If you have ever worked with a collection, you’ll know just how insidious a threat pests can be. No lovers of history, insects and pests gnaw their way indiscriminately through a huge range of material – from books to warships, no collection is immune.
Very often, this process leaves no outward sign of damage until it is well-advanced, leaving the museum with the significant costs of treatment and conservation.
Effective and integrated pest management is just as vital a part of managing risk in your collection as having a Disaster Plan or a Fire Control System.
First and foremost, integrated pest management involves taking an holistic view of the collection and its environment, both in store and on display. It involves mitigating the risk through regular housekeeping and inspection.
The best management regime, however, is never going to stop pests entirely. Infestations require rapid identification and informed treatment to minimise their proliferation and mitigate the damage they can inflict.
Produced by Renaissance West Midlands, this excellent interactive website provides Collections Managers with the tools you need to manage these risks, and to take rapid and proportionate action to protect your collections. I encourage you to keep it as a favourite for reference, share it with your colleagues and use it as the basis of your own approach to pest management.
Nick Poole
Chief Executive
Collections Trust