A tool for museum storage reorganization : a cross-cultural initiative

Abstract

ICCROM’s experience shows that at least 60 percent of museum collections in storage are in danger worldwide. Disorganization and overcrowding constitute major threats. Over three years, ICCROM and UNESCO have worked to develop a tool to assist small museums (with no more than 10,000 objects) in evaluating and reorganizing their storage areas to improve conservation conditions and restore potential access and use of collections. The design and testing of this tool has been a cross-cultural collaboration involving 14 museum professionals from different parts of the world (Angola, Argentina, Austria, Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, India, Iran, Kenya, Peru, Philippines, Serbia, The Netherlands, Venezuela). The reorganization process addresses issues related to: the collection, furniture and small equipment, the building and space, and management. The tool is accompanied by various supporting materials: image database, guidelines, forms, exercises, bibliography, and glossary. This innovative, user-friendly tool is accessible online free of charge through the RE-ORG website (www.re-org.info).