Museum Workers Research Articles

“The Current Kind of Museum Staff is Unsatisfactory...”: Soviet Scientific Politics and Training of Museum Personnel at the Leningrad Communist Institute of Political Enlightenment Named After N. K. Krupskaya in the Late 1930s — Early 1940s

The article is devoted to the attempt to create on the basis of the Leningrad Communist Institute of political enlightenment named after N. K. Krupskaya training centre for museum workers. The research is based on numerous materials from the archives of Saint-Petersburg and Moscow. The author views the circumstances of the organization of the faculty of museum studies and local lore in this Institute, analyzes the curricula, restores the contingent of teachers. Education began here in 1938 and continued until the beginning of 1942, although as early as August 1940 a new enrollment of students was cancelled. The history of the educational centre is considered in the context of the scientific politics of the USSR in the 1930s and the place that was assigned to museums in it.

Organization of museums of western Ukraine after the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation

During the war Russian troops are carrying out a targeted and systematic destruction of cultural and religious monuments of Ukraine with the help of various types of weapons and aviation. UNESCO World Heritage sites in Ukraine are under threat of destruction. In the course of modern war, the entire territory of Ukraine is in danger. At the same time, the western Ukrainian regions are considered to be a relatively safe territory. The population from the front-line areas, museum collections are evacuated here. One of the first initiatives to save Ukrainian museums was the Museum Crisis Center, the Heritage Emergency Response Initiative and the Western Ukrainian Union of Museums is based on substantial international assistance. Foremost due to international support, it was possible to receive grants for generators, power banks, as well as the purchase of personal protective equipment for museum workers in case of chemical and nuclear attacks. The activity of Western Ukraine museums was focused on two main directions. Firstly, on financial assistance to colleagues and organizing the evacuation of museum collections from the zone of hostilities or occupation. And secondly, on the preservation of museum valuables in the museums of Western Ukraine by digitizing them and filling the museum funds with the necessary amount of packaging materials. On the other hand, as it follows from the short field study of the master’s degree students, there were only minor fears or worries about possible military actions of the Russian Federation in the museum environment. At the same time there were no government instructions, explanations or warnings about the preparation for the possible evacuation of museum valuables or their more reliable storage. Unfortunately, letters from the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine belatedly responded to the current situation after February 2022 having left the main initiative to non-governmental unions and organizations. In the museum environment after the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation only personal initiatives were the most efficient in forming support and assistance for museum workers.

Determining dangerous chemicals on the surface of metallic historical artefacts

The problem is to determine the threat of chemical damage to a person upon his contact with historical artifacts from metals. For this purpose, experimental studies of the process of accumulation of chemicals on the surface of historical metal products were carried out. The objects of this study were 3 samples of historical cold weapons selected from the museum fund, as well as samples from modern sheet steel. The blades of museum objects were rubbed with a special ash-free swab, which was burned, and the chemical composition of the residue was determined. This makes it possible to obtain data on compounds from a significant surface area. A list of chemical elements that accumulate on the surface of metallic historical artifacts over time has been established. Theoretically, the possibility of the appearance on the surface of historical artifacts made of iron of such chemical elements as Mercury, Barium, Stibium, Phosphorus, Plumbum (Lead), Thallium, Chromium, Selenium, Cadmium has been theoretically proven. This can pose a threat to the health of museum workers and collectors who are in daily contact with such items. The results of the experiment are provided with samples of modern steel, which, in order to accelerate the process of elimination of impurity elements, warmed up for 3 hours in a muffle furnace at a temperature of 700 °C. The surface of these samples was studied using an electron microscope, and local emission analysis of the chemical composition was carried out. The obtained results confirm the process of elimination of ions of individual chemical elements from the metal in the process of its heating. We can observe the release of Al, Si, S, K, Ca, Cu ions to the surface. Based on the results obtained, plots are built that describe the change in the chemical composition of the metal surface throughout the history of existence. The use of the author's method of testing makes it possible to study the problem of safety of handling historical monuments in general. The results of the study are important for establishing the authenticity of metallic historical artifacts and assessing possible risks in contact with them.

A Contribution to the Study of the Development of Museum Activities during World War II in Occupied Serbia

Common stereotypical attitudes suggest that more extensive organized activities aimed at expanding the network of institutions for the protection of cultural assets began to be undertaken only after the end of World War II, under the auspices of the Communist party, when a new socialist social system was established. It was then, in 1947, that the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of Serbia was founded, followed by other local institutes of this kind. In that same period, local archives (archival centres) began to be established, increasing the capacity of archival activities initiated in 1898 with the founding of the State Archives of Serbia. At the same time, a series of new laws were passed; in addition, a number of museums were founded throughout Serbia, thus developing the museum network, which had previously – since the founding of the Serbian Museum (Muzeum serbski) in 1844 – expanded mainly in Belgrade, with only a small number of museums in other cities and towns in Serbia.
 New research has shown that even during the German occupation in World War II, under the collaborationist government of general Milan Nedić new institutions were founded, partly actually and partly nominally, with the aim of establishing a functional protection network. With the introduction of appropriate legal acts (the Decree on the protection of cultural heritage), the first institution to be founded was the Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage in May 1942. It was not only the precursor of today’s Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of Serbia but also a central heritage institution, with connections to museums which began to be founded in county centres from the autumn of 1942 onwards. Committees were formed, administrators appointed and guidelines for further activities laid down. In the meantime, starting in April 1942, courses for museum workers were organized in Belgrade, and similar training was planned to take place in other cities in Serbia; also, a special Museum Act was being drafted.
 It would seem that, although certain activities were recorded, museums founded during World War II did not have “firm foundations” and as of the latter half of 1943 there is no more mention of them, and the Museum Act was not passed. On the other hand, it is indicative that soon after the end of the war, musems were founded in all the towns and cities where initiatives for their founding had been recorded during the years of German occupation.

Колекції котових (Felidae) у природничих музеях України та їх значення у поширенні природничих знань

The study is devoted to the analysis of collections of the felid family, which are housed in natural history museums of Ukraine, two academic and eight university. The basics of the modern taxonomy of felids are considered with the vernacular names of tribes, genera and their type species, which is important for the unification of exhibition and catalogue information. For each of the considered museums, four blocks of data are presented: a general summary for the collection, presentation of particularly valuable or unique specimens, and description of the exhibition and scientific collections. The most complete felid collections (in terms of the number of specimens) are housed in the Museum of Nature of Kharkiv University (109 specimens), in the National Museum of Natural History (152 specimens), and in the Zoological Museum of Odesa University (66 specimens); in other collections the amount of material is much smaller (7–36 specimens). The total volume of collections of this family reaches 460 specimens of 21 species of 12 genera (out of 14 living). The examples of materials important for the dissemination of knowledge about this group are given, from folklore to important and interesting scientific facts for the general public. For all species, there is an organised catalogue, classified by tribe, genus, and species (all alphabetically), in which key information about the available specimens is given for each museum. Such information for each species is arranged according to the scheme ‘museum, location, number of samples, collection numbers and types of specimens, date, and collector or preparator.’ The present study is the first such generalisation of zoological collections of Ukraine, the experience of which can be extended to other groups of animals. The development of this study showed a high interest of colleagues in such generalisations, which clearly activate the attention of museum workers, researchers of variability and diversity, potential museum visitors and society to the topic of the selected focus groups and activation of exhibiting and research work in relation to those groups.

ON THE SYSTEM OF WATERMARKS USED AT VARIOUS FACTORIES OF GOZNAK FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF THE FIRST PAPER BANKNOTES IN THE RSFSR IN 1919-1922

This article was written by two specialists in the field of bonistics and is devoted to a little-studied page of the national history and the history of the production of banknotes. Both authors were directly involved in the work on the catalog «State legal tender without restrictions» (Moscow 2019). This work was one of the foundations that determined the classification of the entire Extraordinary Period (1914-1923). The purpose of the article was to show a unified system of a wide variety of watermarks used by various Goznak factories in this period. When using it, it became possible to separate individual banknotes by printing factories. Results: The very first period of production and existence of banknotes of the young Soviet Republic is analyzed. All the factories that appeared and work in those difficult conditions are indicated, with a description of the various types of money paper with which they worked. This article will be useful to historians studying money circulation, the history of the production of banknotes, collectors, experts, museum workers, and anyone interested in the production of paper money.

Domestic Archives, Libraries and Museums as Object and Subject of Consciental War in the Terms of the Russian Federation Armed Aggression Against Ukraine

The relevance of the study. The priority of information confrontation in the postmodern era is to change the mentality of the nation and the deformation of national memory patterns, which is clearly reflected in the events of Russian-Ukrainian war. Complex transformation processes in the development of the modern library system, the problem of determining its role and place in the protection of national cultural heritage, resisting attempts to purposefully instill hostile cultural values in the Ukrainian state in the context of integrated use of information warfare are given in conditions of the consciental war.
 The purpose of our scientific research is to reveal the essence of the socio-cultural dimension of consciental war (war for consciousness) in its constituents. This is archeological warfare and the falsification of history. Reveal and identify the potential for library, archival and museum systems functioning in the context of consciental war (war for consciousness) in the conditions of the Russian Federation armed aggression against Ukraine.
 The methodology. The author’s vision of the problem is based on the main principles of science: scientificity and objectivity. A systematic approach to determining the functionality of libraries enabled to establish the content and prospects of transformation processes of the modern library, archival and museum systems in the consciental war (war for consciousness) and to determine its effectiveness in terms of performing tasks of effective armed and information confrontation.
 The results. It is proved that the archival, library and museum systems, as a traditional collector and translator in the time and space of documented knowledge, the guardian of the national cultural heritage becomes the object of influence and manipulation in the terms of consciental war (war for consciousness). At the same time, they can and should be an effective tool for information and psychological confrontation. It reveals the role and place of the cultural heritage institutions in the consciental war (war for consciousness) — archaeological warfare and the rewriting of history. A number of forms of consciental war in confrontation in Russian-Ukrainian war are characterized.
 The scientific novelty. For the first time, an attempt was made to comprehensively analyze the role of archives, libraries, museums in the consciental war (war for consciousness). The tasks and functions of the archives, libraries, museums as an effective tool for the protection of the national information space are specified in conditions of Russian-Ukrainian war.
 The practical significance. The results of the study can be used by librarians, archivists, museum workers as well as higher education institutions that implement educational programs in the specialties 029 “Information, Library and Archival Affairs” and 027 “Museum and monument studies” in the development of new disciplines (e.g., “Іnformation Warfare and National Security”, “Archival studies”, “Library studies”, “Museology”, etc). It will provide training for library, archive, museum and information specialists at modern requirements level, taking into account the peculiarities of modernization processes development in the library and archives.

METHODOLOGY FOR THE PREPARATION OF MUSEOGRAPHIC EDITIONS BY DOMESTIC RESEARCHERS OF THE SECOND HALF OF THE XIX – EARLY XX CENTURIES

The object of the study is domestic museum publications of the second half of the XIX-th – early XX-th centuries. Museographic texts are considered from the point of view of the formation of source studies in Ukraine. The primary focus is on positivist approaches to working with a historical source. The subject of the study is focused on the principles and methods of attributing items in museum collections. It is shown that their introduction into scientific circulation was based on the observance of the principle of historicism and objectivity. The analysis of museographic texts showed that scientists used an empirical approach to studying objects in museum collections: museographers practiced direct, sensory-experiential work with the subject of the collection. The article shows how historians used the method of direct comparison, historical-genetic, and historical-comparative methods. It is shown that they based their conclusions on the analysis of external features of artifacts: shape, ornamentation, and material. Particular attention is paid to the method of induction, which was very popular among positivists. Its application is demonstrated by specific examples of the formation of conclusions about an artifact's origin based on several heterogeneous facts about it. The article shows how museum workers classified and systematized collection items. It was established that the main principle of grouping collections was the chronological principle. In the middle of the selected historical periods, objects were distributed according to formal characteristics: material and category of the object. A more complex classification – the selection of types in the middle of homogeneous objects – is based on a comprehensive analysis of the technical features of the artifacts. The authors concluded that domestic museographic works of the second half of the XIX – early XX century are a clear example of a positivist view of historical research. Museographers introduced a significant number of historical sources into scientific circulation. They showed that these sources reflect different aspects of the life of the people of Ukraine from ancient times to the twentieth century. An important conclusion is the critical use of museography in the second half of the XIX – early XX century. That is due to the fact that errors in attributive work were revealed in museum editions of the past.

Temporal rate of postmortem DNA degradation in archived tissue samples: evidence from liver and muscle

AbstractGuidelines identifying best practices for harvesting tissues that lead to optimal DNA preservation are few but are important curatorial concerns for genetic resource collections. We conducted a temporal study to establish rate of DNA degradation of tissue samples extracted from field-caught museum specimens. Five individuals of Sigmodon hispidus were collected and their liver and muscle tissues were harvested. Each tissue type was sectioned into 15 subsamples, and each was preserved in liquid nitrogen at different time intervals (2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 min; 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 h; and 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 days) following death. DNA was extracted using an automated robotic instrument and molecular mass profiles were determined fluorometrically. Postmortem DNA degradation was continuous and dependent on time, but also was significantly affected by differences among individual cotton rats. DNA fragments of ≥10,000 base pairs in length were present in muscle samples across all time intervals, whereas DNA fragments of this size in liver samples were no longer present after 8–16 h postmortem. DNA molecular mass profiles showed that muscle samples retained 80% of their longest fragments (≥10,000 base pairs) until 1 day postmortem, whereas liver samples retained the same percentage only until 8 min after death. Although rates of decay were measured from samples in a laboratory (not field) setting, rates of decay presented here can guide field and museum workers in best practices. Results suggest that opportunistic samples, such as those from roadkill specimens, are more likely to be of use for a variety of molecular methods when muscle is preserved. Considerations of differences in rates of degradation may also guide selection of tissue types housed in genetic resource collections, especially under space-limited circumstances.

Worker-led feminist mobilizing for the museum of the future

Museum workers have taken a massive hit during the pandemic when many museums closed their doors, cut staff hours, instituted layoffs and furloughs, and pushed more into precarity. For many workers, the effect of the pandemic has highlighted long-standing issues of racial, economic, gender and political inequality. This article engages with how workers are responding to this insecurity by highlighting worker-led feminist mobilizations for transformation in museums based in the United States and the United Kingdom. By focusing on efforts for engaging with the Black Lives Matter movement, decolonizing the museum, unionizing workers and providing mutual aid, this article examines worker-led practices of transformation of the museum amid crisis. A special emphasis is put on how workers articulate the importance of feminist solidarity and collective action in envisioning a more just museum of the future.

1930 –1950 ЖЫЛДАРДАҒЫ ҚАЗАҚСТАННЫҢ МУЗЕЙ САЛАСЫ ДАМУЫНЫҢ КЕЙБІР АСПЕКТІЛЕРІ

The article analyzes the process of formation and development of museum institutions of Kazakhstan in the 1930-1950s. On the basis of archival sources, the history of museum activity is traced, the problems of the development of an interitative museum affair are characterized. On the example of museums, the field of museum work, the state of museums, the role, place, the stages of development, the specifics of the “Soviet” model of the museum, the problems of the personnel of museum workers, difficulties infinancing and organizing museum institutions of the republic are considered. The influence of political factors on changing the standards of museum affairs in the 1930s in Kazakhstan is also noted. The analysis of the processes in the museum of Kazakhstan is given in connection with the next political repression in the USSR in the late 1940s. In particular, the influence of political repressions is considered, which was subjected to a famous historian Yermukhan Bekmakhanov, to the fate of A.M. Jirenshin, who for many years headed the Central State Museum.

Social Class in UK Museums: Mark Taylor Interviews Michelle McGrath

ABSTRACT What is the experience of working-class museum professionals in the UK, and what is the Museum as Muck network doing about it? This is a conversation between Michelle McGrath, founder of Museum as Muck, and Mark Taylor, who researches inequalities across cultural and creative industries in the UK. The interview introduces Museum as Muck, which is a network for working-class museum workers, explaining their activism and work. It also discusses broader themes that explain the relative lack of working-class museum workers, including working for free, nepotism, and how entry-level roles are advertised, and moves on to discuss the mechanisms through which class inequality persists even once working-class people have entered the sector. It concludes with a discussion of how current museum professionals and museum educators can influence practice to make museums a more welcoming and supportive environment for working-class people, both in the UK and internationally.

Method of estimating the market cost of art objects based on the interpolation model

The task of assessing the market cost of an art object (AO) is relevant for artists, art dealers, collectors and museum workers, among others. Experts and appraisers who need appropriate automation tools are involved in its solution. The task is complicated by the inconsistency of the conceptual apparatus of the specialists’ various fields of knowledge, the specifics of AO and the art market. Known methods for solving it, especially automated methods, are not numerous and not universal. The purpose of this study was to develop a method for automated valuation of the market value of AO, which defines it as the sum of two components: the prime cost of the AO and added cost – the cost of the asset “value of the AO.” To calculate the first component, a cost–based approach and an additive model were used; the second was a comparative approach and an interpolation model. The added value of modern AO is represented by a function of the parameters of each of the four price-forming factors of AO: “the value of the artist,” “the artistic value of AO,” “the cultural value of AO,” “the quality of the state of AO.” It is proposed to implement models in the form of a software package integrated into the information systems of modern art institutions, having coordinated the data formats used.

The Case of the Director of the Kamіanskе museum of revolution I. Gavrilov in the context of soviet memory policy in the 1930s

The aim of the article. On the basis of the archival investigative case of the director of the Dniprodzerzhynsk Museum of Revolution, I. I. Gavrilov, who was repressed in 1936, the formation of a memorial discourse about the revolutionary events of 1917 in the museums of revolution is investigated. Methods. In the course of the study, general scientific, historical and special methods are used. The first category is represented by historical, terminological, cognitive methods and axiological approach. Comparatively-historical, historical-typological, historical-systemic methods are used for historical methods. Special methods in the work are presented by methods of scientific critique of sources, textual and social psychology. The scientific novelty of the study is that for the first time the subject of historical research is the process of forming the historical memory of the October revolution of 1917 in the museum discourse of the 1930s. Main results. The archival and investigative case of the director of the Dniprodzerzhynsk Museum of the Revolution was put into scientific circulation, which made it possible to complete the picture of the repressions of the 1930s in Dnipropetrovsk region, to reveal the challenges facing museum workers during the terror. It is proved that in order to form historical memory of the revolutionary events of 1917, restrictions were imposed on the source base for the research and popularization of museums, records of oral history were strictly controlled, and expositions were checked. The basis of the Revolution Museums was the concept of the Great October and the Civil War, aimed at creating mythologized historical memory in order to legitimize Bolshevik power. It is established that with the onset of great terror, museums were faced with new challenges and prohibitions when the interpretation of events and the presentation of particular persons in the exposition required an urgent correction of museum work. On the example of the fate of the director of the Dniprodzerzhynsk Museum of Revolution, the formation of the ideological foundations of a totalitarian state is illuminated, when any deviation from the basic tenets was severely punished. The article is recommended for use in writing works on both the history of the repression of the 1930s and the history of museum work. Type of article: descriptive.

Зоологічні музеї та теріологічні колекції в Києві останніх двох століть: історія, цінності, перспективи

The history of formation, development, and transformations of mammal collections in Kyiv in the 19th–21st centuries is considered. A description of the history of formation of key natural history museums and the pres-ence in them of scientific collections of mammals are presented. Descriptions are given by periods and institu-tions, including old museums that has existed since the late 20th century. Among the descriptions are historical collections that has existed since the first half of the 20th century (including museums of Kyiv Polytechnic In-stitute, Ukrainian Scientific Society, Institute of History of Material Culture, and Pedagogical Museum) and collections that disappeared during World War II (museums of Kyiv State University and Ukrainian Agricul-tural Academy). The second part of the review is about modern museum collections that exist in such institu-tions as Kyiv National University (KNU), National Museum of Natural History (NMNH), and two museums (anatomical and forest birds and mammals) at the National University of Life and Environmental Sciences (NUBiP), as well as collections at the Institute of Geological Sciences (IGS) and the Institute of Zoology (IZAN) of the NAS of Ukraine. Additionally, brief information about famous museologists (taxidermists, researchers, collectors, and heads) as well as information about catalogues and other reviews of mammal collections are given. The details of migration of the collections are analysed, in particular as a result of social and military conflicts, due to the closure, merger, and status change of institutions. Despite the great risks of losing the col-lections, they had been saved repeatedly thanks to the care of museum workers and scientists. The NMNH is the leader by the volume of collections, among which the collections originally deposited in KNU, IZAN, and NUBiP occupy a special place. The prospects of further existence of the collections in their current state and the importance of supplementing the traditional criteria of their value with new ones that will meet the new tasks of faunal, morphological, biogeographical, and phylogenetic research are considered. Materials suitable for 3D morphological and genetic analyses are important among such new challenges.

Museum-organising activities of the People's Commissariat of Education in Ivanovo-Voznesensk province in 1918–1920

The article is devoted to the study of the activities of public education bodies in organising the work of museums on the territory of the newly formed Ivanovo-Voznesensk Province in the early years of the Soviet state. Using the example of museums in Kineshma and Ivanovo-Voznesensk, the main problems they had faced, were considered. The importance and relevance of museums for educational purposes is revealed not only for the centre of the province, but also for lesser towns. Examples from the practice of collecting historical, cultural, artistic and museum values in the estates of industrialists and entrepreneurs, the asceticism of the first museum workers are given. The article uses documents from the State Archive of Ivanovo Region and the auxiliary fund of Kineshma Art and Historical Museum, a significant part of which has been introduced into scientific circulation for the first time. It is addressed to researchers studying the actions of the executive authorities of the Soviet state in its early years of formation and development, as well as the scientific community.

Assessment of DNA Damage in Blood of Iraqi Museum Workers

: This study was done to evaluate the risk of natural alpha emitter's concentrations in blood of museum employees and any potential DNA damage that may be linked to it. The current research was conducted on employees in State board of antiquities and heritage, Abd alkarim qasim museum and Iraqi museum. Blood samples were collected from 30 participants in employees group and 30 participants in controls group that was collected from general population. Alkaline comet assay has been used to assess DNA damage in lymphocytes of participants. The results showed higher DNA damage and in employees compared with control group high comet L/W value (1.56) (1.1).Thesmokers have increased average L/W value compared to participants who never smoked in employee group. From this study concluded based on these results, exposure of museum employees and archaeologists to natural ionizing radiation may have increased risk to DNA damage and cancer compared to non-occupational employees.

Save the Ukrainian People First: They Carry their Culture in their Hearts

Save the Ukrainian People First: They Carry their Culture in their Hearts

Exhibition activity of the trade of the Fedoskinsky lacquer miniature of the Soviet period of the post-war period (the second half of the 1940s – the beginning of the 1970s).

The subject of this study is an analysis of the exhibition practices of the Fedoskin lacquer miniature craft in the post-war period (from 1945 to the early 1970s). The purpose of the article is not just to tell about the exhibitions of Fedoskin lacquer products of the post–war period, but above all to show those important changes that allow us to consider the post–war period as an important stage in the history of the development of the craft and his exhibition activities. Having briefly reviewed the bibliography of the issue and given a description of the exhibitions of the Fedoskino labor artel in the pre-war period (1920s – 1930s), the author analyzes in detail the most remarkable post-war exhibitions of the craft, finding both common features with the previous period and the features of the differences on which the author focuses his attention. Using the method of comparative analysis, as well as historical-systemic and problem-chronological research methods, the author characterizes the various forms of exhibition activity used to exhibit products of the Fedoskinsky lacquer craft both in the post-war period and earlier. The scientific novelty of the research consists in the analysis of the activities of museum workers and craft artists in the popularization and public recognition of the products of the Fedoskin lacquer miniature in the post-war period. The main conclusion of the article is the statement of the importance of studying the exhibition practices of the Fedoskinsky fishery of the post-war period for the most complete study of its history and public recognition.

Museal Indoor Air Quality and Public Health: An Integrated Approach for Exhibits Preservation and Ensuring Human Health

The quality of the indoor microclimate in museums is a problem of great interest to the contemporary society, given that it is in close connection with the health and comfort of visitors and employees, as well as with the integrity of the exhibits. Taking into account the fact that museums are places that have a special role in the community’s life and therefore attract a very large number of visitors of all ages, a very important issue is to determine the degree of safety that the indoor microclimate presents. Thus, the quality of the indoor microclimate was investigated inside an iconic museum in Romania, dating back to the 19th century, because pollutants from external or internal sources of the building, generated secondary, often anthropogenic, as a tendency to defend/adapt to climate change (CC), contribute to both local and regional pollution, but also lead to challenges in identifying links between air quality (AQ) and and climate change (CC). The methodology used was based on monitoring the main parameters of the microclimate (temperature, relative humidity and CO2) over a period of between October 2020 and March 2021, 21 weeks, as well as on determining the microbiological contamination of the air and some indoor exhibits located in three different areas of the museum. At the same time, the study aims to identify cheap, easy to implement and non-invasive solutions for removing fungi identified on exhibits for long-term preservation and reducing the risk of various pathologies in humans following prolonged exposure. The results obtained show that the indoor microclimate in the old heritage building favours the development of fungi, which have a high degree of contamination of the air (over 800 CFU/m3) and of the exhibits, representing a potential risk for the health of the visitors and museum workers. Thus, six species of yeast and five different fungi genera were identified in the air, while on the exhibits were individualised six fungi genera, a species of yeast and a bacterium. The most viable solution for cleaning materials, prolonging their lifespan and reducing the risk of disease in humans was represented by the use of essential oils (EO). Three essential oils (lavender, mint and lemon) were applied on an exhibit with five different microorganism genera, and it was observed that they have the ability to inhibit the spores from moulds and bacteria, being a very good alternative to the usual chemical treatments that are used in the cultural heritage field.