March 15, 2023

Museum Storage

Storage Facilities

By Helen Alten

Collections are stored in all manner of facilities: barns, basements, attics, closets, the second floor of historic houses and offsite storage facilities. Some storage areas share a building with other museum functions, such as exhibits or offices, while others share space with non-museum functions such as rental apartments, cafeterias or garages.

Ideal storage space has stable relative humidity and temperature, no dust nor fumes, appropriate light, no pests, leaks nor fire hazards. It is easily accessible, and the collection is organized, well labeled and easy to retrieve. Finally, the space is expandable to fit the needs of a growing collection. OK, so the ideal never exists. Some museums get pretty close, but even the best have the occasional dripping sprinkler head, mouse incursion, or forgotten corner piled with artifacts. Storage improvement is a process. The Detroit Institute of Arts talks about “shifting up.” As improvements are made to one space, every other space is improved a little as well. For example, buying premium cabinets for one space might free up adequate metal shelving that will replace substandard wood shelving in another storage space. Using a planned approach, with an overall goal of optimal storage, these advances contribute to the overall improvement of preservation.

Planning Collection Storage Space

In the United States, the National Park Service suggests using an outside contractor to survey your storage area and write a collection storage plan. An outside contractor is recommended because he or she brings fresh eyes to situations that you may no longer notice. For example, one museum, noted for its innovative storage improvements, has neglected its large-artifact storage barn for 20 years because the problem is so immense none of the staff has the energy to tackle it or even devise an implementation plan. It has become a classic case of out of sight, out of mind. A collection storage plan should include a determination of the space and equipment needed, a floor plan with recommended equipment layout and a summary of current storage techniques with suggested improvements. It should also provide solutions for urgent problems. The contractor’s report may also include a brief overview of the collection and compare existing storage areas with generally accepted standards. (References to current standards are listed in the bibliography). The report may also include a synopsis of funding and staffing resources, if alternative storage is recommended.

However, an outside contractor cannot commit your museum to a project. Plans are useless if they sit on a shelf. The majority of museums embrace these reports, discuss them and use them to raise money for implementing improvements to their storage. (Excerpt from MS202 Museum Storage Facilities and Furniture)

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Helen Alten lives in Haines, Alaska. Prior to coming to Haines she founded Northern States Conservation Center and Museum Classes. She is an objects conservator with a desire to bring about change through museums, improving our communities and the patrimony we leave to our off-spring.

To learn more about Museum Storage join our instructor Laura Elliff-Cruz for MS202 Museum Storage Facilities and Furniture starting April 3, 2023

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Photo: Amon Carter Museum of American Art

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Earlybird Discount Deadline for May 2023 Courses is April 1, 2023

Featured Course

Thinking about using interpretive panels for your institutional grounds, historic site, or zoo? Need information and guidance on the best practices for creating these panels and finding the best product and companies to make them? This course will walk you through the process of creating the best and most informative panels possible.

MS 270: Planning and Designing Interpretive Panels

April 3 - 28, 2023 NEW DATES

Instructor: John Veverka

Description:

The Planning, design and text copy development for interpretive panels is a practical “how to do it” course to develop updated or new interpretive panels for heritage sites, historic homes, natural areas, zoos, and other related sites. Panels are the most widely use interpretive media, world-wide, to quickly present a message or story to site visitors in a memorable fashion. We will look at the interpretive planning process, interpretive design concerns, interpretive text writing for panels, panel fabrication materials, panel pre-testing evaluation, and even how to write a RFP (request for proposal) to have your panels fabricated. This is an important course for any interpretive staff member, planner, designer or manager.

The course includes an e-copy of John’s Interpretive Planning Textbook, and a e-copy of John’s new The Interpretive Trails Book.

April 2023 Courses

MS010: Condition Assessments

April 17 to 28, 2023

Instructor: Elizabeth Burton

Description:

Whenever an object leaves or enters your museum, it should have a dated condition report completed. A condition report is so much more than "good" or "poor." Learn about different types of condition reports, what is essential and what is optional information in each, the function of a condition report, and how to use an online condition assessment tool.

MS 202: Museum Storage Facilities and Furniture

April 3 to 28, 2023 

Instructor: Laura Elliff Cruz

Description:

If you are building a new storage facility or retrofitting an old one, this course provides the blueprint for how to approach architects and engineers as well as redesigning your facility yourself. The course covers the philosophy of storage, the construction requirements, security, fire and water prevention, types of furniture, and how to plan for collections growth.

The course will start with a refresher on the agents of deterioration and environmental issues to assure that the students have a common base to begin.

After this introduction, topics include determining storage and defining space, architectural design considerations and issues such as lighting, security and planning. We will discuss general information about storage furniture types and storage materials, how to modify existing cabinets and information on homemade storage systems. The last section includes specific information from a variety of vendors, specifics on writing a Request for Proposal (RFP), and what to consider when making a decision on a furniture type and vendor.

The instructor will add readings and other information depending upon the students and their individual institutional problems and concerns.

MS 214: Collections Management Databases

April 3 to 28, 2023 

Instructor: Sarah Kapellusch

Description:

A collection database is a necessary tool for accurate and efficient collections management. In Collection Management Databases you will learn what characteristics distinguish one database system from another; how a database can be used to manage inventory, conservation, pest management, and other aspects of collections management; as well as how to prepare your collection and documentation for entry into a database.

MS 259: The Volunteer Handbook  

April 3 to May 12, 2023  

Instructor: Karin Hostetter

Description:

Volunteers should be considered unpaid staff and, like a staff handbook, a strong volunteer organization should have a volunteer handbook. This course goes beyond understanding various aspects of a volunteer program to putting the volunteer program to paper. Create an outline and some draft text for a handbook providing consistency within the volunteers as well a legal support if ever needed.

May 2023 Courses

MS 014: Education Collections

May 22 to 26, 2023

Instructor: Karin Hostetter

Description:

What do you do with collection objects that no longer belong in the scientific collection but are too good to throw out? What do you do with the donations that just don't quite 'fit?' Use them in education collections. Their value as educational objects for the public is immeasurable.

MS 211: Preservation Environments

May 1 to June 10, 2023 

Instructor: Ernest Conrad

Description:

The museum's brick exterior wall is crumbling. The powder coated metal storage shelves have active rust under the foam padding. Objects in fur storage are covered in mold. It is raining in the exhibit hall. This is the damage that occurs to museum buildings or collection when staff do not understand preservation environments. Preservation Environments is essential knowledge for any collecting institution. Everyone should understand how humidity and temperature are controlled by a building and its mechanical system. For museum staff considering a new building - and any institution planning to expand or rebuild an existing one - Preservation Environments provide important information for calculating whether the proposed improvements will actually improve the environmental control of your protective enclosure. Participants learn the advantages and disadvantages of numerous methods of temperature and humidity control. Preservation Environments does not try to turn museum professionals into engineers. Rather, it arms them with the knowledge they need to work with engineers and maintenance professionals. And helps explain why damaged occurred and how to keep it from happening again.

MS 212: Care of Textiles

May 1 to 26, 2023

Instructor: Ann Coppinger

Description:

Caring for textiles demands an understanding of how and why they deteriorate. This course offers a simplified explanation of the origin and structure of textile fibers as well as the finished textile object; be it either a piece of whole cloth or a finished garment. Care of Textiles teaches students to identify fibers, fabric structures and finishes, write condition reports, and understand the agents of deterioration that are harmful to various fabrics both in storage on exhibit. Topics include preparing textiles for storage and exhibit, the use of archival materials with textiles, and three dimensional supports.

MS 272: Exhibit Rehab - Breathing New Life Into Old Exhibits

May 1 to 26, 2023  

Instructor: John Veverka

Description:

Creating or contracting for new exhibits is often hugely expensive. But if you have a small museum, visitor center or interpretive center you may not have the budget to create new exhibits. This course on exhibit rehab will help you evaluate the effectiveness of your current exhibits and provide a strategy for breathing new life into exhibits on life support – with a small budget but lots of creativity.

Conferences and Meetings

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