During the annual IPM Working Group meetings participants split into smaller subgroups to collaboratively develop resources that will help them solve IPM challenges at their own institution. The results are shared here to benefit the cultural heritage community.
The names and goals of the various committees has evolved over the years. The current committees include:
PREVENTION – Previously known as the Standards & Best Practices subgroup, this committee has, to date focused on three main areas:
- IPM Policies and how they fit within cultural heritage institution collection policies;
- Procedures for activities like trapping, visual inspection, shipping and loans, and cleaning;
- Tools, such as tips sheets for various aspects of IPM implementation, staff education training material, risk and cost analyses, scientific studies and training material.
MONITORING – Consisting of two previous subgroups on Data Collection and Visualization, this committee focuses on finding ways to help museums organize, archive, and present pest-monitoring data including information on databases and programs (such as GIS) that allow for mapping and visualization of pest activity.
IDENTIFICATION – The principal activity of the Identification Aids Committee is to develop online resources for the identification of museum pests. Efforts include ID Fact Sheets, an image database and the collection of other resources that may benefit the broader community.
TREATMENT – The Treatment Committee has focused its efforts on presenting information on various pest control treatments and methods in a standardized way to assist staff members in evaluating and selecting physical, chemical and modified atmosphere treatments appropriate for their collections and institutions. Content is presented in the Solutions section of this site.
WEB RESOURCES – The Web Resources Committee is responsible for ensuring that the resources presented on www.museumpests.net are accurate and current and providing supplemental material such as the IPM bibliography.