Military Museum

Military museum uses high-density mobile storage to free up exhibit space for more than 5,000 war and military items and allows for collection growth.

SITUATION:

A new, premier federal military museum, with state-of-the-art simulators and theater, provides an extraordinary educational experience for all who visit. The museum manages more than 5,000 war and military exhibit items, dating back to the 1940's, that are either used to adorn the 27,000 square feet of exhibit area or are kept safely in archive storage.

SOLUTION:

When the new building was designed, the exhibit manager and the museum director wanted to allow enough space in archive storage for decades of growth. By using Filefax mechanical assist mobile storage systems and art racks, museum officials were able to maximize exhibit space and still allow ample room for growth in the archive storage area.

Five mobile systems are used for framed art storage, military objects and garments storage, weapons storage and books storage.

"We were planning for the future when we designed the new building," explained Mary Dennings, collections manager. "We wanted the artifacts to be safely stored today and 20 years down the road."

"We knew of other museums that have used Filefax systems and we liked what they had done," she said. "They provide us with the expansion space we need for the future and the much needed flexibility to move things around."

Dennings explained that the artifacts required a flexible storage solution. "We have everything from military equipment to small medals and documents to helmets and bulk items," she said. "The mobile systems have been a tremendous help in allowing us to easily move things around and readjust the storage to accommodate changes in the collection."

Two mechanical assist systems with museum cabinets mounted on top of the carriages house diverse collections of hanging uniforms, helmets and officer caps, and small personal-effects artifacts in drawers.

A manual art rack system carefully contains the museum’s framed artwork in a very small space and keeps them hanging safely out of the way.

A small mechanical assist system that houses the museum’s valuable collection of weapons saves space within the small steal vault. Lockable steal drawers keep collection items secure within the room and satisfy the double-lock requirements.

"The Filefax systems have served us well," Dennings concluded. "Most people who come in here are amazed at how much space and security we have attained."

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