Emily, Two months sounds like a good shakedown period for a newly constructed building. You also need to run the HVAC system for that long while monitoring the temp and Rh to make sure that you will have a stable environment for the collection to return to. Also, be sure to check your fire supression pipes for signs of oil dripping - that became a major issue at one intstituion that had a newly constructed collections and conservation building - as the dry pipe joints had threading oil that was forced out and dripped on anything underneath - and I've also seen that same thing in other collections areas. So monitoring everything in a new building is a good idea before actually getting collections into potential problems that can be fixed. The how long question can be highly variable becuase it entirely depends on the nature of the materials that went into the building. If low VOC materials were specified and many things such as adhesives and carpets etc. were tested or reviewed by a conservator, then you might be in good shape. If the materials were chosen outside of professional staff review then it make take a good long time for all outgassing to diminish. I'd first make sure that anything in intimate contact with objects (shelves for example) or in their immediate environment be "safe" and the general outgassing of the builing itself can be managed by good air exchange and circulation. There are some ways of testing areas for pollutants, and the low cost method is to use metal coupons sold by providers such as Purafil. You have to know what you are doing with these things and be precise in following the instructions - and since these are developed for sensitive electronics the corrosion standards are not in line with museum conservation standards. A great book to reference is the book by my colleague Pamela Hartchfield that wsa published by Archetype Books I believe some few years ago on the effects of pollution on musuem collections. Here is the info on it: ____________________________________________________________ Pollutants in the Museum Environment Practical Strategies for Design, Exhibition, Storage Pamela B. Hatchfield The environment in which artifacts are housed continually acts on them: it can alter them chemically, accelerate the ageing process or provide the benign climate that minimizes the potential for damage; it can make the difference between destruction and preservation. Preventive conservation has therefore become a primary focus in the care of collections today, and in this volume, Pamela Hatchfield (Museum of Fine Arts, Boston) provides a rich resource of information on the subject. From the contents: Sources of Pollutants, Damage to Materials, Testing for Pollutants, Mitigation of Pollutants, Materials, Protection in Enclosures. Also appendixes on common measurements, plastics, product stability, materials and sources. An Archetype Publication. 203 pages, 8 1/2 x 11", many illustrations, paperback $ 58.50 ___________________________________________________________________ Cheers! Dave David Harvey Conservator Los Angeles, California ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).