Museums serve as custodians of cultural and historical artifacts – but history was never “one size fits all.” A collection can include many oddly sized and irregularly shaped items, from spoons to shoes or Christmas décor to comic books. And a collection can grow by hundreds of items overnight with a single donation.
And that’s only one challenge for collection storage. Museums may also want to exhibit very diverse collections, while still finding ways to protect and preserve them. At the same time, museums need solutions that both optimize space and stay within budget.
Finding the right storage helps meet museums’ unique needs to celebrate their collections properly. Let’s take a look at some of the uniquely tailored collection storage solutions Patterson Pope’s experts have provided in our 50+ years in the industry.
Large & Irregular Collection Storage: The USS Yorktown Museum
Every museum has its challenges. One houses massive sculptures. Another preserves oversized textiles. Others protect mechanical parts from a first flight or space journey. The best storage solution offers security and preservation while considering display and research access needs.
Take the USS Yorktown Museum. The aircraft carrier was built for action, not for storing and displaying artifacts. Yet, when the U.S. Navy decommissioned the vessel in 1970, it was repurposed as a museum. Talk about an unconventional space in which to store and display a collection.
The museum’s unique items include 150 flags measuring from 3’ to 5’ up to 30’ by 90’. Working together to understand the collection’s dimensions, material sensitivities, and environment (e.g. humidity, temperature, and light exposure), we developed a custom solution. Patterson Pope combined textile racks with cantilever shelving to store the USS Yorktown’s vast collection of flags, personal effects, photographs, and other artifacts in its oddly shaped spaces.
"I feel like we're really giving people the sense that this was a floating city. We're bringing the ship back to life, in a way." - Melissa Buchanan, Collections Curator, USS Yorktown
Enhancing Accessibility and Protection: The Filson Historical Society
Giving people a sense of history is always the priority. That’s why museum storage solutions are dictated by the need to ensure protection while supporting accessibility.
The Filson Historical Society has worked to celebrate the people, events, and items that have helped shape the history of Kentucky since 1884. Overseeing 10,000 museum items as well as a significant collection of books, documents, and other treasures, Curator of Collections Jim Holmberg knew he wanted to maximize his storage footprint. He worked with Patterson Pope to install high-density mobile shelving to make the most of the society’s addition to its existing space.
Its new addition now has high-density compact museum shelving on four of the building’s five floors. The third floor also showcases a curated collection visible on a high-density art rack behind glass walls. Holmberg says the installation is a success.
“Being able to come into the area with new shelving – from day one – has allowed us to place everything exactly where we want it to be. And, we have room to grow.” - Jim Holmberg, Curator of Collections, The Filson Historical Society
Diverse Solutions for Diverse Needs: The Delta Flight Museum
Located in an air hangar, the Delta Flight Museum has plenty of room to grow. Instead, they faced the challenge of organizing and storing a wide range of pieces, from pins and uniforms to airplane parts and flight equipment. With a range of items from small, delicate pieces to large-scale items the museum boasts all sorts of memorabilia representing all 40 airlines under the Delta umbrella.
Its versatile collection today is stored primarily in an 11-range mechanical assist high-density storage system. The archival space also added four art racks, Rosseau Drawers, textile racks for banners and flags, and cantilever shelving to accommodate a sizable book collection. The resulting storage gives curatorial staff a blue-sky kind of clarity into its collections.
"When we get items in now, we know exactly where they're going to grow and how they're going to help our collection grow. Before, we were just putting things in the stack wherever we had space. Now, we not only have extra space, but we have that organization." - Tina Seetoo, Preservation Manager, Delta Flight Museum
Storing Museum Collections for Success
Museums can connect people, foster learning, and preserve community history. But this only works when collection storage is well-planned and effectively designed. Patterson Pope has the expertise you need to store items of all shapes and sizes, in spaces of all shapes and sizes.
Enhance accessibility and preserve your collections while planning for future growth with the latest solutions catering to collection storage. Contact a representative from Patterson Pope today.
