Determine the intended audience. Scholars? Hobbyists? School groups? Senior citizens? No doubt it will be a combination of these groups and perhaps others, but the appropriate emphasis must be found for your museum. Try also to determine the best basic approach and the degree of visibility that is desirable or practical. Keep in mind that when applied to collections storage, the term “visible” involves two entirely different concepts:

Most visible storage facilities reflect the small picture concept, which may explain why public interest sometimes has been disappointing. Too many individual objects can become monotonous and dull. Big ideas may be required to hold everything together conceptually and make the collection meaningful.

The small picture concept usually is achieved by taking collection items out of storage and putting them in cases in or near exhibit halls. The objects are treated as reference materials for the interpretive stories told in the galleries. This makes a large number of objects available for close public scrutiny and is interesting and helpful to scholars and others seeking additional information. Many visitors, however, may simply be baffled, moving on after a cursory glance or two. Few will spend time examining items closely, and even fewer will attempt to retrieve more detailed information about the objects.

One of the best-known examples of this approach is the visible storage facility in the American Wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, where in the 1960s then-Director Thomas Hoving sought to “democratize the collection.” A large number of paintings and three-dimensional objects (furniture, glassware, china, and silver) are displayed densely in rows of elegant glass cases in an area near the American Wing galleries. Each object can be seen up close and has an acquisition number that visitors can use to access detailed information at nearby computers. No attempt is made to explain the purpose of the collection or how it fits into the overall mission and operation of the museum.

The simplest way to create visible storage is to install a secure window between a public area and the collections storeroom. Visitors can see the objects on open shelves or in boxes, closed cabinets, or other kinds of storage equipment as well as staff members or visiting scholars conducting research or collections management procedures. A sampling of objects can be displayed in a nearby exhibit case, providing a sense of the kinds of items in the collection. Next to the window, an interpretive panel tells visitors what the collection is all about.

This approach is very simple and inexpensive. Architecturally, only a single window is required. No additional storage floor area is needed. All of the storage units are standard museum equipment items. Although the goals of this approach are modest, the result can be very successful, as evidenced by the storeroom at the Arkansas State Archeological Survey at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock.

You also can invite visitors to tour and browse the entire stored collection. The traditional way to achieve this is to place all the objects in glass cases and allow people to wander among them. A less expensive and, perhaps, more appropriate way is to store the objects in standard museum storage units and then separate the visitors from the collections areas with glass partitions. Instead of enclosing the objects, you enclose the viewers. This gives visitors an exciting new sense of the entire collection while protecting the objects. The new Luce Center at the New-York Historical Society is an example of this comprehensive tour approach.

Open steel shelving placed immediately behind a glass partition allows visitors to scrutinize nearby objects as well as see through to items on the shelves beyond. Some items, such as textiles, will have to be stored out of view entirely for conservation reasons. But an explanation of the reasons why the textiles are stored as they are can offer a fascinating educational experience for visitors. One does do not have to unroll and examine individual textiles to grasp the scope of the collection or to learn what museum collections are all about.

In all of these ways of making a storeroom visible—the peek-in, walk-in, and walk-through—it is both economical and appropriate to use storage units that are similar to, if not exactly like, those used in traditional closed facilities. Highly finished and costly gallery-quality cases are not required and may even be inappropriate. The use of standard equipment will show visitors how objects normally are stored to meet professional conservation and other museum standards.

One might think that a dense display of thousands of objects would not evoke an immediate sense of wonder and excitement. But a museum collection, particularly when viewed in its entirety, is an amazing thing. Most museum visitors have never seen museum storage and are good candidates for big and pleasant surprises: “So this is what the rest of the collection looks like! I’ve often wondered, and here it is. Wow!”

There is also no reason why a visible storage facility cannot be interesting architecturally. Open spaces, intimate areas, two-story rooms, stairs, mezzanines, big things, and little things—all can be part of the design vocabulary. In addition, the variety of traditional storage equipment will be much greater than the limited assortment of display furniture usually found in a public gallery. Three-dimensional objects can sit on open shelves. Paintings can be hung floor-to-ceiling, salon style. Small objects and textiles can be placed in accessible drawers or in tilt-top display cases. Normal storage equipment varies greatly, from painting racks, closed storage cabinets, and rolled textile racks to huge drawer units, shelves full of archival boxes, and pallet racks with huge and heavy objects. Some objects can be displayed without physical protection at all if viewable only from a secure distance. The shear variety of storage methods can be fascinating and instructive.

Study and work areas are also often part of the facility—public study areas with tables, chairs, reference material, and computer terminals as well as staff areas with worktables and equipment. Museums with large collections usually have conservation laboratories, which fascinate the public and offer great opportunities for explaining principles of good collections management.

There is no reason why a good design team cannot make visible storage into an exciting visitor experience that carries profound messages about the hidden aspects of the museum world. But although visible storage can be as interesting and exciting as an interpretive gallery, the two are not the same. If storage is treated like an exhibit or located too close to the galleries, it may be perceived as a rather dull exhibit rather than as something different, special, and exciting. Visible storage should have a definite “behind-the-scenes” quality. In the galleries, references can be made to the visible storage area, and in the storage areas, references can be made to the galleries, but the two should never become confused.

Visible storage sometimes makes access for staff and scholars difficult, awkward, or dangerous. From time to time, objects must be removed for close study, incorporated into an exhibition, loaned to another institution, or taken to the conservation lab. Opening display cases and removing or rearranging objects in public areas can create security problems. Some institutions temporarily close off aisles or other areas during these procedures.

One of the advantages of isolating visitors behind a glass window or partition is that the storage areas remain easily and conveniently accessible to authorized staff at all times without the danger of loss or damage caused by curious or malevolent members of the public. And seeing the staff or others working with the collection can be, in itself, interesting and instructive for visitors.

Striking the right balance between highly finished museum display cases and purely utilitarian storage equipment is a key basic design issue and one that will fundamentally affect both the budget and the spirit of the facility.

There are many kinds of manufactured units, and the variety of custom-designed units is limited only by the imagination of the designers. Sorting through this cornucopia can be daunting. To make matters more confusing, most collections storage units are utilitarian products built for the preservation of museum objects in closed storerooms, never to be seen by the public. Conversely, most display cases are expensively finished to meet the aesthetic standards of very public galleries. Visible storage equipment, by its very nature, falls between these two, requiring equipment that is both appropriate for public presentation and in the spirit of standard collections storage.

Some closed storerooms are clean, well organized, and quite impressive, while others are chaotic. If good collections management practices are being observed and the storerooms are neat, orderly, and equipped with units that are professionally appropriate, the museum board and staff should want to show them off, regardless of whether the equipment is basic or finely finished. On the other hand, if the collection is poorly managed, the museum may not want to have this sad fact advertised. A key factor behind decisions about visible storage equipment, therefore, will be whether the museum is really serious about maintaining excellent collections management practices.

Lighting is extremely important in any visible storage facility because, if objects are to be seen, they must be lit. But exposing objects to light often creates serious conservation problems. Lighting must always be designed as a carefully tuned series of compromises. To meet conservation standards, the light levels on many of the objects must be very low. But if the collection is to be exciting and the objects are to appear important, they should be lit more brightly than their surroundings. This means that the general ambient light must be even lower than that of the objects.

This necessity will set a tone and dictate the basic feel of the space. One might be tempted to make the space bright and cheery out of concern that a large number of objects may be boring and the space might be dreary. In fact, the opposite is true. Eyes adapt easily to low light levels, and if the ambience is dark and a bit mysterious, the objects will shine without being damaged by overly strong light. This also is consistent with the concept of the visible storage as an inner sanctum, a vault, protected from the outside world. Visitors should feel as though they are entering an ancient Egyptian tomb, not a brightly lit department store.

Separate lighting of each group of objects is the ideal. Lights under the front of the shelves give prominence to the objects below and can be controlled individually by selection of bulbs and/or use of UV and visible light filters. To avoid creating a glare, light sources must not be directly visible. Light bulbs and tubes must be adequately shielded and spotlights positioned to prevent reflections. There is no great mystery about how to meet any of these criteria, but every angle of vision and every angle of reflection must be considered carefully. If that is done, the most common lighting problems will be avoided.

Keep in mind that lighting for visible storage is different from most other lighting situations. It is unrealistic, therefore, to assume that a lighting designer, even one with museum experience, will have a good feel for these issues. Work closely with the designers to ensure that they meet your criteria.

Decide who should plan the storage space and do the subsequent conceptual and detailed design work. With collections storage facilities, this work falls between the traditional professional responsibilities of the architect, the collections manager, and the equipment manufacturer. Architects usually do not have detailed experience with collections storage, and their fee structures are unlikely to permit adequate time for such work. Equipment manufacturers may volunteer to help, but they, too, may have limited design abilities and will be motivated to sell their own products, which may not be in the museum’s best interests.

Collections managers have a great deal of experience with objects and storage units but may have limited design experience. In addition, they are likely to be preoccupied with their own special responsibilities, which often increase during the design and construction of a new facility. An independent visible storage consultant may be able to help in this situation by working closely with museum staff and architects on the program and the design, gathering information from manufacturers, and specifying appropriate storage and display equipment. This function is similar to that of the interior designer, who researches furniture and furnishings, recommends certain pieces to the client, and then follows through by assisting with purchase and installation.

Establish Your Goals and Objectives

• Who is the intended audience? Most likely, it will be a combination of students, scholars, school groups, senior citizen groups, tourists, hobbyists, and the general public.
• Is the goal to make a very large number of individual objects accessible for close examination? Or to convey an overall sense of the scope, meaning, and importance of the collection? Or both?
• Should parts of the collection be brought from storage out into public areas, or should the visitors be invited into the storerooms?
• Do you want the public to learn about issues related to the overall collection, such as where the objects come from, why they are kept, how they are used, how they are conserved and restored, and how they fulfill the overall mission of the museum?
• What are the appropriate standards for architectural finishes? Should the visible storage reflect the highly finished galleries or the more simply finished support spaces?
• What are appropriate goals for the interpretive program (if any)? Making detailed information about specific objects available to visitors. Explaining the overall purpose and importance of the collection.
• How much money do you think might be available for the project? Set a general budget if you can.

When the general goals have been established:

• Determine the most appropriate type of storage/display unit for each group of objects and establish the best means of protecting them (glass cases or partitions, accessible drawers with plastic inner covers, open shelves, closed cabinets, painting screens, textile rolls, etc.).
• Select appropriate dimensions for manufactured storage equipment.
• Calculate the required number of units of each type.
• Calculate the floor area required by these units for each part of the collection.
• Calculate the additional floor area required for visitor circulation and staff operations.
• Determine the appropriate climate-control conditions (typical and microclimate).
• Based on this information, make a cost estimate and see how it compares with the funds you anticipated for the project. Make adjustments to either the budget or the project scope, if necessary.

Designing is more fun than programming, and it is tempting to jump in too early and begin drawing. But that may be a costly approach. Proceed with the design only after a sound program and budget have been established.

• Establish the best location in the building for the visible storage facility. This can be complicated, since it involves such staff functions as shipping and receiving as well as the best location for both public access and collections security.
• Make sure that the allocated floor area will accommodate both equipment and people. If it will not, either allocate more space or reduce the scope of the program.
• Consider expansion. If the word “collect” is in the mission statement, the collection will grow. How will it be accommodated in the future?
• Sketch and evaluate alternative layouts for storage equipment, public circulation, and staff access, and select the most promising concept.
• Prepare a preliminary generic description of all manufactured storage/display units and other equipment that will be involved in the project.
• Prepare preliminary sketches for all custom-built cases, shelving, glass partitions, etc.
• Develop a specific layout with all storage units and other equipment identified.
• Establish design criteria for the climate-control systems for each part of the collection, including microclimate zones if appropriate.
• Establish the most appropriate means of lighting the space and the objects.
• Establish a basic design for the related security systems.
• Develop the general concept for the interpretive program.
• Revise the cost estimate and make additional changes to the project scope or budget, as needed.

Refine the Concept, Develop the Detailed Design, and Build the Project

Design professionals will prepare the construction documents and various contractors will complete the actual work. To ensure that the visible storage goals are realized, unusually close monitoring and coordination by the museum staff will be necessary. Give special attention to conservation concerns, including off-gassing from construction materials and UV and visible light levels.

• The architects and engineers will develop the detailed construction drawings and specifications, and the construction contractors will complete the work.
• The exhibit designers will detail, engineer, and specify all of the interpretive or explanatory aspects of the facility. These will be fabricated and installed by the exhibit fabrication firm. The messages that are appropriate for a visible storage facility may be unfamiliar to the designers, so the museum staff will have to guide and control the interpretive content carefully.
• The security consultants will design and detail the electronic alarm systems, which will be installed by a security contractor.
• The interior designers will select and specify the furniture and furnishings, which will be delivered and installed by an interiors contractor.
• Custom cabinetry must be detailed and specified, probably as part of the architect’s construction documents, and fabricated either by equipment manufacturers or by construction sub-contractors.
• Lighting usually is designed by an electrical engineer or lighting designer. This design process must be carefully controlled with regard to both conservation and visual impact.
• Someone will have to specify the manufactured collections storage equipment and follow through with bidding, purchase, and installation. This is not a standard professional responsibility, and assignment of these tasks to an appropriate consultant and/or staff member will be critically important. Equipment manufacturers will fabricate and deliver the specified storage units. The manufacturer, the general contractor, or the museum’s staff can install them.

There is every reason to believe that visible storage will be an increasingly prominent and important part of the public presence of modern museums. Well-designed exhibitions have made museum-going experiences much more lively and popular. In the process, however, the collections have slowly disappeared from view, taking with them some of the public’s understanding of the basic purpose of the collections and the critical role that they play in the life of every museum. The current movement toward greater public visibility and access to the collections holds great potential. The pioneering designs of recent decades should lead to a greater understanding of visible storage throughout the museum profession and, ultimately, to a better public appreciation of the significance of our museums’ collections and the rich heritage that they represent.

John D. Hilberry, AIA, is a museum architectural programming andplanning consultant who writes frequently on collections storage andother museum planning and design issues. He can be reached atjohnhilberry@att.net.