Guidance on storage and environment

Professional conservation standards

High Life Highland Conservation Service provides air‑conditioned repositories designed for long‑term preservation. Our facilities meet BS EN 16893:2018 standards, with mobile shelving systems that ensure safe and efficient access and prevent further deterioration of archives and collections.

Understanding collection materials

Our archive holdings and museum collections include a wide range of organic and delicate materials:

• Archives: paper, parchment, leather, photographic supports and emulsions, book structures, cloth, and parchment coverings
• Museum collections: paper, wood, oil paintings, porcelain, ceramic

Because these materials are sensitive to even slight changes in temperature or humidity, they require specialised storage solutions and careful handling during use or transport.

Causes of deterioration

The most common risks to collections include:

• Mechanical damage from frequent or careless handling
• Poor storage environments such as damp conditions, which encourage mould and insect activity
• Heat, which accelerates insect breeding cycles
• Light exposure, especially ultraviolet light, which causes brittleness, discolouration, and rapid degradation in paper and photographic emulsions

Photographic emulsions, in particular, are highly absorbent and fragile, requiring extreme care when handled.

Recommended environmental conditions

For safe storage of rarely handled materials:

• Temperature: 16–19°C (±1°C)
• Relative Humidity (RH): 45–60% (±5%) over a 24‑hour period

Practical guidance for homes

• Choose a cool, dry room such as a bedroom, spare room, or dining room with only background heating.
• Avoid cellars (often damp) and roof spaces (subject to seasonal extremes).

Risks of poor conditions

• High RH and temperature: promote mould growth, microbial activity, and acidity.
• Low RH: causes drying and embrittlement of cellulose fibres in paper.
• Fluctuations: rapid changes in temperature or humidity are especially damaging.

Consistency is key—maintaining a stable environment is more important than achieving perfection.

Protection from light

• Keep items out of direct sunlight.
• Use UV filters on windows and lights when displaying materials.