I designed two exhibit cases to display copies of both Shakespeare’s First Folio and Third Folio at the Central Branch of the Seattle Public Library. The books were displayed in honor of the 400th anniversary of the Bard’s death in 1616. The Fist Folio was loaned by the Folger Library. The Third Folio was loaned by a private lender.

I worked with the conservation team from the Folger to design cases that would safely and securely house these incredibly rare documents. The cases were composed solely of archival materials and every component used in the cases had been subjected to Oddy testing. An active climate control system monitored and managed the relative humidity in the cases, and redundant data loggers were integrated so that any variation in humidity would immediately alert staff at the library, the Folger, and me. Integrated dimmable lighting controlled levels to a conservation standard. And security systems and seismic mitigation measures ensured that the cases were physically secure.