RE-ORG project overview: Baile nan Gàidheal | Highland Village
The Baile nan Gàidheal | Highland Village participated in the RE-ORG: Canada (Atlantic) training program in 2015–16. Their mixed collection of 3500 objects was stored in 100 m²; 2026 of these objects were part of the RE-ORG project.
Their storage reorganization project addressed challenges in two storage rooms, located in two separate buildings: MacLeod’s General Store (Figures 1 and 2) and the Visitor Centre (Figures 3 and 4).
Project leads: Pauline MacLean and Katherine MacLeod
Main storage challenges
- There was insufficient space to store the collection (objects were stored on the floor, and units, on average, were 90% full).
- Storage space was being used to store non-collection items during the winter months, leading to space issues.
- A poor building envelope led to an increased presence of pests and pollutants.
© Photo courtesy of Baile nan Gàidheal | Highland Village Collection
Figure 1. Before RE-ORG: view of storage in MacLeod’s General Store.
© Photo courtesy of Baile nan Gàidheal | Highland Village Collection
Figure 2. Before RE-ORG: another view of storage in MacLeod’s General Store.
© Photo courtesy of Baile nan Gàidheal | Highland Village Collection
Figure 3. Before RE-ORG: view of storage in the Visitor Centre, showing overcrowding.
© Photo courtesy of Baile nan Gàidheal | Highland Village Collection
Figure 4. Before RE-ORG: another view of storage in the Visitor Centre, showing the partial blocking of the centre aisle, which limited access to rear storage units.
Project details
Within a year, the Baile nan Gàidheal | Highland Village was able to make the following storage improvements:
- They developed a workspace for processing objects.
- They replaced shelving with new compact wire shelving (Figures 5 and 6).
- They created slotted storage for 2D objects (Figure 7).
- They developed vertical storage solutions for large, heavy objects.
- They created custom storage enclosures (boxes, trays, etc.).
- They developed hanging and rolled storage solutions for textiles (Figures 8 and 9).
- They rehoused 1110 objects and photographed 1995 objects.
© Photo courtesy of Baile nan Gàidheal | Highland Village Collection
Figure 5. During RE-ORG: installation of compact wire shelving in MacLeod’s General Store.
© Photo courtesy of Baile nan Gàidheal | Highland Village Collection
Figure 6. After RE-ORG: completed installation of compact wire shelving in MacLeod’s General Store.
©Photo courtesy of Baile nan Gàidheal | Highland Village Collection
Figure 7. After RE-ORG: slotted storage solution for 2D objects in the Visitor Centre.
© Photo courtesy of Baile nan Gàidheal | Highland Village Collection
Figure 8. After RE-ORG: a hanging rolled storage system for textiles in the Visitor Centre. This maximized the use of vertical space in a room with a slanted ceiling.
© Photo courtesy of Baile nan Gàidheal | Highland Village Collection
Figure 9. After RE-ORG: a rack for hanging garments in the Visitor Centre. This also maximized the use of vertical space in a room with a slanted ceiling.
As part of the RE-ORG project, the Baile nan Gàidheal | Highland Village was also able to complete the following management improvements:
- They updated object locations on the inventory list.
- They assigned accession numbers and labelled objects.
- They labelled boxes and shelves in storage.
The project took 337 days to complete with the help of no more than 4 team members throughout the 4 phases (Table 1).
| RE-ORG phase | Number of days to complete | Number of team members |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Getting started | 3 | 2 |
| 2. Storage condition report | 29 | 3 |
| 3. Storage action plan | 10 | 2 |
| 4. Storage reorganization implementation | 295 | 4 |
The project cost $68,279 to complete, with more than half of the budget being allocated to staff time (Table 2). Less than a quarter of the budget was spent on tools and storage furniture. The Baile nan Gàidheal | Highland Village was also successful in securing a $10,000 grant from the Museums Assistance Program for the project.
| Budget item | Amount (CAN$) |
|---|---|
| Staff time | 53,985 |
| Tools, supplies and materials | 8,670 |
| Storage furniture | 5,624 |
| External services (such as contractors) | 0 |
| Total project cost | 68,279 |
Based on the RE-ORG Self-evaluation Tool for Collections in Storage (PDF Version), the Baile nan Gàidheal | Highland Village made improvements in three out of four RE-ORG components in MacLeod’s General Store: “building and space,” “collection” and “furniture and small equipment.” Improvements were made in all four components in the Visitor Centre: “management,” “building and space,” “collection” and “furniture and small equipment.”
According to the results in Table 3 for MacLeod’s General Store, the “furniture and small equipment” component experienced the largest improvement with an increase of 39% (Figure 10).
| RE-ORG component | Score (before) | Score (after) |
|---|---|---|
| Management (maximum of 42 points) | 25 | 25 |
| Building and space (maximum of 54 points) | 15 | 20 |
| Collection (maximum of 51 points) | 16 | 20 |
| Furniture and small equipment (maximum of 33 points) | 12 | 25 |
© Government of Canada, Canadian Conservation Institute. CCI 132794-0010
Figure 10. Graph illustrating the percentage of improvement to the scores for the RE-ORG self-evaluation tool, calculated by comparing scores before and after the storage reorganization project in MacLeod’s General Store.
Description of Figure 10
| RE-ORG component | Percentage of improvement |
|---|---|
| Management | 0% |
| Building and space | 9% |
| Collection | 7% |
| Furniture and small equipment | 39% |
According to results in Table 4 for the Visitor Centre, the “furniture and small equipment” component experienced the largest improvement with an increase of 27% (Figure 11).
| RE-ORG component | Score (before) | Score (after) |
|---|---|---|
| Management (maximum of 42 points) | 26 | 29 |
| Building and space (maximum of 54 points) | 34 | 43 |
| Collection (maximum of 51 points) | 35 | 46 |
| Furniture and small equipment (maximum of 33 points) | 17 | 26 |
© Government of Canada, Canadian Conservation Institute. CCI 132794-0012
Figure 11. Graph illustrating the percentage of improvement to the scores for the RE-ORG self-evaluation tool, calculated by comparing scores before and after the storage reorganization project in the Visitor Centre.
Description of Figure 11
| RE-ORG component | Percentage of improvement |
|---|---|
| Management | 10% |
| Building and space | 17% |
| Collection | 20% |
| Furniture and small equipment | 27% |
Lessons learned
Based on the experience of the Baile nan Gàidheal | Highland Village, the following should be considered in future RE-ORG projects:
- When implementing a storage reorganization project, utilizing a swing space (space used temporarily to store objects being moved out of storage) is vital. Without access to a swing space, the implementation (phase 4) of a storage reorganization project can become very difficult, especially when manoeuvring and relocating objects.
- It is important to remain flexible, as balancing your regular workload with a reorganization project can be challenging. Also, ensure you have a contingency plan for unexpected delays. For instance, if delivery of your new storage furniture is delayed, re-evaluate your tasks, whether project related or not, to identify what can be done in the meantime.
Additional resources
- Video of the presentation by Pauline MacLean at the 2016 RE-ORG: Canada (Atlantic) one-day conference, “RE-ORG: Canada (Atlantic) Storage Condition Report – Baile nan Gàidheal | Highland Village”
- ICCROM web page describing the RE-ORG method
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