LÆFANEnvironmental monitoring
LÆFAN / Guidance / Worked examples

Worked examples

See how the pieces fit together in a real monitoring situation.

These examples use features that exist in LÆFAN today. They are not model policies or conservation specifications; they show how the monitoring record can be organised around a practical job.

The object and institution still decide the environmental requirements. LÆFAN keeps the place, profile, readings and response connected.
01Mixed collection galleryRoutine environmental monitoring02Display case microclimateCase, room and outside context03Temporary exhibitionCampaign with a defined period04Archive storeLong-term storage monitoring

02 · Display case microclimate

Compare the case with the room around it.

A showcase can behave differently from the gallery, particularly when it is well sealed or passively conditioned. LÆFAN can keep the case, room and outside reference as related environments instead of treating the case reading in isolation.

  • Place a sensor inside the case and retain a representative room sensor outside it.
  • Use the Environmental Relationship to show case → room, and room → outside reference where useful.
  • Record light at the object or case position if the material is sensitive.
  • Keep case construction, passive buffering and lighting arrangement in the interpretation notes rather than trying to infer them from one sensor trace.
Try the environment relationship simulator →
ReferenceOutside
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AmbientGallery
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MicroclimateDisplay case

03 · Temporary exhibition

Give the temporary period a boundary without duplicating the sensor history.

Create a Campaign for the exhibition, attach the profile and places that apply, and keep any manual checks or light observations alongside the continuous record. When the exhibition ends, the campaign closes but the underlying environmental history stays intact.

  • Use the lender or conservation decision as the source for the environmental requirements.
  • Use a Campaign to mark the dates and purpose of the temporary activity.
  • Add a Monitoring Plan for checks that are specific to the exhibition.
  • Use spot samples for one-off readings instead of making them look like permanent sensor data.
Read loans & temporary exhibitions →
CampaignTemporary exhibition↓ProfileAgreed conditions↓Monitoring planChecks & responsibilities↓RecordReadings, samples, response

04 · Archive store

Build a long-term record around a storage environment.

Stores often benefit from long-term temperature and RH monitoring because the aim is to understand seasonal behaviour and identify sustained problems. Light is usually a different question in storage than it is on display.

  • Monitor temperature and RH consistently and retain sensor placement and calibration context.
  • Use a Monitoring Plan to document review frequency and manual checks.
  • Compare with outside conditions when you are trying to understand the building response.
  • Keep collection-specific requirements in the Environmental Profile, particularly where photographic or other specialist material is stored.
Read paper & archives →
Long-term monitoringArchive Store A
Temp / RHSensor historyReview planProfile versions

Useful references

The examples follow current UK guidance on monitoring and context.

Museums Galleries Scotland recommends meaningful environmental monitoring around the needs of collections and notes the value of monitoring buildings and display cases. Icon’s current guidance also emphasises context rather than one universal set of parameters.

MGS environmental monitoring ↗MGS temperature & humidity ↗Icon environmental management ↗NMDC lending & borrowing ↗