5. Preventive conservation measures

We've just seen that graphic documents made up mainly of organic materials are highly susceptible to attack by molds, as they are potential food sources for these micro-organisms. Furthermore, it's not always easy to react correctly and quickly to large-scale contamination. All the operations we have just described are relatively simple, but in practice, they often prove very tedious to carry out. The easiest way to avoid this is prevention.

We need to implement a real control strategy, adopting measures to maintain mold levels at a certain level, so that they pose no risk to collections or people working in conservation facilities. To reduce the risk of biocontamination and prevent the proliferation and dissemination of molds, we need to act at different levels: climatic parameters, sources of biocontamination and nutrient conditions. Here are a few basic rules:...