University Collections at McCalla

The University Collections at McCalla, Indiana University, will improve the care and conservation of its collections by upgrading equipment to protect its most fragile objects from damage caused by pests and mold. The university will purchase equipment to improve the efficiency of its anoxia chamber, which is used to treat objects that are too delicate to be frozen or treated with harsh chemicals. The anoxia chamber provides a low or nonexistent oxygen environment, thus robbing pests or mold of the oxygen they need to survive. The upgraded chamber will run more efficiently and continuously, providing protection for objects from multiple departments including botanical specimens, books and papers, paintings, and sensitive Native American materials. The project will benefit the collections and the staff who care for them, as well as faculty, students, and community members who use the collections for research and study.