(apologies in advance if this is a FAQ) Hello. We'd be greatly appreciative of any advice you could offer on the relative merits, advantages, and disadvantages of different datalogging technologies for use in monitoring controlled museum environments, particularly in terms of temperature and relative humidity. We are currently planning a new museum of world cultures on the University of Illinois campus and wish to install a brand-new, good quality environmental monitoring system (for galleries, storerooms, workshops, and other artifact sensitive areas). We d prefer to stay away from the traditional paper-based recorders and instead focus on electronic devices--either stand-alone or integrated into a network system. We have been looking at products from ACR Systems, Dickson, Stowaway, and Metrosonics.Does anyone have any experience with these systems, or others that they would recommend? Can anyone comment on the installation and ease of use of the networkable systems (such as those offered by ACR) versus standalone recorders? Is it worth the extra money and installation effort to be able to access read-outs remotely or is it a simple matter to take a portable PC around to each sensor in turn? Would anyone recommend the purchase of handheld models for spot checks to complement the dedicated systems? Does anyone have any preferences over the various software packages offered by these companies to monitor and track data? Is it better to use pre-packaged software or simply export data to Excel and track it independently? How significant are the differences among the various products in terms of recording accuracy? For example, how sensitive are these instruments to minor fluctuations in RH and temp? Thanks in advance, Christa Deacy-Quinn ([log in to unmask]) Collections Manager Paul Marty ([log in to unmask]) Director of Information Technology Spurlock Museum University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign