Moving and Rehousing the Tanned Mammal Skin Collection at the Royal British Columbia Museum

The tanned mammal skin collection at the Royal British Columbia Museum (RBCM) consists of over 300 specimens that have been stored suspended in a refrigerated room between 4°C and 10°C since 1967. The RBCM research collection is moving to a new off-site research and collections facility in 2026, creating a rare opportunity to address pressing housing challenges. As part of this project, the tanned mammal skin collection will transition to 18°C +/- 2°C, RH 50% +/- 5%, flat storage. Projects of this scope are uncommon, and therefore under-published, due to the significant amount of time, money, and space that they require. Sharing the challenges and outcomes of this project will benefit other institutions that may wish to undertake a similar project within their own collections. The project is summarized in this report in three sections (hazards, materials, and workflow) and concludes with broadly applicable lessons learned.