The decision making procedure will begin with a series of questions with the final choice of storage system coming at the end of that process. We can take you, step-by-step, to inform you and to provide a framework to ensure that your storage facility will be right for you.
- What is to be stored?
The first step is to conduct an audit. Establish what you want to store.
Imagine the items you are storing as a number of compartments. For example, list the items that will fit into a cube, 150mm x 150mm x150mm. Likewise, 300mm x 300mm x 300mm etc. This is a simplistic representation of an audit to establish an understanding of your requirements.
| Item |
150x150x150 |
300x300x300 | 450x450x450 | 600x600x600 | Large Items | Pictures 600x450 | Pictures 2000x1000 | Books 450x300 | Books 900x450 |
| Small Artefacts | 200 | 400 | 150 | ||||||
| Medium Artefacts | 400 | 1000 | |||||||
| Furniture | 100 | ||||||||
| Ledgers | 600 | ||||||||
| Meeting Notes | 400 | ||||||||
The outcome of this section will indicate whether the storage solution should be short-span shelving for small items, wide-access shelving for larger hand-loaded items, pallet racking for bulk storage, specialised cabinets or a combination of more than one type of system.
- Estimate the weight of each category of item. >5kg, 5-10kg, 10-20kg, <20kg.
The weight of your artefacts, books and documents will determine the weight loading capacity required from a storage system and whether the system can be loaded manually or whether mechanical assistance is necessary.
- Consider the physical parameters of the proposed storage area.
The height of the room in which the storage system is to be sited will determine whether a single-tier, multi-tier, high bay, rack-supported floor or free-standing mezzanine floor would be an option. Any structural obstacles including lights, pipe-work, radiators, access points, windows or air-conditioning ductwork will affect the way in which the system will be laid out. Will the floor be good enough and strong enough to support the loads imposed by some of these options.
- What affect will the gender and physical attributes of the staff have on the choice of system? Who will be working in the store? Will they need access equipment?
The gender and physical attributes of staff working in a stock-room or repository will contribute to the decision making process. Making use of a high room is a good idea but can your staff reach the top shelf? Deep shelves will accommodate large items but can your staff reach in with out risking personal injury? Are stored items too heavy to lift? How often will they be accessed? Health & Safety in the work-place will have an effect on the final solution.
- Consider if the collection is to grow and over what period of time.
The proposed storage solution should not restrict the growth of your collection. Can additional bays or cabinets be added retrospectively? Can shelving bays be re-configured to meet changing priorities? Can bays be fitted with accessories after the initial installation such as dividers, drawer units or doors.
- Determine the stability / fragility of the items to be stored. Should the items be stored in a ventilated environment, to comply with BS5454?
The product selection and the layout may be influenced by the need to comply with the requirements of BS5454. With particular reference to libraries and archives, documents and books should be stored on shelves that are deeper the stored item so that the item does not protrude past the shelf edge. Where air-flow through a shelving installation is important, sides and backs should be fitted with mesh panels.
- Should any items be stored in dust-proof cabinets?
Dust ingress can be detrimental to artefacts, books and documents. In some cases individual cabinets or bays can be dust-proofed. Mobile shelving installation can be sealed to reduce dust ingress. In extreme cases the room can be sealed and environmentally controlled and monitored to eliminate any contaminate.
- Establish the frequency of access. Every day / every week / every month / infrequently.
Frequent access to stored product might suggest a storage layout with fixed aisles between runs. Infrequent access or a need for high density storage would indicate a mobile storage solution.
The final proposal for a bespoke storage solution invariably ends up as a mixture of different shelving systems and formats. No one system or shelving product will meet the needs of every museum, library or archive.
Download our vcard