Collections Re-storage Project (Historic Scotland)
Work Required:
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Historic Scotland's reserve collection store had a mixture of archaeology, arms and armour, artwork, social history objects and site equipment in storage.
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There was extra racking and storage units required as some of the collections were on the floor, or in unsuitable storage and so, at risk of damage.
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Some items were un-catalogued, or un-marked with accession numbers.
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Some items were dirty or dusty and required increased protection.
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Staff work areas required additional work spaces for packing, computer data entry and photography.
Work Carried Out:
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New racking was purchased and the excess bulk archaeology and other objects moved off the floor and onto this instead.
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New bay, shelf and location numbers were added to these new areas and all objects locations were recorded on an electronic database.
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Labelling on many boxes was improved with additional accession and location data and thumbnail images of contents, for ease of access.
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Some of the larger arms and armour items, such as pole arms required bespoke racking and cantilever shelving with padded brackets was built to accommodate these.
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Flat artwork was now placed in plan chests to improve storage and access.
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Delicate items on open storage were cleaned of any dust and dirt and covered with appropriate covers to protect in the future.
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A new staff area was set up incorporating desk with PC and printer; tables for packing and storage; photography table; flammables cabinet containing solvents and other cleaning materials.
