Storage Shelves
This article originally appeared in Exchange,
a newsletter published by Wisconsin Historical Society.
(Volume 26, Number 6, Nov/Dec 1984) It is the 19th in a series of
articles titled Conservation Corner.
The series features information about maintaining
an adequate environment for the storage and exhibition
of historical collections, employing proper collection
care techniques, and recording and cataloging historical
collections. This article was written by Tom McKay,
retired local history coordinator for the Wisconsin
Historical Society.
I knew an old carpenter whose highest words of praise were, "He's a hard worker and a strong builder." That phrase would constitute a suitable motto for anyone faced with renovating and organizing the typical collections storage area in a local historical society. Only a hard worker would tackle the piles of cardboard boxes and overstuffed, antique trunks found in profusion in many museum storage areas. Certainly sturdy shelving and storage fixtures will be essential ingredients in improving such a storage area. When the hard workers and strong builders have been recruited, the work of creating a clean and orderly storage area can begin.
A well organized storage area starts with well planned shelving.
Most large professional museums use commercially manufactured
metal shelving. However, with volunteer labor a local
historical society can construct its own wooden shelving.
For strength and durability, 2x4-inch framing and ½-inch plywood
are the best building materials. The lure of less expensive
building materials seduces too many local historical
societies. Constructing storage shelves with pressed
or particle boards that lack either strength or durability
is a waste of time and money. Wooden shelves do contain
destructive acids that can harm museum collections.
Such shelving must receive a protective finish. A high
quality orange shellac works best. After drying thoroughly,
painted, varnished or shellacked shelves can also be
covered with ethafoam, a thin plastic foam that is
inert and safe for collections. Ethafoam is available through archival
supply companies such as Gaylord
Brothers (7272
Morgan Road, Liverpool, NY 13090; 800-272-3414).
One of the chief goals in constructing shelving should be the elimination
of all ordinary cardboard boxes in a storage area.
Cardboard boxes are friends of insects, dirt, and fire--not
museum collections. The dimensions of ordinary cardboard
boxes encourage the piling of historic objects one
on top of the other until the box is full. Objects
on the bottom are out of sight, inaccessible, and sometimes
crushed beneath the weight of items above. Artifacts
should sit individually on storage shelves. Stack only
objects that nest naturally such as plates of one pattern.
Store papers, photographs, ephemera, and extremely small objects in
special archive and flat storage boxes designed for use in historical
societies and museums (see Storing
Your Collections). Versatile shelving varies the height between
shelves to provide areas for large objects, small objects
and archival boxes.
Placing objects on open shelving makes them visible and accessible
but creates a need for protection from dust. Draping
all sides of the shelving units with discarded sheets
offers a simple solution. The sheets can be lifted
up for easy access and removed periodically for washing
to remove dust from the museum environment. All shelving
units should have a top to catch dust settling from
above. A little common sense can go a long way in designing
storage fixtures. Shelving units constructed from full
size 4x8-foot plywood sheets need access from both sides unless all
historical society volunteers have arms four feet long. Reduce the
depth of shelves along the walls. If the museum storage area consists
of more than one room, the shelving should be planned to allow similar
materials to be stored in the same room. With the application of a
little ingenuity, old cases retired from exhibit areas can be fitted
with wooden shelves and provide useful storage fixtures.
Local historical societies usually need a few special storage fixtures.
Most common among these needs is hanging storage for
historic clothing. Many lumber yards sell brackets
designed for closet poles. Attaching these brackets
to a wall in the storage area produces the quickest
hanging storage. Framing a top and two ends with plywood
and two-by-fours converts this hanging storage into
a closet. The front can be draped with sheets.
A formica-topped counter is a particularly useful special fixture
in a collections storage area. As a place to examine
artifacts or gather objects being selected for exhibits, the counter
will prove invaluable.
Finish the area beneath the counter as cabinets and drawers similar to the space beneath kitchen counters. Fitting the cabinet sections with adjustable shelf hardware adds flexibility and the potential to store a large number of small objects in surprisingly little space.
The hopeless feeling evoked by jumbles of boxes and objects makes cluttered and dirty storage areas easy to neglect, but neglect is precisely the right word. Historical collections deserve better. Transforming such a jumble into a clean and orderly storage area can evoke a tremendous feeling of accomplishment--the kind of feeling that every hard worker and strong builder deserves.
|
