IPI is committed to realizing its mission in ways that ensure research,
education programs, resources, and tools are accessible to as broad and diverse of an audience as possible.
In addition to web-based resources and tools, IPI has increased international reach through online education and
training programs, specifically webinars. Hands-on
education and training opportunities are presented in different geographic regions of the United States to
ensure accessibility to a wide range of library, archives, and museum professionals and are often subsidized
with grant funding to ensure affordability. Institutions can also request workshop presentations. IPI’s social media presence
includes Facebook , Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Additional online outreach is
achieved through a quarterly e-newsletter. Subscribe to receive information about upcoming education and training opportunities.
Web Resources
eClimateNotebook
Web-based environmental data management software designed to help museums, libraries, and archives document, analyze, and improve the storage environment for long-term preservation. Easily evaluate the preservation quality of your storage environments with metrics that calculate the rate of natural aging, the risk of mechanical damage, and the risk of mold. Available at various subscription levels depending on institutional size.
Graphics Atlas
Graphics Atlas is a sophisticated web resource that presents a unique, object-based approach to the identification and characterization of prints and photographs. This resource is designed to provide collection identification and management information to archivists, curators, historians, collectors, conservators, educators, and the general public.
DP3 - Digital Print Preservation Portal
DP3project.org is a website devoted to presenting IPI’s research on digital print preservation. Information about digital printing technologies, common forms of deterioration, and guidelines for handling, storage, display, and naming of materials are provided at dp3project.org and summarized in IPI’s Guide to Preservation of Digitally-Printed Images.
FilmCare.org
IPI’s knowledge and experience in film preservation is synthesized in a web-based application called FilmCare.org. This site provides information and an easy-to-implement decision-making tool for preserving all types and formats of film materials. It highlights the need for defining sustainable approaches to film care and facilitates the otherwise intricate process of implementing best-fit preservation strategies for a wide variety of real-life situations.
Sustainable Preservation Practices
The cost of energy to heat, cool, and dehumidify can be a significant portion of an institutional budget, and a necessary investment for collecting institutions obligated to provide the best stewardship possible to the materials in their collections. Finding the appropriate balance between preservation and resource allocation goals is a process unique to each institution, based on their specific situation. Join a webinar, attend a workshop, and explore many resources on this topic at ipisustainability.org.
Dew Point Calculator
This tool is designed to calculate and visually present the relationship between temperature, relative humidity and dew point. These calculations are used to evaluate the preservation quality of the environment based on four types of material decay—natural aging or chemical decay, the risk of mechanical damage, the potential for mold growth or for metal corrosion.
Recent Initiatives
Training Sustainable Environmental Management Teams for Cultural Institutions
Training Sustainable Environmental Management Teams for Cultural Institutions
This two-year project is focused on improving and increasing the capacity of humanities collections professionals to independently establish and maintain sustainable environmental management programs. In cultural institutions an environmental management team that includes both collections and facilities staff creates a structure in which the insights gained from environmental monitoring are actively used to inform environmental management. Webinars and workshops will provide essential knowledge and skills necessary for small, mid-size, and large institutions working to balance the preservation quality of collections environments with responsible building management and lower energy costs. This project has the potential to simultaneously improve the long-term preservation of humanities collections across the US while reducing the long-term costs associated with preserving those collections.
Funded by:
National Endowment for the Humanities
Award:
$199,801
Project Dates:
2019
- 2020
Principal Investigators:
Enhancing the Educational Value and Longevity of Graphics Atlas
Enhancing the Educational Value and Longevity of Graphics Atlas
Print identification is a necessary skill for individuals working with both public and private print collections as it is the first step to preservation and curatorial understanding of printed objects. Graphics Atlas is a unique digital resource that guides users through an object-based approach to identification and characterization of graphic print media from the fifteenth century to the present. This project will begin expanding the purpose of Graphics Atlas by adding information on the preservation and care of printed objects.
Funded by:
Samuel H. Kress Foundation
Award:
$17,000
Project Dates:
2019
- 2019
Principal Investigator:
Digital Print Preservation: Education and Training for Cultural Heritage Professionals
Digital Print Preservation: Education and Training for Cultural Heritage Professionals
This project will have a wide and substantial impact on the field. Hundreds of attendees will benefit from a program of nine workshops offered over three days, along with short sessions at each location that will allow additional attendees a half-day overview covering foundational knowledge on digital print processes and materials, a new descriptive language to assure accurate communication, and the basics of best care for these objects. The experience will be groundbreaking for attendees. Most have little or no experience in this area and this will be the first educational experience on the topic they have ever received.
Funded by:
National Endowment for the Humanities
Award:
$195,049
Project Dates:
2018
- 2019
Principal Investigator:
