Hello!

There is no doubt that wood and wood products (plywood and cie) offgassing
can be damaging to collections in storage or on display.  That being said
the risks of using of those materials as building materials, shelving or
display cases should be evaluated from a larger context.  It is often a
cheap and flexible solution to many designs while its price and availability
makes it a reasonable option, especially for smaller institutions.  It is
then a question of evaluating the direct threaths of offgassing to your
objects and of balancing the importance of those effects against other
threaths to the collection.

- What objects compose the collection?  Metals, textiles and paper are
particularly sensitive to wood offgassing, other materials much less.  Will
the objects be enclosed in archival quality materials and boxes?  You can
thus create small microclimates that will protect sensitive objects...

- What are the conditions inside the storage area?  What are the finishes on
the walls, floors?  Is the space well ventilated?  Can there be time between
the new shelving's installation and the collection move?  What kind of wood
is it?  Will a stable lining material be added on the shelves?

- What are the environmental factors that could influence the quality of air
inside the storage area?  Sources of pollution can be critical...

- So finally: What is then the relative importance of the presence of wood
shelves in your storage area?

The Canadian Conservation Institute has recently published a Technical
Bulletin addressing coating options:  "Coatings for Display and Storage in
Museums".  This could be helpful to define the best coating for your
conservation needs on the already selected shelving system.

It can be ordered from their online Bookstore at
http://www.cci-icc.gc.ca/

Good luck!

France Cliche
Heritage and Museum Consultant, Sillery, Quebec.

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