This is a very important topic, and the answer is not always
straightforward. The proper materials to use for cases depends on many
factors: what type of artifacts will be exhibited in the cases, how long
the artifacts will be in the cases, how tight the cases are, what kind
of budget you are working with, what are the curators exhibition
requirements, etc. It is very important to get it right, especially if
you are doing a major, permanent installation, or renovating cases for
the first time in many years (and the last time for many years) as we
are doing with some of our exhibits at Shelburne. As a conservator, I
have seen many instances where the exhibit cases have caused serious
damage to artifacts over the long term due to high visible and UV light
levels and high heat/ low RH caused by lights inside cases. I have also
seen damage to paper and textiles as a result of acid off-gassing from
wood products. Although many wood products like MDO are now
formaldehyde-free, they still exude acids for many years. In sealed
cases, these acids can be very damaging.

The good news is that there are new alternative materials available
that are inert and safe, relatively easy to work with, and affordable.
You just have to search out these materials and suppliers and have an
exhibit staff or firm that is willing to break out of the "wood case"
mode and use the better materials. A first step is to contact a
conservator in your area. Although not all conservators are experts on
museum exhibit materials, most can refer you to a conservator who is.
Check out the American Institute for Conservation web site at
http://aic.stanford.edu . They have an on-line directory of
conservators by specialty, so that you could find one to work with in
your area.

There is a lot of information available on safe materials to use for
building museum cases, and much of it is available on the web in
conservation literature. However, it is a lot to wade through, and there
are few simple and direct answers. Pleasing everyone involved in the
exhibit process, curators, conservators, exhibit designers, exhibit
builders is a real challenge and requires compromises on everyone's
part. And there is always the rush to open the new exhibit! Research and
proper advice during the early stages of the project are essential. That
is where a conservator who has previously researched and selected safe
exhibit materials could be very helpful.  A great site to start with is
the Canadian Conservation Institute at http://www.cci-iic.gc.ca . Go to
Conservation Information and search for DISPLAY CASES. That will bring
up a very good overview article called "The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly"
by Jean Tetreault. CCI also publishes a Technical Bulletin 21 on
"Coatings for Display and Storage in Museums."

In our own country, the National Park Service has published an
excellent CD on "Exhibit Conservation Guidelines." Go to
http://www.nps.gov/hfc/conservation/exhibit/ex=guide.htm for ordering
information. It costs about $50 and is well worth the price. It contains
not only advice on case materials, but designs, lighting information,
supply sources, etc. You can spend days researching exhibit materials
and techniques on this CD, and the NPS conservators who created this
resource are very knowledgeable on this subject.

The Conservation OnLine web site at http://palimpsest.stanford.edu also
has lots of information. Search the site for DISPLAY CASES. (This site
is down for a few days, but should be up again soon.) An excellent book
of exhibit materials has just been published entitled "Pollutants in the
Museum Environment" by Pamela Hatchfield (published by Archetype
Publications). You should be able to find it through the Conservation
Online web site.

Finally, if one plans far enough ahead, there is financial assistance
available to partially fund safe exhibit cases. The IMLS Conservation
Project Support grants will fund safe storage and exhibit planning and
construction (up to $50,000, applications due mid-October). The NEH
Division of Preservation and Access awards even larger grants to fund
environmental improvements for storage and exhibition (applications due
the beginning of July). If you can convince these organizations that
their funding is essential to enable your institution to design and
build really safe exhibit cases to both preserve artifacts and improve
the public's access to the objects, everyone wins.

The task of selecting the right materials for exhibit cases may seem
daunting, and it is not always easy to convince those in authority of
the importance of using safe materials, especially if they are more
expensive than plywood and construction adhesive. However, from the
preservation point of view, there are few decisions that a museum
professional will make that can be more important for the long-term
safety of the artifacts and the pleasure of future generations of museum
visitors.





Richard L. Kerschner
Director of Preservation and Conservation
Shelburne Museum
PO Box 10, Route 7
Shelburne, VT  05482
802 985-3348 Ext 3361

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