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Tips For Appropriate Museum Storage

By Charles Smith


Civilization's great achievements are immortalized in its relics. These relics are more than simply showpieces. They are physical proof of the types of lives that were led by those who have lived before. Museums are created as spaces for the preservation and display of these valuable items. The need for space to keep these items grows with time. Fortunately, museum storage solves the problem of archiving when already large collections keep growing even larger.

As society grows and changes, more artifacts are produced and at the same time the need to preserve the existing stock. The need for holding space therefore becomes necessary. In fact even if the catalogues do not increase, the need for storage already exists. Many people do not know that museums only store a fraction of their assets. Others are stored and in some cases brought out for display occasionally or on a rotation system. Storage facilities for museums may be on site or off site. Many museums commission or rent spaces elsewhere when their on site locations are at capacity.

The facility used to store museum items must meet certain specifications. This is important because the integrity of the stored items must be protected and preserved. Additionally some of these items tend to be rather delicate and any breach in care standards could lead to damage or destruction. Any location that is selected must be both safe and conducive to the preservation of the items being stored.

The condition within the facility is one of the primary concerns of curators who seek holding space. For documents that are very old, the presence of air pollutants or high levels of oxygen may mean deterioration in quality and ultimately destruction. For these items, the space must be sealed to prevent the introduction of oxygen.

Sometimes though, it is simply not possible to adjust the atmosphere of the entire space. One reason behind this is the fact that different items may require different conditions. In these cases, individual containment units may be used as these allow for each piece to be contained in a suitable environment. Display rooms in museums often use these types of units.

Securing the pieces is also very important. These items tend to attract very high prices on illegally run markets and this makes them attractive to thieves. The spaces withing which they are kept, should therefore be well equipped with safety systems designed to prevent theft. These safety features may include motion sensor detectors, video and human surveillance and alarm systems.

Yet another crucial factor for these types of spaces is size. Since museums are likely to continue acquire pieces as time passes, they must think long term. This means considering spaces that offer sufficient accommodation for projected growth in artifact collection.

The job of a curator is indeed an important one. Not only does the job require meticulous attention to detail in displaying important items but also great care in the preservation of the catalogues that will inevitably be collected over time. Curators who implement the internationally and locally accepted best practices for the storing of museum items ensure that society's precious relics survive the ravages of time.




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