left come up with your own guidelines.  We have come up with our own guidelines but would like something that has the weight of a formal publication behind it to distribute to our exhibit designers and exhibit team members. While every museum will have different concerns and needs, surely there must be some concise set of “industry standards” that we could use.  I would think this would be especially useful for small museums or historic sites who don’t have trained collections or conservation staff.

 

My question is this:  Does anyone know of a single document that gives environmental recommendations or guidelines for exhibits?  If so, where can I get a copy?  I’m not on the exhibits group from AAM so I don’t know if that group has prepared something or not.

 

Thank you in advance for any insight you may have.

 

Elizabeth

 

Dr. Elizabeth A. Moore

Curator of Collections and Archaeology

Virginia Museum of Natural History

1001 Douglas Avenue

Martinsville, VA  24112

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(276) 666-8634