Collection management and storage issues at the Vasa Museum

摘要

Museum stores sometimes tend to function as a cluttered closet, where everything is stored which is not used or displayed. One locks the door and thinks: "All that should really be sorted out, but not right now..." The Vasa Museum has a collection of about 40,000 objects. The museum has not actively collected any objects since the last dives in 1967. Therefore, the number of finds has not significantly increased or decreased over the years. In spite of this, the Vasa Museum has had problems for a long time with its storage areas, primarily due to lack of space. In the year 2001 the storage problem finally became unacceptable. Because of this, a project for moving stored items was initiated. An external warehouse has been rented, and the objects that are moved there are subjected to thorough documentation, assessment of damages and photography. The aim of the project is to relocate objects that are ill placed in temporary locations throughout the museum, and to allow for a more sparse distribution of objects in the museum stores, thus making better care and handling of the finds possible. The relocation also provides an opportunity to take stock of the collection. The aim is to create a storage facility, which will function as a showroom, displaying the museum's stored objects to the public. The purpose of this paper is to discuss our current relocation of objects and to draw attention to the fact that storage facilities seldom get the same priority as other, more public operations. This is a problem one should try to solve by recognising the possibilities and beneficial aspects that an well-organised museum store can provide. To carry out a relocation of stored items on such a grand scale as this, is a very time-consuming and costly undertaking. It is important to see beyond this and to recognise it as a long-term investment for the museum.