Board history
A longstanding need becomes a committee: the history of ICOM STORAGE
Interest in the creation of a dedicated committee on museum storage has a long history. A key milestone was the first International Conference on Museum Storage, held in Washington in 1976 and organised by ICOM and UNESCO, followed by the publication Museum Collection Storage by Johnson E. Verner and Joanne Horgan in 1979[1].
The authors noted:
“Preparing for the conference on museum storage has been a long process. Storage has received, and in most cases continues to receive, inadequate attention in the past. This is important because more damage has been done to collections in inadequate storage than by any other means.” [2]
The final recommendation of the Conference called on museum professionals to focus greater attention on storage and to engage in research and experimentation to improve the storage’s management.
Between 2007 and 2010, ICCROM and UNESCO supported museums in developing countries in strengthening their skills in preventive conservation, with a particular focus on collections in storage. [3]
In 2011, the two institutions launched the first international online survey on museum storage. The results quickly challenged the assumption that storage facilities in developed countries were in significantly better condition than those in developing countries. On the contrary, the 1,490 responses received from 136 countries, including Europe, North America, and the Asia-Pacific region, revealed widespread and systemic issues. [4]
The data highlighted a deeply concerning situation. Storage areas were overcrowded and often unsuitable for the types of objects preserved. Staff were frequently insufficiently trained and worked without clearly defined responsibilities. Equipment, documentation processes, and security measures were often inadequate or absent.[5]
In July 2016, during the ICOM General Conference in Milan, an initiative was launched to propose a recommendation on collections in storage. Representatives from the International Committees COMCOL, ICAMT, ICFA, and ICOM-CC collaborated on a draft document. This was presented at the ICOM-CC Triennial Conference in Copenhagen in 2017 and further developed into a proposed resolution for the ICOM General Conference in Kyoto in 2019.
At the same time, ICOM Italy submitted a recommendation entitled Storage of Museums for Cultural Heritage for consideration at the Kyoto conference. The two proposals were merged at the 34th ICOM General Conference to form a single resolution on storage.
The joint resolution, Measures to Safeguard and Enhance Collections in Storage throughout the World, submitted by ICOM-CC, ICAMT, COMCOL, ICMS, and ICOM Italy, was adopted. It received broad support from numerous National and International Committees, including ICOM Azerbaijan, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Latvia, Lebanon, Norway, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Sweden, ICOM SEE, as well as ICFA, CIPEG, CAMOC, CECA, ICOFOM, COSTUME, and UMAC. [6]
Following the adoption of the resolution, ICOM entrusted a Standing Committee with analysing the situation of museum storage worldwide, in cooperation with National and International Committees. At its 158th Session on 2-3 December 2021[7], the ICOM Executive Board approved a three-year mandate for the Working Group on Collections in Storage. The Working Group had in fact been established earlier, in March 2022, in response to decisions of the Executive Board and the resolution adopted by the 34th ICOM General Assembly in Kyoto.
The Working Group on Collections in Storage was created in March 2022, following the decisions of the ICOM Executive Board and the resolution by the 34th ICOM General Assembly in Kyoto.
The working group was composed by the following ICOM members:
- François MAIRESSE (Chair) (IC, ICOFOM)
- Sanfo MOCTAR, (NC, BURKINA FASO & IC, CIMCIM)
- Ambika PATEL (RA, ICOM ASPAC)
- Alessandra LABATE ROSSO (IC, ICAMT)
- Alba LETTS (NC, NEW ZEALAND)
- Christoph LIND (IC, ICFA)
- Maria Lucia FERRUZZA (NC, ITALY)
- Gaël de GUICHEN (IC, ICOM – CC)
Members Ex officio
- Alberto GARLANDINI / Emma NARDI
- Peter KELLER
- Jennifer KEANE (Secretariat Coordinator)
The extensive work carried out by the Working Group led to several key outcomes, including analytical reports[8] and a comprehensive global survey on museum storage assessing the conditions of reserve collections worldwide[9]. The survey results informed a dedicated publication and culminated in a highly successful international conference held in autumn 2024 at Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris[10]. The conference brought together more than 400 professionals and researchers and highlighted the urgent need for a specialised international platform focused on museum storage.
Building on these outcomes, the ICOM Executive Board reviewed a proposal to establish a new International Committee at its 174th Session on 2–3 December 2024. Supported by 230 signatures from 34 countries across five continents, the proposal was approved, and François Mairesse was appointed to organise the first General Assembly and oversee the elections of the new committee.
The establishment of the new committee was formally confirmed at the ICOM General Conference in Dubai in 2025. [11]
Date of creation of the board
November 2025, at the General Conference in Dubai
Date of the first ICOM STORAGE meeting
10 December 2025
Board members by years:
2025 – 2028
| Chair: | Hélène Vassal |
| Vice President:
|
Marjolijn Debulpaep |
| Secretary:
|
Theofanis Karafotias |
| Treasurer:
|
Alessandra Labate Rosso |
| Board members: | Anna Napierala
Cristina Fiordimela Florence Bertin Hui Zhang Maria Lucia Ferruza Maria del Pilar Salas Marzia Loddo Sarah Bird Sandrine Beaujard-Vallet Silvia Pellegrini |
[1] Loddo M. Storage facilities for the collection of Western art museums. A Focus on the Italian Context. 2020, p. 63.
[2] Verner Johnson E. and Horgan J. C., Museum Collection Storage, Paris, UNESCO, 1979.
[3] “UNESCO-ICCROM partnership for the Preventive Conservation of Endangered Museum Collections in Developing Countries (2007-2010)”, retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/museums/unescoiccrom-re-org/unesco-iccrompartnership-
for-the-preventive-conservation-of-endangered-museum-collections-indeveloping-countries-2007-2010/, (accessed: 13 May 2017), Loddo M., p. 160.
[4] S. Lambert, “The crisis in storage: an old tale…with a new ending?”, in Mass storage and preservation issues, International Preservation News, n°57, August 2012, p. 14.
[5] https://www.iccrom.org/section/preventive-conservation/data
[6] chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://icom.museum/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Resolutions_2019_EN.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com
[7] /icom.museum/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/EN_EB158_Minutes_2-3December2021_Final.pdf
[8] Each of these reports aims to synthesise key issues related to terminology, general trends, objectives, and challenges associated with the topic, and includes a short bibliography. The reports were presented at the General Conference in Prague in August 2022 during a roundtable organised by the Working Group.
[9] chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://icom.museum/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Report_ICOM-STORAGE_EN_Final-ok.pdf
[10] chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://icom.museum/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/240624-Pre-programme-Version-ANG.pdf
[11] https://dubai2025.icom.museum/