I have a new-for-me, scrounged-from-another-department, locking flip-top shelf in my office.
I can't get it to close, so i was looking online to see if i could find any useful information about the installation.

I haven't found any yet ... but I DID stumble across this on ArchiExpo: The Virtual Architecture Exhibition.  I'm still trying to figure out what it means.  Read it aloud for interactive fun ....

Homework comes out of the observation of a new reality of working places that become rooms for meetings, exchanges, relationships and culture. Moreover composition of place reflects the face of people living in and the choice of furniture meets personal needs and aesthetic standards. The space will show the tight, strong and desired link. Homework includes Porro systems as Modern, System Nxt, HT where versatility and flexibility have been revised for working use. Colours are: black, white and natural dyes. Lines, structures, compositions become lighter and more functional. Classic pieces of home collections, as Load-it and Endless shelf bookcases, P.04, Ram, Ferro, Beam and Beam Glass tables changed their dimensions and have been designed to fit new technologies. A choice of seats, chaise longue and new items show that informal working places correspond to new stylish places.