Conserve O Gram 4/1a: Museum Storage Cabinets

For more information, see COG 4/1: Selecting Museum Storage Furniture: An Overview.

This Conserve O Gram (COG) details the various types of museum storage cabinets that meet best practices in the museum profession. For retrofitting existing storage cabinets, see additional COGs in Series 4: Museum Collections Storage.

Museum storage cabinets provide superior protection from fluctuations in temperature and relative humidity, dust and particulates, light, gaseous pollutants, and pests. This is particularly beneficial for objects not enclosed within storage housings (i.e. boxes). Cabinets can be customized to meet almost any collections storage requirement using interior configurations such as stationary shelves, pull-out shelves, drawers, hanging storage, rolled storage, or a combination thereof.

General Pros and Cons

Pros

• Flexibility of interior configurations allows a variety of compatible object or specimen types to be stored in one cabinet.

• Cabinet doors can be manufactured to be solid, blocking all light, or to include windows for ease of viewing collections that are not culturally or light sensitive.

• Doors can be purchased with hinges that allow for easy removal, when necessary.

• Museum-quality cabinets are gasketed, creating an additional buffer between the objects and the ambient storage environment, as well as a barrier against pest intrusion.

• Cabinets provide an additional layer of security by requiring keys for access.

Cons

• Use of cabinets is limited by the physical size of the objects or specimens in the collection.

• Manufacturer load tolerances for shelves and drawers limit what can be stored in cabinets.

• Cabinets, both full and empty, are heavy and can exceed maximum floor load of the storage space.

• Gasketed cabinets create an enclosed environment, which may not be suitable for all object types. If you are unsure which is needed, contact a conservator.

Considerations When Choosing a Storage Cabinet

Figure 1: A storage cabinet. (NPS Photo)

Interior Storage Configurations

• Determine how much space the objects or specimens will require, including any storage housings, such as trays and boxes. This will factor into the cabinet’s configuration. For example, a cabinet storing tall objects will accommodate fewer shelves and/or drawers.

• Assess the weight of the objects to be stored in the cabinet and ensure any interior shelves and drawers can accommodate the full load. Most objects can be stored on standard steel cabinet shelves or drawers. However, large, flat textiles or other large, lightweight objects may be stored on interior shelves constructed of lighter-weight materials, such as corrugated polypropylene (Coroplast®), screening, or aluminum that reduce the overall floor load. These can be custom ordered from cabinet manufacturers.

Drawer and Pull-Out Shelf Track Mechanisms

Figure 2: Steel drawer pull-out mechanism. (NPS Photo)

• Select cabinets with wheeled track mechanisms or ball-bearing suspension extensions for all drawers and pull-out shelves. Track mechanisms should operate smoothly when accessing objects to minimize vibrations.

• Ensure drawers and pull-out shelves have a track stop mechanism to minimize the risk of unintentionally pulling a drawer or shelf completely out of the cabinet. Exceptions can be considered for certain natural history collections requiring different handling protocols. In these cases, drawers can be manufactured to be easily and safely removed for research purposes.

• Choose unpainted metal track mechanisms to prevent degrading paint debris from falling into drawers, impeding smooth operation.

Gaskets

Figure 3: Deteriorating foam weather stripping on a cabinet with damage highlighted by red circles. (NPS Photo)

• Avoid foam weather stripping, rubber, and/or any other adhesive-backed gasketing that has the potential to off-gas, detach, break down/disintegrate, and/or compress past the point of usefulness.

• Use silicone gasketing that is mechanically attached to the cabinet door frame.

Vents

• Cabinets can be purchased with or without vents, which may be fitted with filters. Consider if the objects or specimens stored within require a more controlled environment or benefit from air exchange. If you are unsure which is needed, contact a conservator.

Cabinet Doors

• Cabinet doors may be steel or have glass panes.

• Steel doors are suitable for light-sensitive objects like textiles, as well as objects with access and/or viewing restrictions, such as weapons or certain cultural materials.

• Glass doors (aka visual cabinets) allow light to penetrate the interior and are only suitable for storing objects that are not light sensitive.

Door Span

• Ensure there is adequate space to open doors completely for unrestricted access to objects and their storage housings. They should be able to open at least 180 degrees to allow full access to the interior.

Installation Concerns

• Ensure safety of both objects and personnel by properly anchoring storage cabinets, if necessary.

• Purchase cabinets whose bases can be leveled.

• Install cabinets with metal riser to facilitate housekeeping and protect against water intrusion.

Cabinet Types

Standard Cabinet

Figure 4: Standard cabinet with visual doors and a combination of shelves and drawers. (NPS Photo)

Standard cabinets are commonly used and can store most object types. They come in a range of heights, widths, and depths and are available with either visual or solid doors.

Oversized Cabinet

Figure 5: Oversized cabinet with bifold doors. (Photo courtesy of Katelyn Scott, Missouri Historical Society/Soldiers Memorial Military Museum)

Oversized cabinets provide space for very large and/or fragile objects, such as unjacketed paleontological specimens and textiles that cannot be folded.

Herbarium Cabinet

Figure 6: Herbarium cabinet. (NPS Photo)

Herbarium cabinets are specifically configured to protect botanical collections, which are more vulnerable to pests and other environmental factors. Interior shelves are designed to maximize efficient storage, accommodating standard size herbarium sheets and genus folders. The cabinets are available in several different sizes.

Entomology Cabinet

Figure 7: Entomology cabinet. (NPS Photo)

Entomology cabinets are constructed with interior drawers designed to accommodate standard insect pinning trays. They are available in several different sizes and support wooden interior drawers. There are four common styles of entomology drawers. Cabinets must be compatible with the selected drawer style.

Rolled or Hanging Textile Cabinet

Figure 8: A textile cabinet storing a combination of hung and rolled textiles. (NPS Photo)

Textile cabinets (aka wardrobe cabinets) are often larger than standard cabinets and accommodate garments that can be safely hung (see COG 4/5: Storage Techniques for Hanging Garments: Padded Hangers). They can also be fitted with shelves for flat or boxed textiles and racks for rolled textiles.

Wet Specimen Cabinet

Figure 9: A fire-rated cabinet storing specimens preserved in flammable liquids. (NPS Photo)

Wet specimen cabinets are manufactured to store objects preserved in flammable liquids. They have appropriate fire ratings and should be labeled with the appropriate hazardous materials labels. Fire-rated cabinets are yellow for flammable materials and red for combustible materials. For additional information, see COG 4/1e: Specialized Museum Storage Furniture and COG 2/18: Safe Storage And Handling Of Natural History Specimens Preserved In Fluid.

Weapons Cabinet

Figure 10: A weapons cabinet designed specifically for long arms. (NPS Photo)

Weapons cabinets are configured to efficiently store firearms and edged weapons. They should be securely locked using a different key from any other cabinet. For more information on storing firearms, see Museum Handbook Part I, Appendix G: Museum Firearms, Small Arms Ammunition, Munitions, and Artillery.

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Anne Ennes, Textile Conservator
Shay Henrion, Registrar and Conserve O Gram Editor
Casey Oehler, Museum Curator
Museum Conservation and Collections
Harpers Ferry Center, National Park Service

Formerly issued as Conserve O Gram 4/1
Don Cumberland, Jr. (1993), Museum Specialist
National Park Service

The Conserve O Gram series is published as a reference on collections management and curatorial issues. Mention of a product, a manufacturer, or a supplier by name in this publication does not constitute an endorsement of that product or supplier by the National Park Service. Sources named are not all inclusive. It is suggested that readers also seek alternative product and vendor information to assess the full range of available supplies and equipment.

The series is available on the National Park Service Museum Management Program's website.