Passive measures do not depend on anything else while they do their work of protecting the collections. For example, storage cabinets with good seals around the doors supply passive protection by keeping the inside relative humidity constant even if a power failure temporarily shuts down the active environmental controls of the building. Specimens come in all shapes and sizes, may be fragile or robust, and need different environmental conditions in order to keep them at their best. Some specimens must be prevented from drying out while others must be kept dry, some must be protected from damage by insects and many deteriorate when exposed to light. The acids in paper made of wood pulp can damage many specimens, so linen mounting paper and Mylar storage boxes are used.
Radioactive minerals require a special room to protect staff from radiation.
Nature's collections are stored in our Natural Heritage Building , which was designed with all such requirements in mind. The science of conservation has identified no less than 10 categories that sort all the possible causes of damage to specimens. View an example of each of these agents of deterioration at work in our photo gallery . Active research is necessary to support passive conservation measures in order to meet all the challenges of preserving such a diverse array of specimens. Nature's collection specialists are leaders in research into specimen preservation.