I hope it's not too late to add another example of open storage (I only
just read these posts).

The Steamboat Bertrand Collection, Missouri Valley, Iowa, is a great
example of open storage.  The collection is comprised the cargo of the
Steamboat Bertrand that sank on the Missouri River in 1865 and was
excavated in the late 1960's.   All the material is housed in one
storage/exhibit area.  The space was designed to maximize viewing by using
150 feet of floor to ceiling glass walls.  Immediately in back of the
glass, where visitors can almost "touch", are display cubes where examples
of nearly the entire collection are displayed.  Farther back into the room
are rows of shelving units where more of the same are stored.  There are
also rows are metal cabinets, kept closed, but clearly and simply labeled
with their contents (e.g. men's hats, hardware, socks, etc.).  The effect
of the open design provides visitors with a sense of the volume of cargo
that was on the boat.  They stand in amazement as they absorb the wall of
shovels.  The placement of the exhibit cubes right up near the glass allows
for an example(s) of each object type to be clearly viewed.  Visitors
qiuickly realize there are more of those (whatevers) farther back on the
shelves or in a cabinet.  Some visitors seem to get a kick out of seeing
REAL people back there working, others seem oblivious to movement back
there.

As someone mentioned earlier, it is a product of early '80's design (1981)
but it has successfully stood the test of time.  The exhibit is still as as
effective today as it was nearly twenty years ago.  (The Steamboat Arabia
Museum, in Kansas City, MO, is patterned after the Bertrand's open
storage/exhibit design.)

Sarah Tuttle
Museum Curator
Steamboat Bertrand Museum
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