Temporary monitoring of the microclimate in a museum without climate control and its implications in the preventive conservation of collections

Abstract

Small museums focusing on research and teaching are common in cities worldwide, particularly within universities and research institutions. Very few, however, have microclimate control in place that ensures conservation of their collections. The Professor Reverte Coma Museum of Medical Anthropology at the Complutense University of Madrid (Spain) is one such case. The changes in the environmental conditions inside the museum over a short period were evaluated due to an unexpected situation (COVID-19) that disrupted its usual operation. Additionally, the influence of these temporary variations on the conservation ranges of the different exhibited objects was determined. Most of the objects require strict hygrothermal ranges, which were not met in either the rooms or the showcases. Since the environmental conditions of this museum cannot be artificially controlled, environmental disturbances occurred within just 10 days, which affected the conservation ranges. It was also demonstrated that most of the showcases reflected the microclimates of the rooms, thereby failing to fulfill their intended function of environmental protection. In this exceptional situation, the objects are not being maintained within the target environmental ranges, which poses a potential conservation risk. Should an unexpected sequence of abrupt changes in the microclimate occur over a brief period, the objects may incur mechanical damage, as they will not have had sufficient time to acclimatize. Consequently, it is essential to monitor such isolated events to determine if temporary and emergency conservation strategies need to be developed and applied in the future.