A snapshot, left, from the search images section in the Costume Storage Database that will launch later this fall.

Sherry Harper-McCombs
Costume Design & Technology Commission

A new Costume Commission project will be launched this fall -- the Costume Storage Solutions Database.

Financed by the Commissioner's Fund and housed at Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pennsylvania, it will be a resource for organizations looking for ideas to improve upon their theatrical costume storage operations.

The Database will consist of photographs of different storage configurations that will be cross-referenced and able to be searched in a variety of ways. In addition to being organized according to the item being stored (shoes, hats, jewelry, type of garment, etc.), photos will be categorized according to size and type of theatrical operation; size of available costume storage space; and general estimation of the cost of such a storage configuration for that particular item.

The database will contain a wide representation of the various clever storage solutions developed over the years by costumers. It is hoped that those who deal with many challenges in their storage spaces will help fellow costumers with their own storage challenges. It also is designed to provide a resource for costumers to use when speaking with their institutions about storage needs. For that reason, developers hope to have everything from state of the art spaces that have been built specifically for costume storage to those spaces that some might term a costumer's "house of horrors."

Within the next month, a request will go out for storage photo submissions and information. In order to have a broad-based database, participation is needed. No space is too crowded, too small, or too disorganized, at least not for the purposes of this database.

Any questions about the project can be sent to Sherry Harper-McCombs at harpermc@dickinson.edu.

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