Future-Proofing the Collection: Storage, Security, and Sustainability in Contemporary Museums

Contemporary museums face an unprecedented convergence of threats: armed conflict on Europe's borders, escalating cyber vulnerabilities, and deepening dependence on digital infrastructure for collection documentation and management. Russia's war against Ukraine has starkly exposed the fragility of cultural heritage in the region, while institutions' growing reliance on IT systems and databases introduces new risks of data loss, breach, and system failure. This presentation examines these dual challenges—physical and digital—and argues for integrated resilience strategies. Using PANOPTIKUM, a shared storage, conservation, and digitisation centre, as a case study, it demonstrates how collaborative infrastructure can serve both as everyday best practice and as a potential safe haven for endangered collections.