Can anyone refer me to a resource for learning more about OFF-GASSING of
particle board used as shelving for museum collections? Read on.
I work in a rural County museum where the storage area was a mess when I
started three years ago. Working with a meager budget, I have managed to
organize the storage area by purchasing several PENCO rivet-rite
shelving units each year. Many of the units were ordered with box
supports, and artifacts stored in archival boxes. However I have one
unit where "long and skinny" artifacts are stored horizontally on
particle board shelves which I have covered with sheets of foam, and
other shelving units for oversized, un-boxed stuff that also have
particle board shelves. When we have used particle board for the shelf
surface, we have sealed it with a resin sealer and placed a layer of
foam between the wood and the artifacts. The long term goal is to
eventually replace the particle board with steel wire shelving. My more
immediate goals are 1) to organize storage so that I can find objects
(what does "Open Storage mean? try spending half a day looking), and
monitor for pest activity in an organized and scheduled fashion; and 2)
to get everything up off the floor so that the storage area can be
cleaned on a regular basis, and for IPM considerations.

Given my limited budget, I can either 1) organize storage and implement
an intergrated pest management which includes regular cleaning of
storage areas and monitoring for insect activity (and there is insect
activity!); or 2)let the stuff stack, sit on the floor, collect dust or
whatever and only purchase new shelving units when I can afford the wire
racks to go with them.
In the past 3 years I have acquired enough shelving units to allow me to
get almost everything into organized storage. I have also been able to
reconfigure the units to line up so that this year I'll be able to tie
them all together across the tops and up to the beams so that they don't
all fall over when we have the next big earthquake (I've also purchased
glow-in-the-dark tape to mark exit routes down all corridors in case of
power failure - there is absolutely no light back there when the
electricity goes).
All things considered, I think the particle board is less of a risk to
artifacts in the short term than the potential for damage from insects,
earthquakes, and disorganization. However my superior wants me to write
a paper justifying my request for another shelving unit (this one would
be 12 feet long and 10 feet high, for storing 20 32" x 42" archival
boxes which contain a huge collection of aerial photos of the county
where we are situated - Currently these boxes are stacked 7 deep on the
floor in the area where I hope the shelving unit will someday sit. There
is no place else to put them and the access to the photos stinks).
Please reply direct to my e-mail -- [log in to unmask] - would be
interested in hearing from other curatorial personnel regarding this
issue. Thanks!
Rebecca Snetselaar, Curator of Collections