Proposal of a thermo-hygrometric assessment methodology for the preventive conservation of paper

Abstract

A method is proposed for assessing the thermo-hygrometric quality of stack areas in libraries which considers the stability of the variables as a complement to the performance index calculation. The analysis was conducted using samples collected in libraries at the National University of La Plata in successive environmental monitoring campaigns during which temperature and relative interior and exterior humidity were measured. The result is a grid where the location of each evaluated space with respect to the axes indicates its status in relation to the two criteria that determine materials conservation: permanence within proper ranges of temperature and relative humidity and the daily variation of the same within a maximum admissible margin. A new grouping of the buildings was established in accordance with their ability to allow improvement measures to be taken that are applicable to the group. This procedure enables a deeper level of evaluation when the analysis according to performance index gives null results and prevents the understanding of other variables that positively influence paper conservation, as is the case with the stability of the values.