PAS 198:2012

What is this PAS about?

It specifies how collecting organizations and individuals can establish and maintain environmental conditions that preserve the cultural collections in their care for future use and enjoyment.

Who is this PAS for?

• Collecting organizations of all types and sizes including archives, historic houses, libraries and museums, whether public or private
• Individual collectors

Why should you use this PAS?

It specifies requirements for managing the setting of environmental conditions for collection items held in cultural collections in the UK, whether in storage, on display or in transit.

It sets out a framework within which environmental conditions can be specified and methods of achieving them can be determined. It also provides guidance in the form of notes and informative annexes to help collecting organizations comply with the requirements.

Requirements cover temperature, relative humidity, light and pollution. The starting point for users is to develop an understanding of the sensitivity of collection items to these agents of deterioration.

PAS 198:2012 then aims to help users make their own judgements about specifying beneficial environmental conditions appropriate to local circumstances. The emphasis is on providing conditions for the materials and structures of collection items that will help prevent rapid deterioration or irreversible damage. Although deterioration cannot be arrested altogether, it can be significantly slowed down. Good management of environmental conditions can extend the lifetime of even sensitive materials.