Shelving

Sue Dunlap <sdunlap [at] acs__wooster__edu> writes

>I was wondering if someone can point me to some information about
>wooden vs. metal shelving.

Off-gassing is a major consideration, but other issues can be
reviewed simply by applying "common sense." These include behavior
during disasters (or mini-disasters) like fire, smoke, flooding,
leaks, etc; weight-bearing potential and the length of unsupported
spans that can be used; maintenance including cleaning and
resurfacing; weight of the shelves and their supports; durability of
materials; initial costs; flexibility of the system, etc.

If wood is used, for example, it must be carefully chosen and/or
carefully finished in order for the surface to be smooth enough so
that it can be cleaned. There are better and worse choices for
either material. If metal, powder coated rather than enamelled steel
should be used, although this is getting to be a non-choice, since
the former is much more common than previously.

The design of the system is also a separate issue: can shelving be
adjusted easily? can the system be reconfigured if necessary? can
additional units be purchased subsequently? Although
conservation-related knowledge about materials is important, a good
deal of thought is required to reach the best solution for a
particular case.

B. Appelbaum

                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 12:86
                   Distributed: Monday, May 10, 1999
                       Message Id: cdl-12-86-001
                                  ***