Creating and improving collection stores

It’s unlikely that your whole collection will be available to the public at any one time – when an item isn’t on display, it can be kept in a museum store. It’s important your store is designed to effectively preserve your collections.

A good store should be:

•  Accessible for staff and users
• Light-controlled to minimise accumulated or radiant light
• Regularly monitored for incidents, for example water leaks
• Built from chemically stable materials
• Watertight
• Clean
• Pest-free
• Safe and secure

• Place your store centrally within the museum, with as few external walls as possible. This makes environmental control easier and more secure.
• Do not position water or drainage services in, above, or near the store.
• Keep stores separate from display areas, cafes, cleaning supply stores, offices, and workshops.
• If you use an attic or basement, take extra steps to control temperature, humidity, light, and pests. This can cost significantly more, so consider building a separate store space if you cannot achieve the right conditions through improvements or packing materials.

Museum staff, researchers, and members of the public may need to access stored collections. Make sure your store is safe and easy to use, and that collection locations are well documented.

These tips can help make your collections more accessible:

• Don’t store non-collection items such as display cases or shop stock in your collections store.
• Corridors are not adequate storage spaces.
• Don’t place items on the floor. Use plastic pallets, shelves, cupboards, and other systems instead.
• Keep all aisles and paths clear.
• Clearly mark and map your storage system so items are easy to find.
• Keep box sizes regular so you make the most of available space.
• Place a table in the store for processing and examining items.
• Consider having a separate research space with comfortable lighting and furniture.
• Don’t overpack collections. Mark containers with lifting or hazard notations.
• Clearly label emergency points and any fire suppression material recommended by your health and safety advisor or fire service.

Think about how your store will be lit and environmentally controlled. Plan these things in advance to avoid costly adjustments later. You do not need to heat to human comfort levels, so factor this into your planning for relative humidity control.

Control lighting

You do not need daylight in stores and can exclude it entirely. If you do, you must install emergency escape route lighting.

The intensity of daylight fluctuates and is difficult to control. This can cause damage to your collection. Sunlight from windows can also cause fluctuations in temperature and humidity. Plan new stores without windows, and cover up windows in existing stores. Windows are also a security risk and can let animals or birds enter. Alternatively, use blackout blinds or heavy curtains to block out daylight, and fit UV-excluding film to glazing. When designing a lighting system, plan for ultraviolet and infrared radiation.

Lights only need to be on when people are accessing the store. If you need lights on for longer periods, make sure light-sensitive material is boxed or covered. You can also cover sensitive items with packing material to protect them from light.

More guidance on appropriate levels of artificial light is available in our guide on Conservation and lighting.

Monitor environmental conditions

One of the most important elements of collections care is maintaining a stable environment. Do this through the building envelope, adjusting and improving conditions based on data from environmental monitoring.

Three ways to maintain a good environment for collections:

• Carry out a building survey once every five years to check the store is in good condition.
• Address and fix any problems found in the survey straight away, such as damp or pest problems.
• Make sure walls, doors, and ceilings have good insulating properties, or low U-values, to create a fully insulated cell with stable conditions.

Choose materials wisely

Some materials are chemically unstable and can permanently damage collection items.

Avoid these materials when planning your store:

• All PVC-based materials
• Wood or wood-based products such as medium-density fibreboard (MDF)
• Foam or rubber-backed carpets and PVA carpet adhesive
• Carpets, especially wool-based, which can host pests
• Exposed brick, concrete, and metal
• Paint or plaster (to keep out pollutants)

All stores should be clean and dry to prevent mould, pest infestations, and damage from pollutants.

Make your store watertight

Leaks and flooding can devastate entire collections. Design your store so no water can get in. If you are in a high flood-risk area, keep items off the floor or store them in water-repellent containers. Position your storage space away from water services and drainage, and be particularly careful that stores are not below bathrooms.

Maintain a regular schedule for checking all radiators, drains, and pipes to prevent water-related issues. Carry out full building surveys every five years to thoroughly check the condition of the building.

Keeping your store clean

These tips can help to keep dust and dirt out of your store:

• Cover up gaps and cracks in tiles, floorboards, around doors, and where walls meet the ceiling.
• Fit filters to air-conditioning units and clean them regularly.
• Finish the surfaces of concrete floors, walls, and ceilings.
• Maintain a regular cleaning rota for store rooms, dusting and vacuum cleaning on a monthly basis.
• Maintain good hygiene for cleaning materials and equipment.

Deal with pest infestations immediately. Identify and isolate the source, and treat or remove actively infested items to stop the problem from spreading.

Prevention is better than cure. Anticipate pest problems by:

• Creating a quarantine area for newly acquired items, returning loans, and potentially infested items.
• Using insect traps as part of an integrated pest management (IPM) programme to monitor for insects. (insert link to IPM web page)
• Preventing birds from roosting and planning for rodents, especially if there are internal kitchens or cafes, trees, or canals nearby.
• Sealing all doors and windows to the store.
• Planning cleaning regimes and checks around the times when pest activity is greatest. Get to know the life cycle of museum pests that might affect your collection.

Safety for human use

Design stores with human use in mind. All equipment, from steps to heating, must meet relevant health and safety standards and be used according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Common-sense safety measures include:

• Train all staff in the correct use of store equipment. Check that equipment is tested, used appropriately, and not left out where it could cause a trip hazard.
• Make sure shelving units are not unrealistically higher than human reach, are built to manufacturer’s specifications, and that steps are provided for out-of-reach items.
• Don’t pack boxes so full that they become too heavy to handle. Label them accordingly.
• Store heavy or large items on lower shelves, on sliders or pallets to allow access.
• Use steps, trolleys, or baskets as appropriate. Make sure individuals have the support of a colleague when handling large, delicate, or awkward items.
• Follow health and safety rules for lifting, handling, and carrying large, heavy, or awkwardly shaped items.
• Label any hazardous items.
• Keep stores clean and tidy.
• Keep aisles clear to avoid trip hazards.

Store security

Put appropriate security measures in place to protect valuable items in the store. Keeping windows covered provides some level of security. You can also:

• Have robust object movement documentation and clear shelf labelling so you know what is in the store and where it is kept.
• Create a secure room or safe for valuable items. Limit staff access and use key safes with keys signed out.
• Use storage furniture that can be locked, such as drawers with keys kept in key safes.
• Keep stores locked when not in use. Use dated sign-in sheets to monitor use.
• Only allow visitors to access the store when accompanied by an authorised colleague.
• Only give cleaners access after training.

We recommend that every museum and gallery has an Emergency Plan for their entire museum, including all storage areas.

The Collections Trust website collates an extensive list of advice guides on collections care and preserving your museum’s collections.