galeria-2450-biblioteca-nacional-realiza-monitoramento.jpg
One of the highlights when it comes to preemptive measures is the environmental control of temperature and humidity in the collections’ custody areas, including the conservation and restoration laboratories and the safe room, among others. Data is captured by sensors installed in each of those rooms, stored and processed by the SITRAD program – a specialized software developed by Full Gauge Control for areas with air conditioning systems.
The program issues reports from the data captured by the sensors, which serves as an important asset for the analytical work done by climatologist Antonio Carlos Oliveira. Every month, he interprets the data in the reports to issue technical analysis documents which contain recommendations and guidance for the technical staff of the National Library. Documents – climatologist’s analysis and technical reports – are made available to the public on the National Library’ website.
According to Antonio Carlos, “the main purpose of all this survey work – combining humidity and temperature analysis – is to minimize biological risks on the collection, analyzing the main spaces of the Library and preventing the proliferation of fungi – which constitute the greatest threat for a collection in which paper is the predominant support.”
Jayme Spinelli, head of the Preservation Coordinator, declares that “the environmental control is critical for us to ensure the maintenance of the assets included in this rich collection: holding such a rich collection with high material and cultural value isn’t good enough if it isn’t properly maintained. Taking care of these documents is a major concern in our institution.”
