Collections Relocations

Collections Relocations

Collections relocations provide our clients with the opportunities to access their objects, improve their systems and upgrade their facilities.

What are the important factors when embarking on a collections relocation?

The first is control—the ability to maintain inventory through all phases of the relocation. Second is safe transportation methods for the objects. The final factor is improved conditions at the destination. Institutions undertake a collections relocation in order to improve their facilities, whether the objects return to the same recently renovated building or move to a brand new facility.

Why are these factors important?

Those attempting a collections relocation want control in order to understand the exact location of each object at any point during the move. If the relocation is long term, objects might be needed for display or to undergo conservation treatments. The opportunities provided by a collections relocation are quite numerous, and this realization occurs often during the course of the move. Therefore flexibility in the schedule and process are necessary for a successful relocation. Finally, while the conditions at the final destination will improve, the environments of the individual objects should improve as well.

Why is ELY the best company to move my collection?

At ELY, we perform collections relocations regularly and have developed a redundant registration practice to maintain inventory. At all times, both ELY staff and our clients know exactly where every piece in the collection resides. Also, we have established relationships with transportation companies so that we can call upon a wide fleet of vehicles to meet our clients’ needs. Finally, we take advantage of all collections relocations to assist our clients with digitizing their images, improving their inventories and upgrading the environments of their objects in storage.

 

Sample Projects

Name: 

American Civil War Museum

Services: 

Collections Relocations

Client: 

American Civil War Museum

In late 2018 the American Civil War Museum in Richmond, Virginia needed to relocate its collection to a new facility. ELY supported the ACWM team in accessing how best to pack and prepare its diverse collection of firearms, textiles, and ephemera for the move. We packed and moved the 20,000 object collection, arranged the transport and procurement of the necessary supplies for the move all in a 9 week period. CR_ACWM.pdf 

Name: 

Carl Sandburg Home

Services: 

Collections Relocations

Client: 

National Park Service

The National Park Service’s Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site needed to move approximately 50,000 museum objects out of the 9,000 sq ft historic building in order to undertake a major rehabilitation of the home. ELY’s team was responsible for packing all large furniture pieces and removing the already 2,500 packed boxes of smaller objects that had been contained in the 20 historic rooms. ELY oversaw the transportation of the entire collection to an off-site storage site. Once the renovations were completed, ELY’s artifact handlers returned the objects to their original locations in the home. CR_Carl Sandburg Home.pdf

Name: 

Women, Art, and Social Change: The Newcomb Pottery Enterprise

Services: 

Crating, Traveling Exhibition Services

Client: 

Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service

In 2014, following the SITES crating and packing guidelines, ELY designed and built 13 crates for over 200 pieces of pottery and exhibit furniture for the Women, Art and Social Change: Newcomb Pottery Enterprise exhibit. We fabricated the crates in our workshop and shipped them to Tulane University where we packed the objects onsite. Our packing team created a custom cavity for each object cut from Esterfoam and lined with Tyvek, with several protective cavities in a single box to maximize the available space. Each crate contained multiple boxes to facilitate the loading and unloading process and reduce the overall number of crates. CRT_SITES_Newcomb.pdf 

Clients

American Civil War Museum

American Civil War Museum

Carl Sandburg Home 

National Park Service

The Textile Museum

Collections Relocation

Missouri History Museum

Collections Relocation

Lando Hall of California History

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County

Department of the Interior

Large Diorama Relocation

Golden Eagle Pilot House

Missouri History Museum

Center for Military History

Collections Relocation

Fort Drum Museum

10th Mountain Division & Fort Drum Museum

Naval History and Heritage Command

Collections Relocation

Sewall-Belmont House & Museum

Collections Relocation

Apotheosis of the Family

Buccini Pollin Group

The George Rogers Clark Room (Bird Room)

The John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts

United States Navy Supply Corps Museum

Collections Relocation

National Scouting Museum

National Scouting Museum / Boy Scouts of America

The National Civil War Museum

Collections Relocation

Kentucky Historical Society

Collection Relocation

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