Creating and maintaining intra-museum partnerships for a successful integrated pest management program

Derya Golpinar
Lower East Side Tenement Museum
91 Orchard Street
New York, NY 10002

An institution-wide approach is touted as best practice for IPM programs. In order to be fully successful, an institution-wide approach requires "buy-in," assistance and support from staff who may not otherwise have a direct role in collections care. However, persuading and encouraging staff to modify their behavioral habits can be a challenging and difficult process. How can museums encourage all staff to identify themselves as stakeholders in the care of collections? The Lower East Side Tenement Museum employs several techniques of formal and informal training to educate and train all staff on the role they play in the efficacy of their institution’s IPM program. These techniques have resulted in the creation of successful partnerships between the Museum’s various departments and ultimately, improved collections care.