Starting July 27, the Julia Cousins Laning and Dale Laning Archives & Research Center at 224 Milan Ave. W. in Venice will temporarily close for facility upgrades.

 

Thanks to the philanthropy of Venice Heritage Inc., members raised over $60,000 to purchase compact shelving for the building. Compact shelving is large shelving units on a track so that they can compact next to each other when not in use, thus relieving the need to have an aisle between each shelving unit (see attached photo). This should increase the storage space in the artifact storage room by 40%.

“Compact shelving is essential not only for preserving the City’s artifacts but also for their accessibility and organization. No other system provides protection while significantly maximizing the storage space we have for our city’s treasures,” said Jon Watson, Curator and Collections Manager. “We are deeply appreciative of Venice Heritage for their efforts to help preserve the City’s history for future generations.”  

Historical Resources staff will begin by relocating the collection out of the space in preparation for installation by Patterson Pope. Much of the collection will be temporarily housed in the reading room. After the new track is placed and shelving installed, staff will work to rehouse the collection and update collections management software to reflect new shelving locations for items. 

During this time, Historical Resources will not be able to schedule any research appointments and will have limited capabilities to respond to research requests. The Archives & Research Center will reopen Aug. 31.

For more information, contact Harry Klinkhamer, Historical Resources Manager, at hklinkhamer@venicefl.gov or 941-486-2490.