Over the past three decades, museum storage has evolved from one of the weakest aspects of collections management in Denmark to an international model for sustainable preservation. This presentation traces the development from inadequate and poorly controlled storage facilities identified in the early 2000s to the establishment of shared regional repositories and purpose-built low-energy storage buildings. It examines the emergence of the Danish low-energy storage concept, which combines airtight, well-insulated buildings, thermal inertia, and limited mechanical dehumidification to achieve stable preservation environments with very low energy consumption. Drawing on recent studies of Danish museum repositories, the paper evaluates building performance in terms of indoor climate, collection preservation, energy use, and life-cycle climate impact, and discusses future opportunities for reducing embodied carbon through alternative materials and circular construction strategies, as well as exploring the possibilities of incorporating the low-energy concept by transforming existing buildings for museum use.

Museum climate management has evolved from the application of fixed environmental setpoints towards risk-based strategies that balance collection preservation, building performance and energy consumption. This shift requires collection managers to base climate control decisions on an understanding of the interactions between collections, buildings and HVAC systems, supported by high-quality climate and operational data.

This paper discusses the role of climate data throughout the decision-making process for developing museum climate control strategies. Using examples from museum practice, it demonstrates how temperature and relative humidity data can be analysed to assess environmental performance and quantify mechanical, chemical and biological risks. In addition, it illustrates how information obtained from building management systems, including airflow rates, valve positions and HVAC operating data, provides valuable insight into system behaviour and opportunities for optimisation.

The presentation/paper argues that climate data analysis should not be limited to evaluating compliance with environmental specifications, but should also be used to make well informed decision about collection preservation, system optimisations and sustainability. This approach supports the ongoing transition from prescriptive climate standards towards descriptive, risk-based sustainable climate management.

Ireland’s first census following the foundation of the Free State was taken on 18 April 1926 and recorded a population of 2,971,992 across the 26 counties. It provides a detailed snapshot of life in Ireland by gathering 21 data sets including age, birthplace, occupation, religion, housing conditions and use of the Irish language. The personal information held remained under the control of the Central Statistics Office (CSO) for 100 years until the records were formally transferred to the National Archives Ireland (NAI) on 18 April 2026.

The National Archives undertook an ambitious three-year project to catalogue, conserve, digitise and transcribe over 600,000 household forms and 120,000 enumerator abstract forms to make them freely available to search online. Their condition meant that conservation was essential prior to digitisation, and it proved to be one of the most time-consuming and physically challenging elements of the project.

Thanks to the meticulous efforts of the team the 1926 Census forms were not only stable enough to withstand the handling required for digitisation but are now preserved for future generations.

This paper will explore the challenges faced when undertaking such a high-profile project in-house for the first time. It will provide practical insights into how work plans were developed and critical decisions made to meet the very public deadline. It will emphasise the necessity to be flexible, innovative and responsive to changing circumstances when managing a large-scale project. It will highlight the importance of advocating for conservation best practice at an interpersonal, organisational and national level.