MOVING TALES
The transfer of collections held by the Museum of Science
and Industry in Manchester to a new storage facility
by Simon Cane, Collections Services Officer,
Manchester Museum of Science and Industry
Between May and June of 1997 The Museum of Science & Industry in Manchester moved the collections stored off site in three locations to a single new storage facility. This in itself is not remarkable; many museums have undertaken large moves in recent years. What I think you may find interesting is the methodology and the cost of the exercise compared to others and I hope that others may benefit from what was an overwhelmingly positive experience for all involved and has resulted in significant improvements in the standards of collections care.
The Collections and Locations
The Museum holds a wide range of collections relating to science and industry. At one end of the spectrum is a collection of over 1600 thermionic valves at the other a newspaper printing press weighing in at 35 tonnes and taking up 10 cubic metres of space. In spatial terms we occupied a total of 1700 m2 in four stores within a 5 mile radius of the Museum. The largest store contained over 600 pallets of material and 60+ larger floor standing items. The store was dirty, poorly organised and had no facilities, not the kind of environment that encourages or enables good collections management. The three other stores were relatively modern standard industrial units. Two units were within walking distance but in an area with security problems. Two required the use of a vehicle to reach them. A review of storage needs and provision was undertaken and concluded that moving to a single location was the desirable option
Research
We were aware that other organisations had been involved in moving large and difficult collections, the following organisations who had moved large volumes of material to new purpose built facilities were identified.
Science museum
Royal Commission for Historic Monuments
Oxfordshire County Museum Service
National Museums of Scotland
Stores at Wroughton, Standlake and Swindon were visited; this proved to be essential in our understanding of the logistical challenges and potential costs. I also attended the rather timely conference at the Science Museum, Wroughton, ‘Big Collections - Big Challenges’ where presentations from the National Maritime Museum, Museé des Arts et Métiers and the National Museum of Photography, Film and Television also proved very informative.
Finding a new location
A list of criteria was developed against which all potential locations would be judged.
A range of organisations and companies specialising in industrial rentals were contacted but nothing that met the criteria came up. The new location was found by getting into a car and driving around and checking out the ‘For Rent’ signs within a 2 mile radius of the Museum.
The New Store
The new store measures 1200 m2 with a maximum roof height of 8 metres. The unit met all the criteria to a greater or lesser degree. The footprint of 1200 m2, was less space than the collections occupied in the other units, but it was calculated that with disposals and the space gained in height everything would fit.
The Landlords were not willing to negotiate over annual rental, but a six-month rent free period was secured on taking up the new lease. The saving (approx. £30,000) proved helpful in offsetting the set up costs. The legal fees for the new site and costs for cleaning and repair of the vacated stores that were larger than anticipated.
Planning the move
It was clear from the research that if the budgeted targets were to be met then economies would have to be made. The curators had developed into an excellent handling team over the previous few years and a larger part of the work would have to be taken on by them. This would mean loading and moving objects, driving lorries and forklifts and filling skips. The curatorial team had never individually or collectively taken on a project of this scale.
It was essential from the beginning to instil a sense of commitment into the curatorial team. The move became a regular agenda item in departmental meetings. The team needed to be aware of the effects of the project on them as individuals, leave could not be taken (in a summer holiday period) for the duration of the move and regular work would be held in abeyance. Inevitably this resulted in a backlog of work on return to normal duties. Minimal cover for information and archive services was organised for the period of the move and other departments were made aware of our plans through the museums management structure. This was essential, as staff would be largely unavailable for the period of the move.
Teams and functions were defined and a timetable produced. The move was split into two phases.
The curatorial team would undertake phase one. The team would move objects up to 2.5 tonnes, the maximum rating of the pallet racking. Objects over 2.5 tonnes would be moved with the assistance of a contractor.
Packing and organisation of phase two would be undertaken by a contract post and the move by the curatorial team.
Time estimates were based on how many pallets could be fitted onto a lorry, a maximum of 8, and the maximum number of loads that could be achieved per day, 4. Operating with one lorry a maximum of 32 pallets could be moved per day. This meant that the estimated 600 pallets at the Eccles store should take approximately four weeks to move.
Training issues were identified at an early stage and additional training was provided for staff driving the lorries. A full driving licence covers individuals to drive vehicles up to 7.5 tonnes gross weight, but the individuals allocated had no experience of driving larger vehicles. Three staff had already qualified to drive forklifts. All staff were provided with appropriate safety equipment.
Disposals Policy
The Museum has a clearly defined disposal policy and it was obvious that the move would provide the opportunity to ‘weed’ the collections of unsuitable or inappropriate material that had been acquired over the years. All disposals followed the Museums Association Guidelines and were approved by the Museums Board of Trustees. Every effort was made to find suitable homes for disposal material but inevitably some material was weighed in for scrap. Any income from the disposals was fed back into the acquisitions budget.
The Move
Pallet racking was installed at the new store creating 620 pallet spaces, and a floor area of 294 m2 for larger items. The printing collections were the first to be moved from the Ordsall stores using a specialist contractor with a Hiab mobile crane and placed on the floor area. The Eccles store was so overcrowded that the first objects to be moved were dictated by what was in the way, in this case three large machine tools weighing over 6 tonnes each.
The curatorial team started work in earnest in the second week. The work at the Eccles was as follows:
Staff x3 one forklift driver, two assistants
Sort & repack objects onto new close boarded pallets
Weigh & Label
Load onto lorry (making sure not to overload) and secure for journey using webbing
ratchet straps
Record and skip disposals
Equipment:
Once loaded the driver phoned ahead to let the team at the new store know they were on their way. The journey took approximately 10 minutes. The work at the new store was as follows:
Staff x2 one forklift driver, one assistant
Unload pallets/objects
Check documentation
Place into storage
List location
Equipment:
The team unloaded the lorry placing the objects on the floor thus allowing the driver to return to Eccles as quickly as possible, as the loading process generally took longer. Once the lorry was unloaded the objects were photographed, documented and put onto the racking recording the location.
Capital Costs:
New pallets, Contractors, Vehicle hire, Equipment, Skip hire, Training, Vacating costs £25000
Shelving Costs:
Per annum costs are based on the annual revenue expenditure 1997/8 and exclude depreciation of capital.
| Office | Supplier Capital Cost Total Cost per linear metre per annum |
Link 51 £7000 279 linear metres £16.83 |
| Two Tier (Phase two) |
Supplier Capital Cost Total Cost per linear metre per annum Supported by a grant from NWMS |
Constructor UK £10475 601 linear metres £7.52 |
| Pallet Racking |
Supplier |
Constructor UK £10863 620 locations £39.25 |
| Floor | Total Cost per metre2 per annum |
294 metres2 £61.61 |
Conclusion
The success of the project can be measured in many ways. In project terms it was completed on time and within budget. In departmental terms the team working resulted in the sharing of skills and knowledge and enhanced personal relationships that have continued to be built upon. In collection terms the curators have significantly improved their levels of collections knowledge and grown in confidence when handling larger items. The disposal of material and the moving to a new site facilitates access to the whole collection thereby improving the levels of management and care. The store is no longer an excuse for inaction or something to feel ashamed of. The project has created a sense of pride and ownership and has established the standards for future collections management.
Visit the Museum website at http://www.msim.org.uk
Simon Cane
Collections Services Officer
Manchester Museum of Science and Industry
