Past and present pest mitigation

Abstract

Through a knowledge exchange network, many countries have developed similar timelines for using chemical substances to preserve collections in museums, libraries, and archives. To gather data on past treatment methods and current pest control practices, a survey was created. The goal was to identify the profile of toxic and non-toxic treatments used in various types of collections. The questionnaire was developed and applied to professionals working in cultural heritage preservation to identify both historical and current pest mitigation methods. The investigation aimed to determine if the traditional chemical treatments recommended by conservation manuals were widely adopted by professionals with different profiles and how current practices address pest-related issues in cultural heritage. This article presents and discusses the findings from this international survey.