Conserv Preservation Score

What determines how well we're managing our environmental conditions? It depends on the standards we've set for our space.

One of the most basic environmental monitoring questions we can ask is "How well is a space performing?" Getting a quick sense of a space - are the conditions bad, good, or great - helps us identify problem areas and develop a plan to improve the environment.

* There's Not One Way to Score a Space *

There's more than one way to evaluate a space. Our scoring system is calculated based on levels set in the software– climate standards that you can designate for each space. Levels include set points and fluctuation targets. You can use our default levels as you get started, and refine the individual standards as you develop your environmental monitoring goals.  

One big shout-out. The Canadian Conservation Institute ("CCI") has a fantastic set of resources on Preventive Conservation and Risk Management that goes into a lot of detail around best practices for setting standards and scoring spaces. Where we use CCI standards in our application, you'll see a reference to CCI and a link to their website.

Set Points & Fluctuations

We evaluate spaces based on set points and fluctuations in the data.

The set point is our target average over a period of time - for example, it's not uncommon for collections to have a target of 50% relative humidity for a space. If we take the average of our relative humidity over a period of time we can understand how close we are to our target set point.

Our readings will fluctuate around our set point, and generally, we want to keep fluctuations to a minimum - for example, it's not uncommon for a collection to target a maximum ±10% change in relative humidity per 24-hour period. For a collection with a 50% RH target, any values between 40% and 60% would be acceptable with a ±10% target. The frequency and speed of fluctuations matters, and we will come back to this later.

Research suggests that fluctuation problems cause more damage to collections than set point problems. Said another way, set points will differ from collection to collection depending on geography, seasons, and type of collection, but the goal of minimizing fluctuations is a universal constant.

Standards

All objects have recommended set points and fluctuations based on the type of material the object is made of, the object’s history, and what type of environmental control is possible in a space. Our job is to understand what objects are in a space and to set an environmental standard for the space that provides the best environment for those objects.

We want to make it easier for you to get started setting standards for your spaces, so we've provided some out-of-the-box standards for the Conserv score. We don't think these standards are right for every collection and for every space, but it's a quick way to get started.

Please remember that real-life expectations for spaces will vary widely depending on your collection, your building, your geographic location, and your ability to control environmental conditions.

Temperature Standards

The Conserv default standard for temperature is 65°F ± 10°F which we would describe as a space with a Normal temperature set point with Medium fluctuations.

Relative Humidity

The Conserv default standard for relative humidity is 50% RH ± 10% RH which we would describe as a space with a Normal relative humidity set point with Medium fluctuations.

Scoring

To simplify the way we talk about spaces, we've developed a quick scoring system that's focused on fluctuations in temperature and relative humidity. Because set points differ so much between and sometimes within collections, we aren't including set point compliance in our scoring (for now).

What does my score mean?

The best way to evaluate your score is by comparing your score to the objects in your space. Take a look at the table below which summarizes how scores relate to the amount of damage being done to your collection.

Summary

Setting standards for your space will evolve over time. The goal should be to start with a reasonable standard and fine-tune your standards for each space based on your growing knowledge of environmental monitoring. Conserv scores will help you evaluate basic standards as you develop your environmental monitoring goals.