Jaycees Collection: A Case Study

The existing storage environment and furniture are located in a semi-secure classroom located in Carnahan Hall on the Southeast Missouri State University campus. Presently most of the Jaycees Collection is stored in cardboard boxes whereas some artifacts are not due to their size. The collection is located on the shelving in the back of the classroom.
The temperature of the room where the collection is currently housed is controlled by a central thermostat of the building and is impacted by the temperature outside. The minimum temperature during the time frame of August 26, 2015 to October 5, 2015 was 68.7° F. According to our readings in Developing and Maintaining Practical Archives, the ideal temperature is 68° F ± 2°. The maximum temperature during this time frame was 76.1° F. The reading of 76.1° F is higher than the ideal temperature. The greatest amount of temperature fluctuation within the span of a week was 4° F while the lowest temperature fluctuation was 0.2° F occurred during the week of cooler weather. …show more content…
During the period studied of just under two months, the lowest RH reading was 44% while the highest was 76%. During the span of September 9th and 14th, the biggest fluctuations between the maximum and minimum levels were 28% and the lowest was 10%. The ideal relative humidity range is 45% ± 2%. The humidity fluctuation could have a major impact on the collection while stored in the classroom. High humidity impacts consist of structural breakdown of the paper due to moisture exposure causing chemical breakdown and introduction to mold and insects. Low humidity impacts consist of desiccation and embrittlement of the paper materials. Extreme fluctuations in humidity cause an acceleration of damage and visible signs of cockling of paper, fabric breakdown, and bleeding or cracking in