The ICOM Working Group on Collections in Storage has published the results of an international survey about museum storage worldwide.
This report, which summarises the responses received from over a thousand institutions in almost a hundred countries, is part of a series of initiatives launched by ICOM to examine in greater depth the state of collections in storage worldwide and how these might evolve in the coming years.
Overall, most of the museums surveyed gave a fairly unfavourable assessment of the situation of their storages, particularly with regard to lack of space and equipment. Problems raised in this report appear to be shared – even if there are differences – by all types of museums, whatever their collections and size, and in all regions of the world. The objectives of the professionals in charge of them remain first and foremost focused on heritage preservation, still present in ICOM’s new museum definition, and it is in this context that they consider the development of museums, certainly influenced by the move towards more environmentally friendly practices, but still centred on museum collections.
We hope that this report will provide a better understanding of the situation of museum storage around the world today.
Download the English version of the report
Download the French version of the report
Download the Spanish version of the report
The working group is organising an international conference in Paris, from 29 to 31 October 2024. Read more information.