FOREG shelves for France

Optimal storage with FOREG shelves

When it comes to storing their historical treasure troves, many top-level museums, archives and libraries in France put their trust into shelving systems made by Forster. In our “France Special”, we want to introduce you to some of the projects which were carried out by Samodef-Forster, the sales office run by the Forster Group in Paris.

With 30 million books and document, France’s National Library (BNF) is one of the largest libraries on Earth. It divides its activities between several sites, among them the listed Richelieu building which recently underwent a thorough restoration. Stocks removal took eight months, involving almost 50 kilometres of valuable cultural heritage, which was (on occasion) dusted, packed, transported and restocked at its newly renovated new location. The BNF had to exercise the greatest care to ensure that all its collections found their proper new home. Moreover, the new shelves needed to be designed to hold spare space for at least ten years of growth.

A medley of shelving systems
All shelving systems on offer by Forster have been used. In this way, all stocks can be properly stored, whether they are books, large-for-mat maps and drawings or medals. For the latter, special medal holding cabinets were designed to harbour the valuable items. Furthermore, the project covered several double-level stationary FOREG TwinSpace shelves and pull-out picture panels, map cabinets, cantilever racks, stationary and mobile archiving racks and shelves that accommodate large books and folios.

Meticulous planning
A special project requires special measures: a prototype was made of the medal cabinets and the stationary TwinSpace racks, demonstrating the love of detail invested into the project. The project management hat its work cut out: in addition to a comprehensive clearance process, it was the logistics that posed substantial challenges, due to narrow streets, small-scale lorries and the need to lift some objects and insert them through the roof. The shipments were harmonised and access was coordinated with the BNF’s security staff in predefined time-slots. The architecture of the historical building was another crucial factor in planning. As some of the shelves were fitted into attics it was necessary to adjust rack heights all around and integrate parts of the building (supports) into the shelving.

Perfect climate for long-term archiving
Steeped in history as they are, the stocks require a stable climate inside the building. Among them are 500 sea maps drawn on vellum between the Middle Ages and the 18th century, which are now nestling in shelves made by Forster. Temperature and humidity can be precisely regulated throughout the building. And the shelves come with a wide range of accessories that adjust to the needs of the archived items. In this way, everything has been neatly stored and can be easily relocated. Electric components such as USB connections, lights, sockets and switches are fitted directly into the front panels of the archiving shelves, as requested by the client.

The Louvre, one of the most visited art museums in the world, stores its precious art in Forster shelves. Its collection comprises over 380,000 items (of which some 35,000 are on actual display). This requires more than 2,000 square metres of pull-out picture panels to hold paintings, as well as map cabinets and stationary racks for more displays.