Stored Collections and Accessibility: An Overview in New Zealand Museums

Most museum collections are not displayed since they are held in storage, out of visitors’ reach. However, little is known about the size of stored collections, how they are used, and to what extent museums enhance their accessibility in New Zealand museums. This study aims to provide an overview of the size of stored collections, the strategies adopted by museums, and how these solutions impact the accessibility of stored collections in museums in New Zealand. Data were gathered through a survey sent to the New Zealand office of ICOM and direct invitations to museums between December 2020 and January 2021. Respondents represented different museums’ legal statuses, sizes, and collections. The results show that 84% of collections are held in storage. Strategies such as the rotation of items enabled museums to use 28% of stored collections. In comparison, 18% of stored items were used through loans and 17% through exchanges, making them accessible to everyone. Specifically, it was found that the most effective strategies in terms of accessibility are visible storage, with 55% usability of stored collections, and the digitisation of collections, with 41%. These findings indicate that factors such as different legal statuses of museums, sizes, and types of collections, might impact the use of stored collections.