Reusable Book Mount System

To design a more sustainable and accessible book mount system while maintaining the highest standards of safety for the objects and subtlety of display. We also sought to reduce staff time required for the preparation of exhibiting books and printed materials.

To address these issues, we designed and created reusable mounts, which:

• Produce less material waste
• Reduce staff time required for preparation
• Reduce the amount of storage space required
• Offer an adjustable tilt so books can be displayed for viewers at varying angles, making them more accessible to guests in wheelchairs or otherwise viewing from a lower angle

Books such as historic photo albums and illuminated manuscripts can be challenging to display. Laying them open and flat can damage the spine; open books must be supported with mounts.

Traditionally at the Getty Museum, book mounts were single-use cradles built for specific exhibitions which were then discarded or stored for long periods. Additionally, they were designed for standing viewers to look down into the display case. Senior mountmaker Stephen Heer worked to create a more sustainable and accessible book mount system.

Stephen created an aluminum component system that consists of a base and a support plate that are assembled using binding posts and can be mechanically secured to the deck with screws. While the base components stay the same, the size of the support plate can be modified with corresponding binding posts. The first version of this mount system was used for historic photo books in the exhibition Nineteenth-Century Photography Now, which was on display from April 9–July 7, 2024.

To save production time, 2D digital files are sent to an outside vendor to quickly produce component parts on a CNC machine. Therefore, the mounts used for one exhibition can be fitted with other parts and reused for the next display.

He also created a tilted base system to display the objects at an angle for improved accessibility. The tilt system continues to be refined as Stephen develops a pivot mechanism that will allow a book to be displayed anywhere from a 0°–30° angle. The modifiable tilt system means that a single base can be reused depending on the desired height and tilt on display, which can cater to visitors viewing the object from a lower height.