Conservation and the Museum Collections

Natural history collections conservation has moved away from treating individual specimens to a holistic approach.  We now study the underlying causes of deterioration and try to determine how to prevent damage through improving environmental conditions and reducing risks.

Ten agents of deterioration cause the damage we see in any natural or manufactured item. Different materials are more or less susceptible to each agent.

The collections in each scientific section have their own challenges and risks. Some are obvious, such as what insect pests might do to a Native American headdress, or to a bird or mammal study skin. Other collections have threats that are less obvious. For example, one would think all mineral collections (including paleontological collections) would not be affected by high humidity, temperature, or too much light, but some are. High humidity in conjunction with pollution increases chemical reactions within certain minerals—such as pyrite (an iron-based material). Under the right conditions this mineral will disintegrate into a pile of dust. Too much heat will cause some minerals to dry out and crack, and cause some to change color. This damage is irreversible and can cause total destruction of the object.