Collections Management During a Major Move

Abstract

The Denver Museum of Nature & Science (DMNS) embarked on a project to plan, build, and move into a new collections storage facility for its 4.3 million objects. The DMNS Zoology Collections, numbering over 1.25 specimens and specimen lots, chose to stay open for accessions, loans, visiting researchers, and outreach during the entire process, including the recent move phase of the project rather than "go dark" for an extended time. We will discuss the pros and cons of this decision, challenges for staff and volunteers, and other decisions we had to make along the way. This option may not work for all collections during major moves, but some major benefits to the collection's standing, communication, and outreach were noted and the process went as smoothly as could be desired, even with the occasional unexpected glitches in delivery and installation of storage equipment occurred.