Research Partners Selected for the IMLS-Funded WebERA Project

IPI received a major grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to design and carry out the WebERA project, the goal of which is to create a novel web-based system that will enable collections staff in museums and libraries to efficiently move large volumes of environmental data directly to the web for storage, analysis, and reporting.

Over 80 U.S. museums and libraries responded to IPI's call for applications to participate as research partners to test the design and function of WebERA. Selecting only ten museums and five libraries from among them was a difficult task. Our choices reflect our effort to have representation from a variety of institutional types, sizes, and geographical settings. The following institutions were asked to join the project:

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Detroit Institute of Arts
The Museum of Modern Art
The Morgan Library and Museum
Shelburne Museum
Smithsonian, National Museum of Natural History
American Museum of Natural History
Museum of History and Industry, Historical Society of Seattle
California Department of Parks and Recreation
University of Wisconsin Libraries
Yale University Library
University Libraries, University of Colorado
University of Illinois Preservation Working Group
Peabody Essex Museum, Phillips Library

About the Project

WebERA (which stands for Web-Based Environmental Risk Analysis) will be a web-based system for analyzing environmental risk and ranking collection storage quality. It will enable collections care staff to efficiently manage large volumes of environmental data using preservation metrics and automated analysis. The premise behind the project is that environmental risks can be mitigated once they are identified, quantified, and communicated to facilities managers and institution administrators. The WebERA concept has evolved through thirteen years of environmental research and development at IPI. Most museums and libraries lack the necessary staff time and in-house expertise to manage their environments effectively and efficiently. Furthermore, it is difficult to determine the degree of risk or benefit to collections and to organize, maintain, and report on mountains of data. The premise is that environmental risks can be managed and mitigated if they can be identified, quantified, and then communicated to museum leadership and facilities managers. The idea of using the web to store and share environmental data directly is new, but it is firmly rooted in IPI’s environmental research and development over the past 13 years.

The success of our collecting institutions over the long term will depend not only on how well they can market themselves, but also on whether their collections are in good enough condition to attract the attention of visitors and scholars. Environment is the least costly way to ensure that competitive edge and to avoid the expense of preventable damage. WebERA is designed to overcome the obstacles that most often prevent museums and libraries from managing environments successfully.
—James Reilly, IPI Director

Project activities will include programming the WebERA web server application and working with the selected group of museums and libraries to test the design and function of the WebERA system.

Project results will be made available to the preservation community through conference presentations and a web publication.

The Institute of Museum and Library Services is an independent, grant-making agency of the federal government. Only institutions within the United States were considered for participation in this federally funded project.