Return to basics—Environmental management for museum collections and historic houses

•Presenting issues and solutions for the preservation of museum collections.•Systematic approach in advising museums on control strategies of environment.•Active mechanical control of the heritage environment is rarely a necessity.•Advantage given to measures for enhancing passive control of indoor environment.•Importance of conservators input when making decisions on environmental management.

Over the last few decades, research on the impact of environment on the cultural heritage and material response to processes of deterioration and at the same time introduction of risk-based methodology in developing preservation strategies lead to the revision of the guidelines for environmental management in the field of conservation of cultural heritage.Following this approach and taking into account minimal risks to collections Central Institute for Conservation in Belgrade has been working with museums in Serbia on determining the necessary environmental requirements for a specific collection and proposing adequate control strategies. The recommendations based on surveys of facilities and collections and monitoring of indoor environmental parameters, focus on eliminating sources of extreme conditions, and improving the existing conditions, or even maintaining the existing conditions when they are observed as stable both for collections and building. This strategy favors solutions which do not affect the building as a historical monument or its integrity or impose excessive investments in museum building. The paper will present issues and solutions for preservation of museum collections set in historic buildings, through several case studies and from the position of conservators, based on gathered data on collections, building and risks to collections.