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<h1>How to Combat Agents of Deterioration</h1>
<p>How the right storage solutions can help mitigate damage and preserve history.</p>
<p>The primary focus of any heritage institution is to preserve collections. Having the right systems and processes in place can provide immeasurable value for curators and patrons and ensure historic artifacts are maintained for generations to come.  Below, we’ll focus on the leading agents of deterioration – which have been identified by industry professionals as the most devastating of potential threats – and how Spacesaver and our <a href="/partners">nationwide network of local distributors</a> support collections professionals in planning, installing, and maintaining systems that protect collections from these harmful agents. </p>
<h2>Direct Physical Forces</h2>
<p>Sudden shock, vibration, or long-term pressure that can break and deform objects. Some common causes include system operation and nearby construction projects.</p>
<h3>How to Mitigate Direct Physical Forces:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Anti-tip rail systems are designed to provide stability and reliability for compact shelving in seismically active areas</li>
<li>Anti-tip bars prevent objects on shelves from falls and spills</li>
<li>Closed rivet nuts on cabinets allow cabinets to be attached to one another for additional stability</li> 
</ul>
<div style="background:#000; padding:2rem;">
<h3 class="ssc-white" style="margin-bottom:0;">Ensuring Nothing's Shaking</h3>
<p class="ssc-white">Spacesaver engineers worked with California Academy of Science staff to design <a href="/products/high-density-mobile-systems">compact mobile storage solutions</a> to accommodate specimens preserved in liquid. Special care must be taken when storing such specimens, particularly in seismically active areas like San Francisco. Bin fronts, or “earthquake bars,” finish the front edges of the open upper shelves to prevent spillage or breakage in the event of an earthquake, and partial doors enclose lower shelves.</p>
</div>
<h3>Risk Management with Mobile Storage</h3>
<p>Want to increase storage capacity and collections safety at the same time? Our versatile High-Density Mobile Shelving Systems have you covered.
<h2>Contaminants</h2>
<p>Collections care best practices protect from contaminants that are airborne, transferred by contact, or intrinsic to the collection. Common examples include dirt, soot, volatile components from plastics and wood, and residual pesticides.</p>
<h3>How to Mitigate Contaminants:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Spacesaver cabinets and shelving feature non-off-gassing paint to avoid chemical contamination</li>
<li>Keeping collections inside sealed cabinets helps keep objects away from potentially harmful airborne pollutants</li>
</ul>
<div style="background:#000; padding:2rem;">
<h3 class="ssc-white" style="margin-bottom:0;">Squashing Pollution</h3>
<p class="ssc-white">At the Chicago Field Museum, <a href="/products/museum-cabinets">Spacesaver Museum Cabinets</a> are used to keep <a href="/products/museum-cabinets/entomology-cabinet">entomology collections</a> protected from contamination. The cabinets feature fumigant-resistant elastomeric gaskets for a secure door seal, a three-point latch to ensure the cabinets are airtight, and non-off-gassing paint to prevent chemical deterioration. </p>
</div>
<h2>Thieves, Vandals, & Displacers</h2>
<p>Objects can be stolen or maliciously damaged by individuals, or simply misplaced by museum personnel.</p>
<h3>How to Mitigate Misplaced Items and Theft:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Control access with PIN codes, physical locks, or key cards</li>
<li>Keep an audit trail to track who has accessed collections</li>
</ul>
<div style="background:#000; padding:2rem;">
<h3 class="ssc-white" style="margin-bottom:0;">Increasing Security with Intelligent Lock Options</h3>
<p class="ssc-white">Mechanical and electronic locks on cabinets and compactors serve as a final line of defense against the theft of valuable objects at many museums. Leveling up the security of your systems, <a href="/blog/smart-locks-secure-lockers">smart locks</a> with the ability to provide an audit trail can be installed to track who last accessed the cabinet in case of a missing object.</p>
</div>
<h3>Risk Mitigation Guide</h3>
<p>See how our proven museum storage solutions can help ensure your collections stay on-site, and in sight of your patrons and staff.</p>
<h2>Incorrect Temperature</h2>
<p>High temperatures speed up the deterioration of unstable materials, while low temperatures can cause hazing and cracking. The ideal temperature can vary widely depending on the collection and its contents.</p>
<h3>How to Mitigate Incorrect Temperature:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Storing smaller collections in upright refrigerators or freezers</li> 
<li>Storing medium-sized collections in shelving or museum cabinets housed in walk-in coolers</li>
<li>Large institutions are recommended to use compactors housed in cold rooms and walk-in freezers to store their collections</li>
<li>For items particularly sensitive to heat, cold temperatures and/or humidity, sealed cabinets and climate controls provide added protection.</li>
</ul>
<div style="background:#000; padding:2rem;">
<h3 class="ssc-white" style="margin-bottom:0;">Pictures Perfect</h3>
<p class="ssc-white"><a href="/case-study/case-study-cold-storage-in-museums">The Denver Museum of Nature & Science</a> recently built a cooler and freezer to house its image collection. Film, photographic prints, and other materials had previously been stored in various locations around the museum, and staff wanted to consolidate the collection in climate-controlled spaces. When a major gift enabled the construction of a new wing, their local Spacesaver representative worked with museum staff and the architect to create a compact cold storage solution that protects the collection, saves space, improves organization and efficiency, and complies with applicable codes.</p>
</div>
<h2>Water</h2>
<p>Floods, leaky roofs, or slow drips from pipes can irreparably damage collections.</p>
<h3>How to Mitigate Water Damage:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Steel compactors can raise shelving 4-6″ to help avoid shallow floods</li>
<li>Metal shelving stands up to water better than wood or particle board</li>
<li>Adding waterproof caps to cabinets, rather than seams at the top</li> 
</ul>
<div style="background:#000; padding:2rem;">
<h3 class="ssc-white" style="margin-bottom:0;">Leveling Up</h3>
<p class="ssc-white">“I would say, in terms of disasters, the age-old wisdom that 90% of floods are four inches, so make sure your bottom shelf is off the floor. Make sure that you don’t have a reservoir of infestation under your cabinet, it’s off the ground for flood, for water, and for pests – that you can clean and inspect it.” – Deputy Director of Operations at the University </p>
</div>
<h2>Fire</h2>
<p>Fire in itself can cause irreputable damage to collections. However, and just as damaging, is the ability of the resulting smoke and soot to destroy and stain objects. By utilizing sealed museum cabinets, you can provide a higher degree of protection for materials stored within, even if the room around them is covered in the fire’s remnants.</p>
<h3>How to Mitigate Fire Damage:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Use a powder coat finish capable of withstanding high temperatures</li>
<li>Equip cabinets with gasket seal to reduce the likelihood of smoke damage</li>
<li>Select fire-resistant corrugated steel panels </li>
</ul>
<div style="background:#000; padding:2rem;">
<h3 class="ssc-white" style="margin-bottom:0;">Beating the Heat</h3>
<p class="ssc-white">The <a href="/products/museum-cabinets/preservation-cabinet">920 Series: Preservation Cabinet</a> was sent to a federal agency for a <a href="/blog/risk-management-burn-workshop">burn workshop</a> in the fall of 2018. Although the side of the cabinet reached approximately 900 degrees Celsius (1,650 degrees Fahrenheit), items in plastic bags inside the cabinet were unaffected by smoke and soot. Additionally, no water from the sprinkler system penetrated the cabinet.</p>
</div>
<h3>Burn Workshop</h3>
<p>Going beyond flame protection, see how our museum storage cabinets mitigated damage from all fire factors.</p>
<div style="background:#F9F9F9; padding:2rem;">
<h2>Radiation/Light</h2>
<p>Radiation from light waves can fade and embrittle your collection’s sensitive materials. Employing cabinet doors with glass provides better visibility and UV protection for your materials.</p> 
<h3>How to Mitigate Radiation/Light Damage:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Equip doors and drawers with UV protected glass</li>
<li>Block out windows to reduce/eliminate light contamination</li>
<li>Utilize sliding art racks to protect hanging art collections</li>
</ul>
<p>Read our blog on how to further mitigate light damage to your museum collections <a href="/blog/museum-risk-management-limiting-light-collections-storage-areas">here</a>.</p>
</div>
<h2>Pests</h2>
<p>Pests will do anything to find a way into storage systems in order to nest and eat organic collections. Additionally, the development of mold can consume and stain organic material in improperly tempered conditions.</p>
<h3>How to Mitigate Damage from Pests:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Use white paint for easier detection of infestations</li>
<li>Seal interior and exterior doors, ductwork, and baseboards with door sweeps and caulk</li>
<li>Employ an easy-to-clean interior configuration</li>
</ul>
<div style="background:#F9F9F9; padding:2rem;">
<h2>Dissociation & Neglect</h2>
<p>When storage best practices are not maintained, objects can be separated from their records or other items in the collection.</p>
<h3>How to Mitigate Damage from Dissociation & Neglect:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Organize as much of a collection in one physical space as possible</li>
<li>Utilize cabinets, drawers, widespan shelving, and hanging art racks to accommodate varying sizes of objects in close proximity while maintaining easy access</li>
</ul>
<p>Read our blog on how to further mitigate dissociation of items in your museum collections <a href="/blog/prevent-overcrowding-dissociation">here</a>.</p>
</div>
<h2>Relative Humidity</h2>
<p>Low relative humidity can lead to drying and cracking, while high relative humidity can encourage mold growth. It’s important to understand the requirements of your collections and adjust the humidity accordingly.</p>
<h3>How to Mitigate Damage from Humidity:</h3>
<ul>
<li>Use sealed cabinets to help maintain a more constant climate</li>
<li>Consult HVAC specialists, especially if your collections are housed in a historic building</li>
</ul>


Learn how the right storage solutions can help reduce the occurrence and impact of damage to museum collections.

How to Combat Agents of Deterioration

How the right storage solutions can help mitigate damage and preserve history.

<p>At a time when museum professionals are seeking new and meaningful ways
    to engage visitors, the concept of visible storage has emerged as a practical
    way to promote better access while also protecting collections. Because
    exhibition space is limited, and because many museums keep the majority
    of their holdings in storage, visible storage allows visitors, donors,
    and board members to gain a better understanding of a collection’s breadth
    and depth.</p>
<p>In order to be successful over the long term, visible storage projects
    must balance access and openness with the need to maintain optimal preservation
    environments and provide secure storage for collections. Over the years
    we’ve developed a design process that helps guide stakeholders’ thinking
    as they consider renovations or new construction that incorporates visible
    storage. Here’s how we’ve helped a variety of museums ensure that their
    collections are more accessible in the present, while also being preserved
    for future generations.</p>
	<h2>How to design visible storage for museum collections.</h2>

<p></p>
	<h2>1. Consider the needs of your collection</h2>

<ul>
    <li>Conduct an inventory.</li>
    <li>Describe the preservation requirements of various items in your collection.
        Make special note of particularly rare or delicate items that require extra-special
        attention.</li>
</ul>
<p></p>
	<h2>2. Consider the physical space</h2>

<ul>
    <li>How much square footage is available?</li>
    <li>Within that area, what obstructions are present, like structural columns
        or ductwork?</li>
    <li>How much vertical space is available?</li>
    <li>How do people work in the space? How would people prefer to work in the
        space in the future?</li>
</ul>
<p></p>
	<h2>3. Consider Visibility</h2>

<ul>
    <li>Referring back to your inventory, identify items that are candidates for
        visible storage.</li>
    <li>Think about various ways that these items could be displayed in visible
        storage while still maintaining an optimal preservation environment and
        ensuring security.</li>
    <li>Get design inspiration from other museums’ visible storage projects.
        <a
        href="#visibleCollectionAreas">Scroll down to see our favorites</a>.</li>
</ul>
<p>Need help? Connect with the museum collections storage experts at Spacesaver.
    A <a href="/contact-us/">free consultation</a> is the best way to start exploring
    your options.</p>	<a href="https://www.spacesaver.com/contact-us/">Contact Us</a>
    
    	<h3>Here are 5 ways that institutions have incorporated visible storage into their collections areas</h3>

	<h2>University Art Study Center</h2>

<p>This university had been assembling a diverse art collection since the
    early 1800s, but the collection was largely inaccessible to the campus
    community and the general public. In order to upgrade to modern storage
    standards and incorporate thousands of objects into teaching and study
    programs, the university created an art study center featuring visible
    storage. The architect specified <a href="/products/museum-storage-products/museum-storage-cabinets/">locking museum cabinets with glass doors</a> to
    protect stored objects while also allowing students and visitors to view
    collections.</p>
    
    	<h3>Natural History Museum</h3>

<p>The construction of a new museum provided staff at this institution with
    the opportunity to give visitors a glimpse into the research conducted
    by scientists and visiting scholars in the collections storage areas. They
    devised an innovative solution that integrates the collections area with
    public display space. The area provides researchers with convenient access
    to a small, climate-controlled portion of the storage area on one side
    of glass partitions, and the <a href="/products/high-density-mobile-shelving/">specially constructed Spacesaver carriages</a> provide
    a platform for an exhibit that teaches the public about the importance
    of specimen collection and preservation.</p>
    
    	<h3>Cultural Museum</h3>

<p>Staff at this museum worked with the local Spacesaver consultant to design
    an innovative way to protect the institution’s pottery collection while
    also promoting visibility. The collections are stored on <a href="/products/high-density-mobile-shelving/">Spacesaver compactors</a> that
    are fitted with special end panels that allow display pieces to be viewed
    from the gallery. In addition to making more of the collection visible
    to the public, this arrangement has allowed staff to better control temperature
    and humidity in the collections storage area, and it provides additional
    security and seclusion for culturally sensitive items. The visible storage
    solution allows even the most casual museum visitors to gain a better appreciation
    for the collection’s importance.</p>
	<h3>Art &amp; Science Museum</h3>

<p>A generous donor challenged this museum to design and build a new wing
    dedicated to visible storage. With the objective to display as much of
    their collection as possible, the museum’s staff and architects worked
    with the local Spacesaver consultant to make smart use of the space. The
    design concept called for <a href="/products/museum-storage-products/art-racks">art racks</a> (also
    called art screens), black shelving, and creative lighting to make the
    objects in the collection stand out. Plexiglass maintains security.</p>
    
    	<h3>Contemporary Art Museum</h3>

<p>The curatorial staff at this contemporary art museum wanted a visible
    storage solution to supplement exhibitions with sketches, references, and
    other two-dimensional works that would complement art on more prominent
    display. <a href="/products/museum-storage-products/archival-flat-file-storage/">Flat file cabinets with glass tops</a> provide
    the perfect solution: the cabinets lock to secure contents and keep artwork
    organized, while the UV-coated glass tops protect artwork and allow visitors
    to view what’s stored inside.</p>

Increase engagement & protect collections with visible storage.

Art Collection

How to Combat Agents of Deterioration

Visible Storage for Museum Collections