Twenty-Five Years of Research at the Image Permanence Institute

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1 Twenty-Five Years of Research at the Image Permanence Institute James M. Reilly Image Permanence Institute The Image Permanence Institute is a recognized world leader in the development and deployment of sustainable practices for the preservation of images and cultural property. It is an academic, non-profit research laboratory that is a department of the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences at Rochester Institute of Technology, a private university with 17,000 students located in Rochester, NY, USA. IPI accomplishes its mission through a balanced program of research, education, products, and services that meet the needs of individuals, companies, and institutions. This publication brings together in one place the highlights of the past quarter century of IPI research. These are the projects and perspectives that have shaped its vision and engaged its scientific curiosity. IPI has always had in mind that preservation research is an applied discipline in which the laboratory is only the beginning, and technical papers are not the end of the task before us. We have carried our knowledge into practice with multi-year projects at the National Archives, the Library of Congress, and the National Museum of Denmark. We have tried at every turn to publish and disseminate our findings and to create readable publications and useful tools that serve the preservation and education mission. We have been rewarded with awards and honors and with generous support for our work but the most meaningful reward is seeing our research change the preservation field for the better. The paper that follows describes some of the research and findings from the past 25 years. Image Stability Studies Stability of Black-and-White Silver Images In black-and-white photographic film, metallic silver particles are used to form the image. The stability of that silver image came into question in the 1960s, when archivists began noticing small, circular, reddish spots on microfilm. This discovery cast doubt on the suitability of microfilm as an archival storage medium. The excellent investigative work of Pope and McCamy of the National Bureau of Standards and Henn and Wiest of Eastman Kodak established that these microspots were evidence of oxidation caused by peroxides given off by deteriorating poor-quality cardboard storage boxes or by atmospheric pollutants. In response to these concerns, IPI developed a test for evaluating a film s susceptibility to silver oxidation 1. The test eventually became ISO Standard Another outcome of this work was IPI SilverLock, an after-processing treatment that drastically increased the oxidation resistance of silver particles 3. Studies and Film Collection Management Stability of Color Images Color photographic images using chromogenic dyes were introduced in the mid-1930s, and their stability very quickly became a concern; staining of white areas, shifts in color balance, and loss of color density were recurrent problems. These issues inspired some

2 members of the preservation and film communities to seek strategies for caring for these fast-decaying materials. In 1970, Adelstein, Graham, and West published a paper describing the application of the Arrhenius prediction method in evaluating the life expectancy of thermally degraded color film 4. In the early 1980s, color stability was still an acute problem when independent researcher Henry Wilhelm and famed movie director Martin Scorcese demanded a more stable medium. An IPI study showed that by the early 1990s manufacturers were beginning to produce more stable chromogenic materials, but, more importantly, the study found a strong relationship between the stability of color materials and storage temperature and humidity. In 1998, based on results of a comprehensive investigation of color material stability funded by the New York State Library, IPI published its Storage Guide for Color Photographic Materials 5. The guide showed clearly that color prints and film are likely to deteriorate after only a few decades if stored at room conditions and that they could last for centuries if stored at cold temperatures. The user-friendly Storage Guide for Color Photographic Materials reiterates the importance of the storage environment to the safekeeping of collections, and it has been a useful tool in planning discussions for improving or designing new facilities for the storage of color photographic materials. It was named preservation publication of the year by the Society of American Archivists. Stability of Nitrate Film Cellulose nitrate, the plastic film support commonly used in the late nineteenth century, was known to be highly flammable. In many instances, it was also chemically unstable, although some nitrate films have very good stability. Until the 1980s, however, the only information regarding its stability was anecdotal, and collection managers had no real preservation strategy, other than duplication on acetate film. Addressing the need for quantitative data, IPI appealed to and received funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) to support research into the stability of nitrate film. IPI studied nitrate film samples at different temperature and humidity levels and found that some were relatively unstable while others were actually more stable than acetate films 6,7. It is now recommended that only nitrate films showing signs of incipient degradation should be duplicated, and that they should be copied onto a polyester film base or digitized 8. Storage at low temperatures can markedly improve the stability of nitrate film, and, if any decay is present, very cold storage conditions are advised. A-D Strip Testing for Acetate-Base Collections A-D Strips are a diagnostic tool for detecting the presence and assessing the extent of vinegar syndrome in acetate film collections 9. IPI s effort in 1995 to develop an acid detector was driven by the need for an early warning system that could identify films in the first stages of vinegar syndrome. By then it was known that acetate decay is autocatalytic, (that is, the acidic byproducts of acetate decay promote further decay) and that acidic vapor can contaminate nearby films in good condition, putting a whole collection at risk. A safe, reliable means of detecting acetate films in the early stages of decay was needed, so that steps could be taken to remove them either to be placed in a colder location or to be duplicated. A-D Strips offered a practical solution. A-D Strips are acid-base indicator papers that turn from blue, through shades of green, and finally to yellow in the presence of increasing amounts of acid. The more dramatic the color change, the more advanced the film decay 10. Today, A-D Strips have an

3 established role in film preservation around the world. Whether for identifying individual items at risk or conducting statistical surveys of large collections, A-D Strip analysis is helpful in prioritizing materials for segregation or duplication and offers a semiquantitative way to determine the storage needs of a collection. In 1997, A-D Strips received an Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Technical Achievement Award. Stability of Acetate Film The search for a safety film support to replace flammable cellulose nitrate was a highpriority activity during the 1920s. Acetate supports were initially thought to be more stable than nitrate, but then instances of cellulose triacetate instability in high-humidity locations began to be reported. In the 1980s, archivists in moderate climates were finding triacetate decay in their collections; high humidity clearly was not the only problem. Vinegar syndrome, as this type of acetate decay came to be known, set off alarms throughout the archival community. In 1988, supported by grants from NEH, the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, Eastman Kodak, and Fuji Photo Film, IPI started work on an extensive and detailed study of film base stability involving over 25,000 individual measurements. This project used the Arrhenius approach to evaluate acetate films incubated at various temperatures and relative humidity levels 11. Of the properties measured after incubation, acidity generation proved to be the most sensitive indicator of acetate base decay, a discovery that paved the way for the development of IPI s academy-award-winning A-D Strips 13. This ground-breaking acetate film study firmly established the relationship between film base decay and the storage environment 12 and made possible the quantitative prediction of film life expectancy at given temperature and humidity conditions 14 the basis for the IPI Storage Guide for Acetate Film, a collection management tool used today in film archives worldwide 15. IPI s Dr. Peter Adelstein won the Fuji Photo Film Gold Medal in 1998 for his acetate preservation research. Preserving Magnetic Tape Collections In 2003, IPI began a three-year, NEH-funded study that was to be the first step in the development of a simple diagnostic tool for magnetic tape somewhat analogous to A-D Strips for acetate film with which archivists might quantify the condition of their magnetic media collections. Friction tests, solvent extraction, and acidity measurements were used as decay indicators, in an effort to characterize tape binder deterioration. While only a limited number of tape formats were studied, the general lack of consistency in tape behavior and in decay indicator results cast doubt on the feasibility of developing a useful device for diagnosing tape condition. During the course of the project, it became clear that the best perspective from which to approach the preservation of magnetic tape collections would be to optimize the storage environment, to continue to develop cost-effective, automated data-migration technology, and to create decision making tools with which to set priorities for data-migration programs 16. From Research to Film Preservation Strategies IPI s plain-language publications and easy-to-use management tools have assisted collecting institutions worldwide in setting and achieving their preservation goals. These, together with IPI s environmental evaluation technology are the products of years of

4 research devoted to extending the life of institutional collections everywhere. Over time, working with different types of institutions, surveying large film collections, and helping to design practical storage solutions, IPI has distilled its approach to preservation into three critical steps: knowing the collection materials, assessing their condition, and storing them in the proper environment 18. IPI has often revisited and challenged earlier research findings in an effort to better understand media behavior. The lab has committed years to observing material behavior during long-term natural-aging studies in order to produce more meaningful data on film stability. These data confirm earlier predictions and add new importance to environmental management for film in particular and diverse collections in general 17,19. Digital Print Materials In the 1990s, digital technology forever changed how images were created and used. Printers attached to computers could print images quickly and on a great variety of papers. Early ink and paper formulations proved to be highly unstable, however, resulting in fading and/or severe yellowing of prints. No one knew the exact cause of the damage or how to prevent it. With time, digital print materials improved, but many were still much more sensitive to decay than their traditional counterparts. A new preservation awareness was needed to ensure that these objects could be counted on to last for generations to come 25,27. In 2007, IPI embarked on a three-year study to develop an understanding of how these materials 26 will behave during long-term storage, on display, and when handled. Experimental work included exposing a large sample set of digital images representing each of the primary technologies in use today inkjet, electrophotographic, and dye sublimation to heat, moisture, pollution, and light. The prints were also subjected to handling stresses (flex and abrasion), potentially unsafe enclosures, and flood. Besides being published in various professional journals, results will be distilled into care recommendations posted at IPI s Digital Print Preservation Portal (DP3) website. The DP3 Newsletter keeps subscribers up to date on the progress of the research and its results. Safe Storage Enclosures The Photographic Activity Test In the early 1980s, soon-to-be IPI director James Reilly was asked by Kodak to develop a new test that would accurately determine whether a given storage enclosure material would harm photographs. It was known that some papers would stain, fade, or cause silver mirroring of photographs, and a test for potentially damaging materials had been developed in the 1950s, but it failed to accurately pick out which enclosure materials would put photos most at risk 20. Experimental work began on the problem before IPI officially came into being and continued thereafter, leading to a new test 22,23 the photographic activity test, or PAT, which ultimately became an ANSI and then an ISO standard 21. This test is now a trusted method for determining the safety of a material used in photo storage or display. Companies worldwide use it to assure their customers of their products safety, and most major institutions that collect photographs depend on it to make certain their collections remain safe and usable well into the future. Since the test s development, IPI has worked constantly to improve its accuracy and to expand its scope to include such materials as plastics, adhesives, and inks. Most recently, IPI has turned its efforts toward determining if the PAT can be applied to the many digital print types now available.

5 Digital Imaging for Photographic Collections The 1997 NEH-funded project, Digital Imaging for Photographic Collections: Foundations for Technical Standards, investigated the use of digital imaging in libraries and archives. At that time, there were no guidelines or accepted standards for determining the level of image quality required in the creation of digital image databases for photograph collections. The project led to the development of an image quality framework to help in planning digital imaging projects. Project results were published in Digital Imaging for Photographic Collections: Foundations for Technical Standards by Franziska Frey and James Reilly 24. The project culminated in a colloquium at RIT, Digitizing Photographic Collections Where Are We Now? What Does The Future Hold? The unprecedented event brought 120 attendees and 20 speakers from around the world. Characterizing Images Characterization of Developed-Out Silver Gelatin Prints Developed-out silver gelatin prints were the dominant photographic process for over half of the twentieth century, and they continued to be the medium of choice by artists until the adoption of inkjet printing in the early twenty-first century. Spurred by the rapid demise of silver gelatin printing in recent years, IPI began a project of documenting and characterizing the many attributes of these bygone prints 28. Matting agents, surface texture, and gloss were studied in depth. The imaging techniques created for this study opened the door for examining a wider range of materials, including graphic prints and film materials. Imaging Techniques In IPI s state-of-the-art imaging and microscopy lab a variety of techniques are used to document everything from decimated test samples to famous works of art. Methods employed include the use of axial light to document surface gloss, cross-sections to examine layer structure, raking light to emphasize texture, and UV to induce fluorescence, such as that created by optical brightening agents. Most recently, video has been used as a way to more closely replicate the firsthand physical examination of prints. Graphics Atlas In 2009, IPI introduced Graphics Atlas ( an interactive web resource for the characterization and identification of graphic prints, including prephotographic and photomechanical media, digital materials, and color photographic prints, covering several centuries of graphic imagery. The website was developed in order to make educational information and an online print collection freely available to members of the preservation, archives, and conservation communities. Content continues to be added to Graphics Atlas on a regular basis, and the site was recently expanded to include tutorials and a step-by-step process identification section. Knowing and Protecting Motion Picture Film Using microscopy-imaging techniques, IPI took on a study of the technological evolution of motion-picture films from the silent era to the present day. The project led to the 2010 publication of a large educational poster presenting a selection of noteworthy motion

6 picture film processes, together with information on identification, examination, and longterm preservation. The IPI Research Collection IPI maintains an extensive collection of film and photographic and photo mechanical prints as a resource for process identification and the study of deterioration. The materials, collected by or donated to IPI, are used extensively in IPI s research and educational programs. The collection covers the history of photography from the 1840s to the present and includes all processes from daguerreotypes to digital prints. A major acquisition came in 2005, when the Metropolitan Museum of Art transferred a large portion of its Photograph Reference Collection to IPI. These images represent centuries of art and architecture and provide an invaluable resource for the study of the history of photographic and photomechanical reproduction of fine art and the characterization of photographic processes. Awards IPI and its staff have received various industry and civic awards, including a Technical Achievement Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (1997), the Fuji Gold Medal from the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (1998), and the Preservation Publication Award from the Society of American Archivists (1999). In 2002, IPI and Director James Reilly received the Silver Light Award from the Association of Moving Image Archivists. In 2003, IPI Senior Research Associate Peter Adelstein received a certificate of recognition from the International Imaging Industry Association for his contributions to international standards. In 2006, James Reilly received the Hewlett-Packard Image Permanence Award, for his contributions to the field of image preservation and permanence. Education and Training As part of its mission to advance the field of image preservation and permanence, IPI has offered training in various formats. Preservation of Photographs, a six-day seminar on photograph collection preservation, was first held at Rochester Institute of Technology more than thirty years ago. The name of this annual event, hosted by the George Eastman House and IPI, was changed in 1995 to Preserving Photographs in a Digital World to reflect the technological changes in the field. Over the years, more than a thousand professionals attended the seminar lectures and workshops. The seminar was discontinued in The Advanced Residency Program in Photograph Conservation was funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and hosted by the George Eastman House and IPI. From 1999 to 2009, this two-year fellowship program offered advanced education and training opportunities in photograph conservation to a select group of thirty-nine early- to midcareer conservators. The participating fellows produced an invaluable body of new research. More information can be found at From its early days, IPI has offered internships in preservation. Many of the well-known professionals in the field have spent time at IPI. In 2006, IPI worked with the Association of Moving Image Archivists to create the IPI Internship in Preservation Research Award. This IPI-funded internship is given each year to a student of merit who plans to pursue a career in moving image preservation. In 2007, IPI and the George Eastman House

7 instituted the IPI Selznick School for Film Preservation Internship. Both of these programs provide opportunities for practical experience in preservation research, with the goal of enhancing the knowledge of the future leaders in the moving image archiving and conservation field. IPI s current research projects include education and training components to support new, sustainable preservation strategies. Pollution The Problem of Air Pollution With much of the world s accumulated knowledge printed on acidic, decaying paper and in danger of being lost, cultural heritage institutions began imaging programs to transfer as much of it as possible to microfilm. In time, however, concerns arose over the deterioration of the silver microfilm images themselves. One of the causes for the image decay was thought to be atmospheric pollutants. In 1989, IPI undertook an NEH-funded project to study the effects of four common air pollutants ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide on the types of photographic films most often used in micrographic applications and found in library collections 29. Both black-and-white and color films were studied. Filamentary silver turned out to be relatively resistant to the pollutants in pure form, but it proved to be very sensitive to combinations of oxidizing and sulfiding gases. It was also found that moderately high concentrations of ozone and nitrogen dioxide caused fading in color films 20. These findings were the stepping-off point for the NEH-funded pollution study that followed in 1994, which began by examining the reactions of color and black-and-white prints and films to lower concentrations of pure pollutant gases at controlled temperature and humidity 31. Other phases of that study looked for synergistic reactions between two or more gases and investigated the possible mitigating effects of enclosures against damage from atmospheric pollutants. It was confirmed that silver images were resistant to attack by pure oxidant gases, as were most of the chromogenic color print materials. Silver images did show damage, though, with the addition of acidic/reducing gases to the oxidant gases. Enclosures were found to provide some protection to the microfilm materials, but it was concluded that supplementary HVAC and air filtration is still needed to effectively avoid pollutant damage. Pollution and Paper Stability In the late 1990s, the Paper and Paper Products Committee of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) proposed a study to develop a test to determine whether or not a paper could be expected to have a long life 32. Based on its prior contributions to the field, and because it had the needed expertise and testing equipment, IPI was asked to be one of several participating testing facilities. IPI s particular assignment was to develop an aging test that would evaluate a paper s susceptibility to decay by atmospheric pollutants. The goal was to find a pollutant test method that could be performed in a relatively short time and that would reflect predictable behavior over the long term. IPI exposed large quantities of paper materials to three pollutant gases (ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide) and conducted post-exposure incubations at high temperatures. Preliminary testing indicated that the best properties to measure in a proposed test method were an increase in paper yellowness and MIT fold retention and that the best, i. e., most virulent, pollutant was nitrogen dioxide by itself. IPI s ASTM

8 study provided the information required to establish a standard paper/pollution test procedure. Microenvironments for Control of Vinegar Syndrome In 1994, IPI received funding to study the potential benefits of using microenvironments (that is, the environments immediately surrounding collection objects the space around film in a sealed bag, for example) to control vinegar syndrome 38. A number of options were assessed, including specific enclosure designs (vented versus non-vented), the addition of acid 39 and/or moisture adsorbents to sealed enclosures, and the moistureconditioning of materials prior to placing them in storage. The assumption was that, at constant temperature, acetate film stability is dictated by the quality of the surrounding air. It was thought that removing degradation byproducts, through better enclosure ventilation or the use of acid-adsorbents such as molecular sieves, and controlling film moisture content with moisture-adsorbents like silica gel and molecular sieves would help to postpone decay. Used alone, though, neither vented enclosures nor sealed enclosures containing moisture or acid adsorbents solved the problem of acetate base deterioration. Microenvironments could be viable alternatives to dehumidification equipment as a last resort. It was concluded that acetate decay would be controlled most effectively through the use of low-temperature storage 40. The Collection Environment Effect of Cycling Environments Steady temperature and humidity levels in collections were traditionally considered to be ideal, but in the real world, variations in environmental conditions are inevitable. In 1998, (concurrent with research into new ways for assessing the quality of storage environments) IPI took on an NEH-funded investigation of the impact of cycling conditions on library materials 34. The project had two goals. The first was to determine if environmental fluctuations are inherently damaging to collection materials. This was achieved by investigating the effect of temperature and humidity changes on paper and acetate film both inherently fast-decaying materials. The question was whether changes in the environment would cause chemical decay in these materials beyond what would normally be expected 35. After various types of paper and acetate film were exposed to a series of cycling temperature and humidity conditions, it was observed that their behavior could be explained by current thermodynamic models and that there was no evidence that transition from one temperature to another or one humidity to another caused extra decay. This work showed that dynamic modeling of chemical decay rates could make possible the reliable prediction of a changing environment s effect on the natural aging of materials in a collection and was fundamental to the development of IPI s time-weighted preservation index (TWPI), which now permits such risk assessment analysis 36. The second goal of the project was to determine to what extent and how quickly library collection materials feel temperature and humidity changes. The rate of moisture equilibration was measured at various temperatures for film, photograph, book, paper, and magnetic tape samples, both with and without enclosures, in an attempt to quantify the mitigating effect of common enclosure configurations 37.

9 It was possible, at the end of this phase of the study, to characterize material/enclosure combinations as being quick, moderate, or slow to reach equilibrium with the surrounding environment. Further, the study confirmed that thermal equilibration is fast (taking only hours) as compared to moisture equilibration (which may take days, weeks, or months). And finally, this research shed new light on the complex relationship between temperature, relative humidity, and the moisture content of collection materials. All of this was, at the time, directly applicable to IPI s work on collection environment assessment, and, more recently, to the lab s efforts in the area of sustainable, dynamic collection environment management. Cold Storage Practices Knowing that the useful life of chemically unstable materials like acetate film and chromogenic images could be extended by low-temperature storage, IPI researchers recognized the need for clear guidelines for the practical application of such a strategy. Physical space, budget, collection size, and need for access are only some of the variables to be considered when making cold storage decisions, and IPI has helped institutions evaluate the merits and limitations of the available options and to settle on the cold storage solutions that best suit their unique needs 43. These could range from small refrigerated units to large temperature- and RH-controlled vaults. IPI s research on thermal equilibration provided the basis for the design of safe access policies 44. This global approach to the collection environment was a natural outgrowth of IPI s earlier work, and it was another step toward the development of technologies for the safe and efficient management of institutional collections. Environments for Mixed Media Collections Today, due to the advances in information-recording technology, most library and archival collections contain a wide variety of media types. While film, photographs, magnetic tapes, CDs, and DVDs are all vulnerable to decay under adverse storage conditions, some of these media are particularly vulnerable to certain mechanisms of decay and thus require a special environment if they are to have a long, useful life. At a time when preservation standards were largely media-specific, this was a challenge for librarians and archivists with limited space and resources at their disposal. With this in mind, IPI created The IPI Media Storage Quick Reference, or MSQR 41, to provide simplified storage guidelines for the care of mixed collections. The publication was the result of a project made possible by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and managed by the National Film Preservation Foundation. The MSQR was based on the premise that, while permanence is media-dependent, the most important factor in collection preservation is the storage environment. ISO Standard is based on this approach 42. After two decades of media stability research and experience in the field, IPI s perspective on preservation was that the three categories of decay that pose the greatest threat to collections natural aging and mechanical and biological decay are caused by adverse environmental conditions. Therefore, the keys to mixed media storage are first characterizing the optimum storage conditions and then allowing for possible compromises. Offering four simple storage categories (room, cool, cold, and frozen) and a clear rating system for storage suitability, the MSQR presents critical information in a concise and accessible format, offering, at a glance, the best-fit environment based on collection contents.

10 International Standards Work IPI staff members have long been actively involved in international standards development. They have worked both in administrative roles and as principal authors of several documents that became standards published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). These include standards for the chemical conversion of silver, the photographic activity test (PAT), the storage of magnetic tape, and storage conditions for mixed media.* IPI s current standards activity includes developing test methods for the stability of digital prints in relation to various environmental factors and spill and abrasion resistance of digital prints. IPI s material stability studies have helped define current recommendations for extended storage of color materials and film. *ISO Chemical Conversion of Silver, ISO Photographic Activity Test, ISO Storage Conditions for Magnetic Tape, and ISO Storage Conditions for Mixed Media Assessing Environmental Risk Preservation Metrics In study after study, IPI observed that heat and humidity were the primary drivers of biological decay, chemical instability, and mechanical damage for a large variety of museum objects and archival records 45. Although the importance of temperature and relative humidity had been well documented in the research community, there were few resources available to help preservation staff understand the impact of their real-life environments on their collections. Recognizing the need for a way to transform their hard data into tools applicable to the daily tasks of preservation, IPI developed a set of preservation metrics. First came the preservation index (PI) and the time-weighted preservation index (TWPI). Using data from accelerated-aging experiments on acetate film, IPI developed the preservation index to estimate the rate of chemical decay that would occur in organic materials in given temperature and relative humidity conditions. The PI provided a useful guideline for the life expectancy of collection materials in static conditions, but it did not account for the changing values of real-life storage conditions. To apply the concept to dynamic environmental conditions, IPI integrated PI values as they changed over time with a harmonic mean, creating the time-weighted preservation index 46. The PI and TWPI metrics were first explained in the 1995 publication, New Tools for Preservation 47. Both metrics were incorporated into IPI s first datalogger, the Preservation Environment Monitor (PEM). The remaining metrics for mechanical damage, mold risk, and metal corrosion evolved over the following years with the development of IPI s ClimateNotebook software and its national field trial projects. The creation of the preservation metrics marked an important point in the progression of IPI s activities. Because the preservation metrics were models that could assess the impact the environment has on all types of collection materials, IPI s focus expanded to include managing environments for preservation. The preservation metrics have become a cornerstone of that approach. Monitoring the Environment: PEM and PEM2 To manage collection environments, cultural institutions must be able to measure longterm temperature and humidity trends in the spaces surrounding collections. Because

11 hygrothermographs were cumbersome and were intended to record data over short periods, IPI sought to create a device that would facilitate the collection and interpretation of environmental data over extended periods. In the mid-1990s, IPI released its first electronic datalogger, the Preservation Environment Monitor (PEM). The PEM calculated the preservation index (PI) and the time-weighted preservation index (TWPI) of the measured environments and presented these metrics on its display, thus giving preservation meaning to the raw temperature and humidity values. IPI s second datalogger, the PEM2, came out in It was smaller, incorporated a simpler USB upload, and worked with a free website, PEMdata, for data analysis. Both dataloggers are in use in hundreds of institutions around the world. Measurements from the PEMs and evaluations based on the preservation metrics have helped many institutions argue successfully for funding to implement changes and make improvements to their storage conditions. Sustainable Environmental Management From Desktop Software to Web Applications IPI s preservation management programs evolved over many years of applied research, through work with partner institutions on designing and developing computer applications to organize and interpret environmental data. The beta version of IPI s first software program, ClimateNotebook, was tested in over 200 institutions between 1997 and 2004 during two national field trial projects funded by NEH. Officially released in 2004, ClimateNotebook offered the field a comprehensive management tool that graphed environmental data, detailed the sensitivities of over 50 materials, and generated reports with preservation analysis. While ClimateNotebook helped to analyze environmental data, IPI found that it was still difficult for institutions to effectively organize their data, particularly when there were many monitored locations. IPI s next preservation management tool, MyClimateData, developed in partnership with the Library of Congress and the National Museum of Denmark, was web-based; this allowed for an ease of organization not possible with a desktop application. MyClimateData was a robust tool, appropriate for large institutions because it centralized data within a searchable database and made it easier for staff throughout the institution to access the data at any time. IPI developed its second web-based program, PEMdata, to accompany the 2007 release of its second datalogger, the PEM2. The free PEMdata website streamlined the environmental management tools, giving users a simple way to store and graph data, receive preservation analysis, and understand the effect of the environment on their collections. IPI continues to invest in the creation of web-based tools for environmental management. Currently in development is eclimatenotebook, a web application that will assimilate the strengths of ClimateNotebook, MyClimateData, and PEMdata into a single, unified platform. Preservation Practices for the Future IPI s first collaboration with energy-efficiency consultants Herzog/Wheeler and Associates in 1998 evolved into a long-standing partnership and marked the beginning of IPI s commitment to developing sustainable preservation practices. The objective of that first shared project was to document the operation and energy use of HVAC systems at the Library of Congress (LOC) and the New York Public Library (NYPL) in

12 order to improve the preservation quality of the institutions collection environments while reducing energy costs. This approach became the foundation of IPI s current environmental management philosophy. Experience at LOC, NYPL, and other institutions has demonstrated that energy-saving opportunities exist, but it has also revealed the formidable challenge of coordinating the often conflicting management strategies of preservation and facilities departments. In response to this challenge, IPI and Herzog/ Wheeler have refined a process to facilitate interdepartmental communication and manage dynamic environmental conditions. More than ever, cultural institutions are feeling the urgent need to adopt new preservation strategies. The growing financial, social, and environmental pressures for green and sustainable operations require a management approach that allows for dynamic preservation environments. IPI hopes to guide the field in implementing safe and sustainable preservation practices, enabling institutions to balance stewardship of collections with fiscal realities and global environmental responsibilities. IPI publishes a free e- newsletter, Climate Notes, for collection care staff in cultural institutions; it covers a wide range of topics related to managing the environment for preservation. Bibliography 1. Adelstein, P. Z., J. M. Reilly, D. W. Nishimura, and K. M. Cupriks, Hydrogen Peroxide Test to Evaluate Redox Blemish Formation on Processed Microfilm, J Imaging Technology 17, no. 3 (June/July 1991): ISO Imaging materials Methods for the evaluation of the effectiveness of chemical conversion of silver images against oxidation, (Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization for Standardization, 2000). 3. Reilly, J. M., D. W. Nishimura, K. M. Cupriks, and P. Z. Adelstein, Polysulfide Treatment for Microfilm, J Imaging Technology 17, no. 3 (June/July 1991): Adelstein, P. Z., C. L. Graham, and L. E. West, Preservation of Motion-Picture Color Films Having Permanent Value, J Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers 79 (1970): Reilly, J. M., Storage Guide for Color Photographic Materials (Albany, NY: The University of the State of New York, New York State Education Department, New York State Library, The New York State Program for the Conservation and Preservation of Library Research Materials, 1998). 6. Adelstein, P. Z., Optimizing Nitrate Film Storage, in Preserve Then Show, (Copenhagen: Danish Film Institute, 2002), Adelstein, P. Z., J. M. Reilly, D. W. Nishimura, and C. J. Erbland, Stability of Cellulose Ester Base Photographic Film: Part IV Behavior of Nitrate Base Film, J Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, June 1995, Bigourdan, J.-L., From the Nitrate Experience to New Film Preservation Strategies, in This Film Is Dangerous, R. Smither, ed., (Brussels, Belgium: FIAF, 2002),

13 9. Fischer, M. C., and J. M. Reilly, Use of Passive Monitors in Film Collections, Topics in Photographic Preservation, Vol. 6, compiled by R. E. Siegel, (Washington, DC: American Institute for Conservation, Photographic Materials Group, 1995). 10. User s Guide for A-D Strips, Adelstein, P.Z., J. M. Reilly, D. W. Nishimura, and C. J. Erbland, Stability of Cellulose Ester Base Photographic Film: Part I Laboratory Testing Procedures, J Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, (May 1992): , Stability of Cellulose Ester Base Photographic Film: Part II Practical Storage Considerations, J Society of Motion Picture Engineers, (May 1992): , Stability of Cellulose Ester Base Photographic Film: Part III Measurement of Film Degradation, J Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers 104, no. 5, (May 1995): Adelstein, P.Z., J. M. Reilly, D. W. Nishimura, C. J. Erbland, and J.-L. Bigourdan Stability of Cellulose Ester Base Photographic Film: Part V Recent Findings, J Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, (July 1995): Reilly, J. M., IPI Storage Guide for Acetate Film, Rochester, NY: Image Permanence Institute, Bigourdan, J.-L., K. Santoro, and G. Salesin, The Preservation of Magnetic Tape Collections: A Perspective, Final report to National Endowment for the Humanities, Division of Preservation and Access, NEH Grant # PA , Adelstein, P. Z., J. M. Reilly, and F. G. Emmings, Stability of Photographic Film: Part VI Long-Term Aging Studies, J Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers, April 2002, Bigourdan, J.-L., Environmental Assessment and Condition Survey: Establishing a Strategic Preservation Plan for the Danish Film Institute s Motion-Picture Film Collections, in Preserve Then Show, (Copenhagen: Danish Film Institute, 2002) , Stability of Acetate Film Base: Accelerated-Aging Data Revisited, J Imaging Science and Technology 50, no. 5 (September/October 2006): Burge, D. M., J. M. Reilly, and D. W. Nishimura, Effects of Enclosure Papers and Paperboards Containing Lignins on Photographic Image Stability, J American Institute for Conservation 41 (2002): ISO Processed imaging materials Photographic activity test for enclosures materials (Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization for Standardization, 2007).

14 21. Nishimura, D. W., J. M. Reilly, and P. Z.Adelstein, Improvements to the Photographic Activity Test in ANSI Standard IT9.2, J Imaging Technology 17, no. 6 (December 1991): Reilly, J. M., D. W. Nishimura, L. Pavaõ, and P. Z. Adelstein, Photograph Enclosures: Research and Specifications, Restaurator 10 (1989): Frey, F. S. and J. M. Reilly, Digital Imaging for Photographic Collections: Foundations for Technical Standards (Rochester, NY: Image Permanence Institute, 1999). 24. Burge, D., G. Salesin, A. Venosa, and J. M. Reilly, Beyond Light Fastness: Some Neglected Issues in Permanence of Digital Hardcopy, IS&T International Symposium on Technologies for Digital Fulfillment, March 3-5, 2007 Las Vegas, NV. 25. Burge, D., D. Nishimura, and M. Estrada, What Do You Mean When You Say Digital Print? Archival Outlook, March/April , Summary of the DP3 Project Survey of Digital Print Experience within Libraries, Archives, and Museums, Archiving 2009: Final Program and Proceedings, (Springfield, VA: Society for Imaging Science and Technology, 2009): Dune, C., L. Grinde, and R. Wiegandt, Characterization of Black-and-White Silver Gelatin Fiber-Based Photographic Prints, Zinn, E., J. M. Reilly, P. Z. Adelstein, and D. W. Nishimura, Air Pollution Effects on Library Microforms, Preventive Conservation Practice, Theory and Research, preprint of contributions to the Ottawa Congress, September 12-16, , A. Roy and P. Smith, eds., (London: The International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works, 1994) , Preservation of Color Photographs: The Danger of Atmospheric Oxidants in the Storage Environment, Environment and Conservation of Writing, Images, and Sound: Proceedings of ARSAG s Second International Study Days, (Paris: Association pour la recherche scientifique sur les arts graphiques, 1994) Zinn, E., D. W. Nishimura, and J. M. Reilly, Effects of Pollutant Vapors on Image Permanence, Final Program and Proceedings, IS&T s PICS Conference, (Springfield, VA: Society for Imaging Science and Technology, 1998) Adelstein, P. Z., E. D. Zinn, and J. M. Reilly, Effect of Atmospheric Pollution on Paper Stability, J Pulp and Paper Science 29, no. 1 (January 2003): Adelstein, P. Z., J. M. Reilly, and E. Zinn, Pollution Chambers for Paper Evaluation, TAPPI Proceedings of Pulp/Process and Product Quality Conference, Boston, MA, Nov. 5-9, 2000.

15 34. Bigourdan, J.-L., Film Storage Studies Recent Findings, in Preserve Then Show, (Copenhagen: Danish Film Institute, 2002) , Stability of Acetate Film Base: Accelerated-Aging Data Revisited, J Imaging Science and Technology 50, no. 5 (September/October 2006). 36. Bigourdan, J.-L., and J. M. Reilly, Effects of Fluctuating Environments on Paper Materials Stability and Practical Significance for Preservation, in Preservation in the Digital Age, 4th ARSAG International Symposium, Paris, May Bigourdan, J.-L., P. Z. Adelstein, and J. M. Reilly, Moisture and Temperature Equilibration: Behavior and Practical Significance in Photographic Film Preservation, La Conservation: Une Science en Evolution Bilans et Perspectives, Actes des troisièmes journées internationales d études de l ARSAG Paris April 1997 (1997): Bigourdan, J.-L., and J. M. Reilly, Effectiveness of Storage Conditions in Controlling the Vinegar Syndrome: Preservation Strategies for Acetate Base Motion-Picture Film Collections, Joint Technical Symposium Technique Mixte (JTS Paris 2000), Image and Sound Archiving and Access: the Challenges of the 3rd Millenium, January 20-22, (Paris: CNC, May 2000) Bigourdan, J.-L., P. Z. Adelstein, and J. M. Reilly, Acetic Acid and Paper Alkaline Reserve: Assessment of a Practical Situation in Film Preservation, ICOM-CC 11th Triennial Meeting Edinburgh, September 1-6, 1996, Preprints 2 (1996) , Use of Microenvironments for the Preservation of Cellulose Triacetate Photographic Film, J Imaging Science and Technology 42, no. 2 (1998): Adelstein, P. Z., IPI Media Storage Quick Reference, 2nd ed. (Rochester, NY: Image Permanence Institute, 2009). 42. ISO Imaging materials Multiple media archives Storage environment (Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization for Standardization, 2006). 43. Adelstein, P. Z., J.-L. Bigourdan, and J. M. Reilly, Moisture Relationships of Photographic Film, J American Institute for Conservation 36 (1997): Bigourdan, J.-L., P. Z. Adelstein, and J. M. Reilly, Moisture and Temperature Equilibration: Behavior and Practical Significance in Photographic Film Preservation, La Conservation: Une Science en Evolution Bilans et Perspectives, Actes des troisièmes journées internationales d études de l ARSAG Paris April 1997 (1997): Reilly, J. M., IPI s Climate Notebook Software for Environmental Analysis, Archiving 2005: Final Program and Proceedings, (Springfield, VA: Society for Imaging Science and Technology, 2005) , Preservation and the Economic of Information Access in Institutions, Libraries, and Archives, La Conservation: Une Science en Evolution, Bilans et Perspectives, Actes des Troisiemes Journées Internationales d Etudes de

16 l ARSAG, Paris, 21 au 25 Avril 1997, (Paris: Association pour la recherche scientifique sur les arts graphiques, 1997): Reilly, J. M., D. W. Nishimura, and E. Zinn, New Tools for Preservation: Assessing Long- Term Environmental Effects on Library and Archives Collections (Washington, DC: The Commission on Preservation and Access, 1995).