• Step 1. Know why, how, and where you will gather environmental data
• Step 2. Prepare your PEMs and start gathering data
• Step 3. Control the urge to check data too often
• Step 4. Transfer data from the PEM with an SRAM card

Step 3. Control the urge to check data too often

Train yourself to look at long-term trends and seasonal fluctuations rather than daily or weekly fluctuations

• The metrics developed by IPI for preservation management quantify the effect of environmental conditions on the rate of chemical, biological, and mechanical decay over the long term.
• The metrics allow you to understand the degree of risk associated with the actual environment collections experience.

Take a broader view of environmental monitoring

• Basic environmental monitoring deals with target values for temperature and RH and any deviations from those set-points, no matter how short-term. Basic analysis is generally all that is needed for building operators.
• A broader view of preservation management is concerned with the impact of environmental conditions on the deterioration of collections over the long term. It works to define the best possible environment given the local climate, mechanical system functions, and vulnerabilities of collection materials.
• Preservation management is a process of data collection, analysis, information gathering, and continuous review. The storage environment is not something you fix, it’s something you manage.

Use History mode for a quick review of temperature and RH

• History mode lets you see recent temperature and RH readings on the PEM display without downloading to a computer. You can go back one hour at a time for up to 90 days.
• Press and hold the READ button for three seconds to enter History mode.
• At the top of the screen, the display will show the number of weeks of operation since the last TWPI reset, and at the bottome it will show the number of weeks since the PEM was put into service. After five seconds the display will show the most recent one-hour temperature and RH readings alternating with HISTORY HOURS/DAYS.
• Press and release the F/C button to step back one hour at a time or to scroll rapidly back to a specific time frame.
• Leave History mode by pressing and releasing the READ and F/C buttons at the same time. If the PEM receives no further instruction it will return to normal operation after four minutes and 25 seconds.
• NOTE: Prolonged use of History mode will drain the PEM batteries.