The stress on objects caused by almost constant use keeps two full time staffers busy repairing damage as well as preventing future damage. Environmental damage, caused by fluctuations in temperature and humidity inherent in a building in use, takes a toll on some of the more fragile pieces in the collection. Regular monitoring of two of the building's most historic rooms is conducted in an attempt to maintain environmental stability. All repairs and restoration treatments are documented and a written record is kept in the object's file. Perhaps one of the most frustrating but vitally important tasks mandated by the collection management policy is the annual inventory.
Inventory control is achieved by using a computerized data base to record the locations of objects.
Once a year, a complete inventory of the collection is conducted and the data base is updated, noting all location changes. It is a long and arduous task, dreaded by all involved. The answer is always yes. The Smithsonian Building is, in addition to being an important architectural landmark, the symbol of the Institution itself as its first building. Therefore, the objects of the collection serve not just to decorate, but to contribute to the historic character of the building.