Hi Michael, We routinely inspect every item that comes into the collection. Our curators have been trained to look for evidence of insects or mold and will contact our Conservation department if they find any. We do have a separate area for large inspections, and will have many people involved, but usually these go on for less than a couple of hours. Our last inspection was a small crate with about 20 record storage cartons and it took six of us 45 minutes to inspect it. But it was all very clean, so it was easy.
We also have booklice throughout our building, which theoretically shouldn't be hospitable to them. However, I suspect there are corners of the building with microclimates that they can live in. They eat microscopic fungus and in of of themselves won't hurt your collection, but rather are indicative of other issues that need to be addressed. Please be aware there are several species of booklice and they can each have their own unique requirements that others don't. Alan *Alan Van Dyke* Senior Preservation Technician Harry Ransom Center The University of Texas at Austin P.O. Drawer 7219 Austin, TX 78713-7219 P: 512-232-4614 www.hrc.utexas.edu On Tue, Aug 21, 2018 at 2:17 PM Dunham, Michael <[email protected]> wrote: > Hello All, > > > > I’m relatively new to pest management and have recently been tasked with > taking care of our campus photography museum, so pardon me if my questions > seem basic or obvious. > > > > *Question 1:* > > > > I have a question about intake procedures. When we receive new artwork we > have an intake room, but it’s just a work space directly off the main > gallery and we’ve been known to get pests introduced to the gallery and > storage spaces from work that has been brought in. Do any of you have any > procedures in place regarding bringing items in and isolating or inspecting > them before introducing them into your collections? It just seems to me > that we’re almost rolling out the red carpet for bugs by bringing things in > without inspecting or checking first. > > > > *Question 2:* > > > > An entomologist reported that we have Book Lice and I’m finding it a bit > of a head scratcher. The cool room is maintained at a temp of 60-56 F > (though they would prefer 50s) with 40-45% humidity. The cold room is 40-45 > F and 40-45% humidity. According to the information sheet on MuseumPest.net > these aren’t typical temp and humidity numbers for a thriving Book Lice > population, but could they be living and reproducing in these temps or is > it more likely I’ve been given a misdiagnosis? I’m at a bit of a loss as to > how to handle this because sprays or other liquids are not preferred. > > > > Again, new to this and learning so I appreciate any input or education you > can provide. > > > > Thank you! > > > > *Michael **“Not Mike” **Dunham* > > Facilities & Operations Manager > > Columbia College Chicago > > > > 916 S. Wabash Ave., Suite 501 > > Chicago, IL 60605 > > [email protected] > > O: 312.369.6851 > > C: 312.852.1892 > > colum.edu > > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Museumpests" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/SN2PR04MB2192808D344C2ACE5A33D312AE310%40SN2PR04MB2192.namprd04.prod.outlook.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/SN2PR04MB2192808D344C2ACE5A33D312AE310%40SN2PR04MB2192.namprd04.prod.outlook.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Museumpests" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/pestlist/CAHhLO3YPyYA_W3EkeirSeLES1xoUcxEnFrY9e7Frs3YedH1tGg%40mail.gmail.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
