Introduction (2 of 10)
Who is responsible for managing pests? (continued)
Preventive Conservation is the planned and controlled change to the environment and surroundings of an object to reduce or eliminate, as far as possible, the known aspects of its deterioration. Integrated Pest Management plays a major role in this, as certain pests found in museums can lead to devastating or irreversible deterioration of objects in the collections. The term “Integrated Pest Management” covers a more holistic approach that ties together many of the activities of preventive conservation mentioned above.
Whilst the responsibility for protecting the museums objects from pests usually lies with conservation or collection care departments, building management or facilities departments are generally responsible for ensuring that the buildings are free from pests that are unhygienic and destructive to the fabric of the building. These include large rodents, foxes, etc. So it is vital that there is good coordination between the two groups concerning the management of pests.
