Interrogating the Preservation Performance and Reuse of Sealed Frame Packages for Transit and Display

Collecting institutions have a mandate to preserve and enable access to collections. Exhibition, which often involves object transit between cultural institutions, is an essential activity for many museums to achieve their missions. These activities introduce challenges for preservation, as objects are most susceptible to irreparable damage during these key time periods. Paper-based objects that are sensitive to changes in relative humidity (RH) are commonly enclosed in sealed frame packages (SFPs) to create microclimates. Twenty-six different SFP designs were investigated for their effectiveness at buffering against external RH changes. Following initial conditioning of paper-based objects and enclosure materials at 45% RH, data loggers were placed inside each SFP and exposed to 70% RH for 12 weeks. The internal responses of the SFPs to the external RH were quantitatively assessed, alongside qualitative assessments of material reusability. Results indicate that a polyethylene bag sealed around a frame package is a reusable alternative to SFPs. Bagging alone was capable of limiting the impact of high external RH from permeating to the object level for approximately three weeks. When exposure to elevated RH levels is expected to exceed three weeks, SFPs are effective microclimates under the proviso that they comprise glazing, a vapor-proof barrier, and a seal.