IPI has developed a variety of web sites that can help answer your preservation questions.
Graphics Atlas
Graphics Atlas is an online resource that brings sophisticated print identification and characteristic exploration tools to archivists, curators, historians, collectors, conservators, educators, and the general public. Initial development of this resource began in 2006.
Graphics Atlas has two central web applications. The print identification application guides you through a concise set of representations that replicate the experience of identifying prints using common tools (i.e., a loupe and simple stereomicroscope). A second application, the Object Explorer, allows you to browse and compare traits across processes using a set of 18 views made with various lighting techniques and magnifications. Characteristics including size, format, color, texture, sheen, and layer structure are explored logically. The Graphics Atlas contains additional web pages devoted to the history of printing technologies expressed through text, images, and diagrams.
Visit www.graphicsatlas.org to start exploring prints.
Archival Advisor
The Archival Advisor is a trusted and reliable source of preservation information for home archiving and photo storage. The web site includes articles about digital preservation, preservation tips and tricks, information on identifying old prints, book reviews to help you select the reading materials that will truly aid in caring for your photos, a variety of consumer guides and reports, and links to other resources. The Archival Advisor is intended for the family photo collector, the genealogist, as well as the scrapbook maker.
Visit www.archivaladvisor.org for more information.
PEMdata
PEMdata is a web resource for storing and analyzing temperature and humidity data. PEMdata was created by IPI to help libraries, archives, and museums monitor their storage environments, by providing a way to organize, interpret, and share temperature and humidity data. PEMdata’s powerful analysis tools are designed to assist cultural institutions with the stewardship of their collections. For example, the Preservation Metrics can predict mold outbreaks or the risk of mechanical damage to the materials. The PEMdata features such as custom graphs and access to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) outdoor data also make the site useful for storing and viewing data from industrial and commercial activities. PEMdata supports data files from the Preservation Environment Monitor® (PEM®) and the PEM2®, as well as database files (.dbf) from IPI’s application software, Climate Notebook®. PEMdata is a free service.
Visit www.pemdata.org for more information.
Climate Notebook
Climate Notebook® is IPI's Windows-based environmental analysis software that lets you organize, track, visualize, analyze, and report on environmental data gathered from a variety of loggers. Climate Notebook was designed by preservation professionals specifically for use in archives, libraries, and museums. The software runs on Windows 98, NT, 2000, or XP. Climate Notebook is not designed to run as a distributed application over a network; it must be installed on the computer you are using. Designed to work with the Preservation Environment Monitor® (PEM®) and the PEM2®, Climate Notebook can also import data from a variety of sources including ACR®, Spectrum®, Hobo®, Trak-R®, and Rotronic® devices and MS Excel files. Data may also be entered manually. Object-specific analysis explains and documents how different materials are affected by environmental conditions and recommends improvements.
Visit www.climatenotebook.org for more information.
IPI Sustainability
IPI has received an Education & Training grant from NEH to provide a series of no-cost regional workshops and webinars for collections care and facilities staff in cultural institutions. Workshops will be presented in five locations between September 2010 and April 2011 by two nationally known experts in preservation and energy management— James Reilly, Director of IPI, and Peter Herzog of Herzog / Wheeler & Associates. Nine follow up webinars will focus on the practical application of sustainable preservation practices in collecting institutions. All presentations are designed to enable collections care and facilities staff in cultural institutions to avoid risks to collections while they support sustainability efforts and pursue opportunities for energy cost reduction.
Visit www.ipisustainability.org to sign up or learn more.
