Buildings & Physical Environment

Your building is your collections’ primary defense against the elements, and regular building upkeep is an essential component of preservation. If the building is unsound, it cannot prevent the entrance of pests and intruders, support climate control, or protect records from fire, water, and other disasters.

From the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, you can find a quick list of what to consider when planning for a new facility. The Northeast Document Conservation Center (NEDCC) offers suggestions for low- or no-cost improvements in climate control in existing buildings. The State Archives of North Carolina and Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission both have short videos presenting guidelines for storage and environmental conditions to improve the preservation of collection materials. Learn more about the best practices for maintaining your building environment from the Image Permanence Institute and from the resources below.

Environmental Controls

Appropriate storage conditions vary depending on the type of material, but in general, cooler is better. Items should be stored below 70°F, at a relative humidity (RH) of 30-50%, and spikes or dips in temperature and RH should be kept to a minimum. Beware of seasonal fluctuations! To learn more about how temperature and RH affects collections, watch Connecting to Collections Care’s webinar “Storage Environments: The Big Picture.”

Air quality can be polluted by particulates (dirt, dust, and fibers) and gaseous pollutants. Exposure to pollutants can be controlled by good building maintenance, keeping exterior windows closed, routine housekeeping, and mechanical air filtration, such as what is typically provided by HVAC systems. You can find basic information about environmental controls from the NEDCC and from the Minnesota Historical Society.

All light provides energy to fuel damaging chemical reactions, causing paper to fade, yellow, or darken, and media to fade or change color. Damage is cumulative and irreversible. The NEDCC provides more detail about protection from light damage.

The best way to protect against mold and other environmental threats is through environmental monitoring, which tracks temperature and RH over time. Even when actions have been taken to mitigate temperature and humidity problems, continue monitoring to see what further improvements can be made and to identify any equipment malfunction as soon as possible. The NEDCC gives guidelines on how to monitor temperature and relative humidity.

The NEDCC also provides guidance on protecting paper and book collections from the environment during exhibition.

Water & Fire Protection

The best insurance against water damage is regular inspection and maintenance of the roof and flashing. Collections should not be stored underneath water or steam pipes, lavatories, mechanical air-conditioning equipment, or other sources of water. Collections should also be stored at least 4” above floor level to protect against any ground flooding; shelves or pallets can be used to achieve this height above the floor.

Buildings storing collection materials should be equipped with a building-wide fire detection and suppression system. Fire detection devices ideally include both smoke and heat detectors, wired directly to the local fire department. The NEDCC has a great introduction to fire detection, alarms, and extinguishers.

Fireproof or fire-resistant safes and file cabinets can provide passive protection during a fire; especially if your storage area has a fire-detection system that alerts the local fire department. Fireproof file cabinets have various ratings based on how many hours of protection they should provide and the interior temperature that can be maintained for that time. Paper can withstand temperatures of up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit; other media such as digital media or film will be damaged at temperatures over 125 degrees Fahrenheit. Fireproof safes and file cabinets are effective but very costly. They are also extremely heavy; the average 4 drawer fireproof file cabinet weighs 1000 pounds when empty. It is important to know the floor load capacity for your space and to consider that once it is installed, it will be very difficult to move.

Pests

Insects and rodents see collections as food sources, and clutter and food remains attract pests. Eating and drinking should be prohibited in all spaces where archival materials are stored, processed, exhibited, or used. To learn more about monitoring for pests and integrated pest management, please see NEDCC’s leaflet.

Systematic housekeeping— through periodic vacuuming of floors, shelves, and boxes—is also important, since particulate matter can attract pests as well. The NEDCC offers a great guide on cleaning books and shelves and the Minnesota Historical Society has a handbook for historic housekeeping.

Security

Access to collections must be controlled during hours of operation, and the building must be well-secured when closed to the public. Perimeter intrusion alarms and internal motion detectors wired directly to the local police department or to another monitoring agency are recommended. Limit open entrances, ideally to one used by site visitors and staff alike. All other doors should be alarmed, and researchers using collections should be supervised to prevent theft and vandalism, and to spot accidental mishandling of materials during use. For more on collections security, please see NEDCC's leaflet.

Vault Construction & Renovation

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 232, the Standard for the Protection of Records, provides the criteria for fire protection within vaults. In buildings constructed of noncombustible materials, a vault can be ground-supported or structure-supported and should have a minimum fire rating of 4 hours. In buildings constructed of combustible materials, the vault should be ground-supported without using building walls as vault walls, and it should have a minimum fire rating of 6 hours. In all types of buildings, the floors and walls of a vault should be made of non-combustible material; the door should have an automatic closing device for when heat or smoke is detected, as well as an internal release to prevent a person from being accidentally locked inside. When renovating or constructing a new vault, NFPA 232 ideally should be cited as a requirement in any requests for information or requests for proposals.

Vaults and records storage areas under 25,000 sq. ft. can be equipped with HVAC systems that use direct expansion cooling and either hot water or electricity for heat to maintain stable conditions. The system should be able to maintain a constant temperature under 65°F and relative humidity between 35-45%, with seasonal variations of +/- 5°F or 5%. Air filtration can be added to an HVAC system to remove pollutants, but this is less important for institutions that are not located in urban areas. If it is decided to include air filtration, the handler should have a pre-filter rated at least MERV 7 and a final filter rated MERV 14.

The storage space must be designed in accordance with local, state, and regional building codes to prevent collapse or failure. Additionally, a floor load limit must be established to take the weight of the records and shelving into consideration. During construction, avoid any paints, sealants, or materials that emit solvent fumes, acidic gases, peroxides, or formaldehyde, all of which can pollute the air quality of the storage space.

The VHRP maintains a list of providers for vaults and vault door construction, HVAC systems, and preservation environment consultation. The list is available on request; please email the VHRP at sos.vhrp@vermont.gov.

Sources for additional information:

• The National Fire Protection Association’s Standard for the Protection of Records (NFPA 232): https://www.nfpa.org/codes-and-standards/all-codes-and-standards/list-of-codes-and-standards/detail?code=232
• Archival and Special Collections Facilities, edited by Michele F. Pacifico and Thomas P. Wilstead, 2008
• Preserving Archives and Manuscripts (2^nd) by Mary Lynn Ritzenthaler, 2010
• NARA 1571, Archival Storage Standards, 2002: https://www.archives.gov/foia/directives/nara1571