The MuseumPests Working Group began 19 years ago; from our initial 2002 meeting with seven people, we have now grown into a worldwide network to support the needs of museum, library, archive and historic house staff who strive to implement integrated pest management procedures and protect their collections from damaging pests. As we approach the 20th anniversary for our group, we hope you will consider showing your support for MuseumPests and ongoing work by participants across the world. Please consider a donation that is meaningful, as based upon your budget.
2006 website
Created in 2006, our initial website was envisioned as a way to share information with our group’s participants and was seen as an internal product. By 2008 site analytics indicated access by a far wider audience, and our focus became more outward facing. Recognizing that we needed a professional website to support the re
2008 MuseumPests update in progress
sources being developing, we asked the preservation community for support; many groups, institutions, and companies responded with generous donations that funded the first professional re-design of MuseumPests.net.
The site is now in need of a refresh. New funding is sought to help update the digital infrastructure of MuseumPests.net to support some of these exciting projects:
- Translations – A group of dedicated volunteers across the world have recently completed translation of the website into Spanish and will launch with our 2021 Virtual
Current home page
Meeting. A German version of the site is underway, and we have also received requests for a Portuguese translation. Funding will help support the work involved in connecting these sites so they can pull from a common image library and a blog supporting the development of the non-English language sites.
- Security – No one is surprised that security breaches on websites are a major concern; given the speed at which these threats develop, maintaining the site as a secure asset requires frequent updates, backups and more time from our devoted Webmaster.
- Server space – As our image library and other resources grow and with the addition of the foreign language companion sites, MuseumPests requires additional server space; funds will be used to ensure continuity of the site.
Statistics clearly demonstrate our growth:
- In 2006 we averaged 500 unique visits per month. In 2021 we saw over 2,100 per month.
- Our PestList began with 130 participants. This list now includes over 800 participants across the globe.
- We started with 12 Pest Fact Sheets and insect ID images on our site. We now offer 53 Fact Sheets and 125 vetted ID images.
- Our initial website offered 12 pages of IPM related content. Today we have over 110 pages of content created by our participants.
- We offer hundreds of pdf downloads of unique content.
While our website and resources are free – server space is not! Our goal is to raise $12,000.
All funds will be used to support the development and functionality of the MuseumPests Working Group’s two primary products: the website and our PestList. Sponsors will be recognized on our About Us sponsor page, in social media and blog posts, and will be acknowledged at our annual working group meeting. For more about MuseumPests and the sponsors who have supported us in the past, please see the About Us page on our website.