Collections Storage Updates

The grant project upgraded the museum’s collections storage space with new shelving, archival storage materials, and a collections processing workstation to meet current needs, comply with basic museum standards, and prepare for future needs. An additional 78 linear feet of storage shelving was added.

Previously the collections area was disorganized, with no archival materials being used to care for and protect artifacts. The shelving was old display shelves from a retail store with not enough linear feet to accommodate their current storage needs. As a result, much of the collection in the storage area sat on the floor. 

During the installation of the shelving, a museum patron who heard what the museum was doing donated metal flat file storage cabinets to the museum. Volunteers and the collections assistant moved the bulk of the small fishing lures and tackle to these drawers after they had been lined with polyethylene foam. The drawers were also used for large archives such as maps and large prints, with layers of archive-safe tissue in between.

Objects are now stored in archive-safe materials and containers, which will extend their lifespan for future generations to learn from and enjoy. Artifacts that had previously been stored in an unsafe manner, both for the object and for staff, are now more securely stored on shelving or in containers. And catalog records for the location have been updated so that in the future, objects are readily found and accessed, broadening their use for research or display.