Any change in temperature, as a general rule, should be GRADUAL! I wouldn't
purposefully let a building freeze. 

If you do this, expect wood to crack - veneers to pop - natural materials to
suffer.

Freezing works in some applications, but like all conservation treatments,
it must be applied on a case by case basis.

My two cents...
Ware

L.W.S. Petznick, Ph.D.
McFaddin-Ward House 
Curator of Collections
725 N. Third St.
Beaumont, TX 77701
[log in to unmask]
409.832.1906 p 409.832.3483 f
 
Mark your calendars for Egg Nog Thursdays beginning November 29th until
Christmas. Free tours of the first floor of the house run from 5-7pm and
offer a rare opportunity to experience the McFaddin home at night. Also,
join us for "A Christmas Homecoming" throughout the month of December when
the home celebrates Perry Jr's return from the Navy on Christmas Day 1918.
 
The McFaddin-Ward House features three floors of original furnishings,
including a newly restored third floor. Explore the McFaddins' world in the
years surrounding the First World War  for "Foxtrots and Foxholes"
throughout 2007. Call 409-832-2134 for tour information.

-----Original Message-----
From: Museum discussion list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf
Of George Harris
Sent: Wednesday, December 19, 2007 7:39 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [MUSEUM-L] Building Freeze

Hello,
The collections manager at my museum thought that when we have our furnace
replaced early next year that it might be a good time to let the building
freeze to try and kill any pests that are in the collections.  I think it
is not now going to happen, but some responses she got from a posting on a
different listserv said that it wouldn't hurt the collections to have them
be frozen.  This is completely wrong for some types of collections, of
course.  Are there any resources that anyone can suggest that show how
tempreature changes alone and tempreature in cunjunction with its
relationship with relative humidity can damage collections?

Thank you.

Beau

=========================================================
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).

=========================================================
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).