The Smithsonian Institution's Museum Support Center (MSC) is a collections storage and conservation facility in Suitland, Maryland which houses Smithsonian collections which are not on display in the museums.[1] It is not usually open to the public, due to security concerns, though occasionally special tours are organized.[2]
More than 54 million collections items are housed at the MSC.[3] This comprises approximately 40 percent of the Smithsonian's collection which is not on display, while the rest of the objects are housed behind-the-scenes in the museums themselves or at other off-site storage facilities.[4]
The collections are housed in five numbered buildings, called "Pods," each about the size of a 3-story-tall football field. The pods total 435,000 square feet of collections storage space.[3][2] Notable features include "enormous tanks for cleaning whale skulls, chambers to preserve Antarctic meteorites, art from throughout the ages, and a botany collection with five greenhouses."[2]
The MSC was dedicated in May 1983, after two years of construction and ten years of planning. It opened with the first four pods, plus offices, labs, and plans to expand into two additional pods.[3] The fifth pod was dedicated in April 2007 at the east end of the MSC, and now houses all of the National Museum of Natural History's biological collections (25 million specimens) preserved in fluids, known as the "wet collections."[3]
The environment within the MSC is strictly controlled in order to minimize impact on collections, and is based on research by engineers at the Museum Conservation Institute (located at the MSC) and the Smithsonian's Office of Facilities, Engineering and Operations. The target temperature is generally set at 70 degrees Fahrenheit (+/- 4 degrees), with relative humidity at 45 percent (+/- 8 percent).[3]
smithsonian, museum, support, center, smithsonian, institution, museum, support, center, collections, storage, conservation, facility, suitland, maryland, which, houses, smithsonian, collections, which, display, museums, usually, open, public, security, concer. The Smithsonian Institution s Museum Support Center MSC is a collections storage and conservation facility in Suitland Maryland which houses Smithsonian collections which are not on display in the museums 1 It is not usually open to the public due to security concerns though occasionally special tours are organized 2 Smithsonian Museum Support CenterLocation within MarylandEstablished1983Location4210 Silver Hill Road Suitland MarylandCoordinates38 50 34 N 76 56 23 W 38 8427917 N 76 9397361 W 38 8427917 76 9397361TypeCollections conservation and storagePublic transit access SuitlandWebsitenaturalhistory wbr si wbr edu wbr research wbr mscMore than 54 million collections items are housed at the MSC 3 This comprises approximately 40 percent of the Smithsonian s collection which is not on display while the rest of the objects are housed behind the scenes in the museums themselves or at other off site storage facilities 4 The collections are housed in five numbered buildings called Pods each about the size of a 3 story tall football field The pods total 435 000 square feet of collections storage space 3 2 Notable features include enormous tanks for cleaning whale skulls chambers to preserve Antarctic meteorites art from throughout the ages and a botany collection with five greenhouses 2 The MSC was dedicated in May 1983 after two years of construction and ten years of planning It opened with the first four pods plus offices labs and plans to expand into two additional pods 3 The fifth pod was dedicated in April 2007 at the east end of the MSC and now houses all of the National Museum of Natural History s biological collections 25 million specimens preserved in fluids known as the wet collections 3 The environment within the MSC is strictly controlled in order to minimize impact on collections and is based on research by engineers at the Museum Conservation Institute located at the MSC and the Smithsonian s Office of Facilities Engineering and Operations The target temperature is generally set at 70 degrees Fahrenheit 4 degrees with relative humidity at 45 percent 8 percent 3 In its laboratory and office areas the MSC houses the Smithsonian s Museum Conservation Institute MCI the Laboratories of Analytical Biology LAB and other numerous departments from the National Museum of Natural History including the Department of Anthropology the National Anthropological Archives NAA the Human Studies Film Archives HSFA the Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit WRBU as well as branch of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries 5 References edit NPR Staff 15 August 2010 Smithsonian Catalogs Life Before The Gulf Spill All Things Considered Retrieved 9 July 2012 a b c The Museum Support Center All Day Tour A Behind the Scenes Look Smithsonian Associates Retrieved 9 July 2012 a b c d e Museum Support Center Factsheet Smithsonian Institution Retrieved 9 July 2012 Dan Brown s Smithsonian Fact or Fiction Around the Mall Smithsonian Magazine 14 October 2009 Retrieved 5 Dec 2014 Museum Support Center Library Smithsonian Institution Libraries Retrieved 9 July 2012 External links editMuseum Support Center on National Museum of Natural History webpage Media Fact Sheet on Museum Support Center on Smithsonian Institution webpage nbsp This Smithsonian Institution article is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Smithsonian Museum Support Center amp oldid 1099665980, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
