The Many Options For Quality Museum Storage

By Teri Farley


Finding a solution for quality museum storage does not have to be a difficult endeavor. The first thing that needs to be decided is what the best way to store an artifacts is. There are quite a few options that depend on the value of the artifact, the size of the artifact, and the shape of the artifact. The different cases can be Plexiglas, wooden, glass, metal, or made from any other cost effective material. The material used is usually dependent on the method of storage that the artifact or artifacts need.

Archiving and storing options become particularly important when it comes to collections of artifacts that are rotated through a museum and then are placed back into the archives. Some of these storage cases can be displayed as well as used when a museum piece is archived. This style of case has the benefit of keeping the museum pieces from being exposed. Not changing the storage case can help preserve the artifact depending on how delicate the artifact is.

Storage becomes important for museums that keep a variety of artifacts and rotate displays. Many of the display options are meant for storage as well as display. This way the artifacts and displays can be changed without damaging or exposing the artifacts to open air and the possibility of being broken.

Artifact shapes often dictate what type of case they are in. Most of the artifacts are placed in cases along with similar artifacts but in some cases the artifact is oddly shaped. This odd shape forces curators to put them into oddly shaped cases. These crates are often custom built for the type of artifact.

The archiving options that a curator has depends on the type, size, shape, and value of the artifact. Most artifacts are relatively easy to store while others need to have specialty cases built for them. This is especially true for those artifacts that have an unusual shape, size, or are particularly delicate.

With quite a few artifacts a clear Plexiglas case can be used for both display purposes and for storing the artifacts. Most of the smaller artifacts are put into large display cases much like those at a jewelry store. These cases can be moved in and out of the archives as they are needed.

The packing material can be simple straw or packing Styrofoam peanuts. Each of the artifacts is usually placed securely in the crate before it is sealed. Shipping labels can then be placed on the crates. In the place of shipping labels archive labels can also help curators to store the collection in the correct order.

Museum's methods of storing art do not have to be limited to just one type of display. A variety of different museum storage methods can be used to store less valuable artifacts while secured boxes or safes are needed for valuable artifacts. When a safe is used for artifact storage it can be a single combination locked box or a full wall safe. Some museums have locking cases installed for all valuable artifacts to prevent theft. Some of the most sophisticated methods of storing artifacts available are used for the protection and transport of extremely valuable artifacts.




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