Learn more: Room Climate

What is the optimal climate in the archive and depot?
The height of the temperature, the relative humidity and the strength of the daylight have a direct influence on the "lifespan" of collections of all kinds.

Temperature
In general, the following maxim applies: The lower the temperature, the more decomposition processes are stopped in the archive material - it "ages" more slowly. According to the DIN ISO 11799 standard, the following guide value applies to the temperature in archive rooms:

All year round: 18 °C +/- 2 °C

A temperature of 26 °C should never be exceeded! Temperature fluctuations should be kept to a minimum. For photographic materials, the temperature should never exceed 20 °C, ideally 18 °C and below.
 
Humidity
A general principle can also be derived for relative humidity: The drier, the safer from mould and microclimate in plastic packaging. This applies with the exception of documents that tend to be fragile, for the protection of which the relative humidity should not fall below 35%.

According to the DIN ISO 11799 standard, the following guide value applies to relative humidity in archive rooms:

All year round: 50% +/- 5%.

For photographic materials, the relative humidity should even be significantly lower, namely between 30 and 40%. A relative humidity of 60% should generally never be exceeded in order to avoid the formation of mold and damp microclimates inside the protective packaging.

Daylight
The unimpeded influence of daylight, whether direct or indirect, causes irreparable damage to almost all archival materials through yellowing, drying and bleaching. Therefore, prevent daylight from entering archive, exhibition and depot rooms unhindered.