Museum Storage
Special Collections Storage
Mummies to Manuscripts: Give Museum Special Collections the VIP Storage Treatment
Museum special collections storage is like bubble wrap with a PhD in preservation — because when you’re safeguarding fragile, rare, and irreplaceable artifacts, preservation is everything. Whether it’s a centuries-old manuscript, a wooly mammoth tusk, or an oddly charming taxidermy collection, the right storage keeps history intact and might even steal the show in an exhibit.
Curators and conservators might not have to dodge boulders like Indiana Jones, but they do battle humidity spikes, pest invasions, and the occasional “Wait, where did we put that?” crisis. The right storage turns chaos into cataloged, climate-controlled perfection:
- Tailored to Every Material: Paper, textiles, metals, ceramics — each material has its quirks. Our solutions keep them in prime condition.
- Stop Time in Its Tracks, No DeLorean Needed: Humidity swings, temperature shifts, and UV rays don’t stand a chance against preservation-grade storage.
- Bye-Bye, Bugs and Mold: Leather, wood, and textiles are basically an all-you-can-eat buffet for pests. Secure storage keeps them off the guest list.
- Locks Tighter Than a Pharaoh’s Tomb: Some artifacts belong in a vault. (Literally.) Access control and inventory tracking ensure they stay exactly where they should.
- Storage That Knows How to Work a Crowd: History is meant to be shared. Secure, display-friendly storage makes engagement easy without risking preservation.
Museum Storage 101 breaks down how to protect, organize, and future-proof priceless collections — no cursed artifacts included. Download now and give your storage a proper exhibit!
Photos
A picture is worth a thousand storage ideas.
Protect, Preserve, and Maybe Even Show Off a Little
Museum collections aren’t set in stone (unless they literally are) – because history never stops. Whether it’s a new acquisition, a rotating exhibit, or a relic that finally gets its time in the spotlight, the right special collections storage protects, preserves, and adapts, all while meeting archival standards and best practices.
Select an application:
Displays
Special collections storage is a delicate balancing act — protecting artifacts while keeping them accessible. Display storage gives visitors enhanced access to a museum’s collection without compromising security or preservation:
Museum Cabinets
Protect treasures while keeping them in view. Sealed against dust, water, and air, these cabinets offer display storage without compromising preservation or access for research and exhibitions.
Flat File Cabinets
Open, adaptable, and built for visibility. This shelving makes it easy to showcase less fragile pieces while keeping them accessible for research, curation, and visitor engagement.
Mobile Art Racks
These space-saving racks keep paintings, posters, and textiles organized, accessible, and ready for rotation so artwork stays secure while stealing the spotlight.
Widespan Shelving
A rugged, adaptable solution for heavy and oversized collections. Built for bulk storage, it can stand alone or integrate with mobile systems to maximize space and keep artifacts display-ready.
Cantilever Shelving
These cantilever shelving units are built to last. The sturdy steel frames are welded for strength and durability, and metal gussets are welded to the base support to help meet seismic requirements.
Rare Books & Manuscripts
Books are meant to be read — but time isn’t always kind to paper. From dust and humidity to pests and light exposure, museum special collections storage keeps fragile pages protected and accessible to curators and researchers.
High-Density Storage
Protect priceless pages without wasting space. These compact shelves maximize storage for rare books and manuscripts while keeping them safe from environmental threats.
Museum Cabinets
Heavy-duty protection for rare books and manuscripts. Sealed against dust, water, and air exposure, these cabinets safeguard delicate materials with industry-leading features like the Watershield™ cap and Elastomeric Seal™ for ultimate preservation.
Flat File Cabinets
Keep rare documents and manuscripts flat, safe, and research-ready. Enclosed drawers shield fragile materials from light, dust, and humidity, preventing damage while supporting access.
Cantilever Shelving
Open, adaptable, and researcher-friendly. This shelving system provides easy access to less fragile special collection items, reducing excessive handling while keeping materials within reach.
Specialized Media
From film reels to magnetic tapes and optical disks, specialized media requires more than just a label and a shelf. Climate-controlled storage prevents heat, humidity, and degradation, keeping historic recordings, rare footage, and digital archives safe and ready for research or exhibition.
High-Density Storage
Compact storage for expansive media collections. These space-saving systems keep film reels, tapes, and discs protected, organized, and easily accessible while maximizing every inch of available space.
4-Post Shelving
Versatile, adjustable, and built for change. This shelving system adapts to growing media collections, keeping one-of-a-kind media secure and easy to access without compromising preservation.
Media Storage Cabinets
Long-term protection for fragile formats. These fully welded steel cabinets with full extension drawers shield film, tapes, and discs from dust, light, and deterioration while keeping collections organized and ready.
Physical Artifacts
From skulls to submarine parts, physical artifacts refuse to play by standard storage rules. Some are delicate, some are oversized, and some defy categorization altogether. Protecting and organizing them takes storage as versatile as the collections themselves — designed to accommodate artifacts of all shapes and sizes.
High-Density Storage
Big storage for big history. Compacting carriages maximize space for artifacts of all shapes and sizes, keeping everything organized, protected, and easily accessible without cramming history into whatever space is left.
Widespan Shelving
Built to handle bulky, oversized, and heavy artifacts, this adaptable shelving system reconfigures as collections grow, keeping even the most unwieldy pieces secure and museum-ready.
Cantilever Shelving
Designed for display. Built for accessibility. This open shelving system makes it easy to store and retrieve frequently used or durable artifacts, minimizing unnecessary handling while keeping collections visible and well-organized.
Museum Cabinets
A vault for the invaluable. These sturdy steel cabinets shield artifacts from dust, water, and damage, with industry-leading seals and a Watershield™ cap ensuring long-term protection for even the most sensitive collections.
ActivRAC Mobile Shelving
This heavy-duty system compacts to maximize space while handling even the bulkiest artifacts. Got a space or weight challenge? ActivRAC is built to prove storage limits wrong.
Artwork
Art deserves more than a storage closet. Whether it’s a centuries-old masterpiece or a modern marvel, preservation is key. Keep paintings, sculptures, and delicate works protected from humidity, dust, and light with storage that maximizes organization and minimizes deterioration — without compromising accessibility.
High-Density Storage
Mobile High-Density Shelving turns wasted space into curated efficiency. These systems maximize storage capacity while keeping artwork, portfolios, and delicate pieces secure yet accessible.
Museum Cabinets
Museum cabinets guard artwork like a fortress (minus the moat). They block out dust, water, and damage. The Watershield™ cap and closed-cell Elastomeric Seal™ ensure an airtight environment worthy of priceless masterpieces.
Flat File Cabinets
Flat file cabinets protect artwork from the enemies of preservation — light, dust, and humidity. Spacious, enclosed drawers keep prints, drawings, and delicate works stored flat, ensuring easy access without creases, curls, or unnecessary handling.
Mobile Art Racks
Mobile Art Storage Racks expand storage capacity without compromising organization or protection. These systems keep paintings, posters, and textiles secure while optimizing space, giving art more room to breathe, not less.
Design Resources
Review our selection of quality brochures
- Case-Type Shelving Brochure Case-Type Shelving Brochure
- Introduction to High Density Mobile Storage Systems Introduction to High Density Mobile Storage Systems
- Cantilever Shelving Systems Brochure Cantilever Shelving Systems Brochure
- High-Density Mobile Systems Brochure High-Density Mobile Systems Brochure
- Museum Collections Storage Guide Museum Collections Storage Guide
- Museum Brochure Museum Brochure
- Modular Drawer Cabinets Brochure Modular Drawer Cabinets Brochure
- Preservation Cabinet Brochure Preservation Cabinet Brochure
