N o 54 - IFLA

Editorial
The 2011 IFLA congress takes
place in Puerto Rico, in the
Caribbean, which is particularly
affected by the hardness of the
tropical climate. It is one of the reasons
we chose this topic and its impact
on the cultural heritage preservation
and conservation.
Certainly, several works and articles
have been published on this theme,
such as the annotated bibliography
published by René Teygeler in 2001 1 ,
as well as the great number of articles
released in International Preservation
News since its creation in 1992.
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International Preservation News • No. 54 August 2011
So, why dealing with this subject once
Museu Casa de Rui Barbosa, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil © Shin Maekawa
again? Because, at the global level, the
climate change has accelerated; many studies have showed that one of its striking aftermath is that extreme
climates are being accentuated. Dryness, hurricanes and tropical rains, natural disasters (earthquake, tsunami,
mudslides, landslides) keep increasing regularly. In terms of tropical climate, this phenomenon means
also, in everyday life, more humidity, more heat in an often difficult regional economic context, particularly
due to still-higher energy costs.
Thus, this issue will offer you different approaches on this topic, starting with a brilliant introduction by
John Dean, uncontested specialist of preservation in Asia.
In view of the environmental and economic difficulties known by countries with tropical climate in preserving
their heritage, two experts, Shin Maekawa and Vinod Daniel, propose alternatives and low-cost
solutions for the climatic control in buildings and pest management. Dietrich Schüller analyzes the case
of audiovisual collections, particularly threatened by the tropical climate. Finally, Claude Laroque reminds
us how training of preservation staff is important by presenting her experience at the Ecole du Patrimoine
Africain in Benin.
As usual, we wish you a good reading and hope to see you again soon for the next issue of IPN, which will
deal with Energy.
Christiane Baryla
IFLA-PAC Director
1. René Teygeler, with the cooperation of Gerrit de Bruin, Bihanne Wassink and Bert van Zanen. 2011. Preservation of Archives in
Tropical Climates: an annotated bibliography. Paris: International Council on Archives; The Hague: National Archives of the Netherlands;
Jakarta: National Archives of the Republic of Indonesia.