Type: Working Groups
Mandate : 2023-2025
Chair: François MAIRESSE (France)

Members: Sanfo MOCTAR (Burkina Faso), Ambika PATEL (India), Alessandra LABATE ROSSO (Brazil), Alba LETTS (New Zealand), Christoph LIND (Germany), Gaël de GUICHEN (Italy), Maria Lucia FERRUZZA (Italy).

Ex-officio: Emma NARDI (Italy) (President of ICOM), Feng ZHAO (China) (ICOM Executive Board Member)

ICOM Secretariat: Jennifer KEANE (Executive Coordinator)
Contact: [email protected]

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ICOM Global Survey on Collections in Storage
The survey is an initiative of ICOM’s Working Group on Collections in Storage and aims to collect information from around the world about museums’ reserve collections.

The Working Group on Collections in Storage will work with the Université Sorbonne Nouvelle to analyse the data collected and will present the results to ICOM members later this year. If you work in museum storage or registration, please take the time to complete this survey at the link: https://icom.formstack.com/forms/icom_working_groups_collections_storage

 

MOTAT’s Alba Lett’s report from Paris, ICOM, November 2024

The challenges facing collection storage are front of mind for museums and archives globally and MOTAT’s Director, Collections, Alba Lett is at the vanguard of mahi to find solutions.

Alba is a member of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) Working Group on Collections in Storage and has just returned from its first conference held in Paris at the Université de la Sorbonne Nouvelle, which she helped host.

The eight-member Working Group was set up in 2022 and Alba represents Aotearoa New Zealand. Its first act was to conduct an international survey, with results published in May 2024 showing that up to 60% of the world’s collections are not being stored at standards needed to ensure their preservation.

Nearly 500 professionals from five continents and 50 countries attended October’s conference. They came together to debate the state of the sector at the heart of the museum system, its evolution and the main challenges associated with it, so that ICOM can best respond to these issues.

Alba says: “The conference was a fantastic experience, offering me the chance to not only play a role in hosting it, but also to represent Aotearoa New Zealand, learn from industry leaders, network with professionals, and gain insights that will undoubtedly benefit MOTAT and museums in Aotearoa, as I share the outcomes”.

Discussion included the repatriation of collections, the role of the collection and the right to store. The logistics of collection storage was also covered including transforming spaces and reorganising collections.

Some of the key learnings were:

• Storage is the heart of the museum – it is a place where knowledge can be shared and attract visitors.
• Open storage creates new dialogue opportunities between visitors, professionals, and objects. It allows visitors to reconnect with objects, enhancing their engagement with museum collections.
• A participatory approach is essential for museums to engage diverse audiences and communities, encouraging them to explore the multiple meanings of objects. Local communities are consulted, educational programs are introduced, and interactive activities are developed.
• Climate change debate is escalating and includes sustainability in collecting as a major focus.
• The major physical challenges faced by museum storage facilities are a lack of space, hazardous collections and unsuitable environments for conservation.

Alba says next steps for the Working Group is the proposal of the formation of an official ICOM Committee on Storage to bring together museum professionals working in the field of storage.

See also: Museum Storage around the world