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Re: Environmental conditions for archival facilities



NARA has published regulations on facility standards.  While the section
below does not specifically address your concern, the recommendation that an
area with toxic fumes should have a separate exhaust may be applicable.  One
would tend to assume that the Art Department would have provided such a
system for the safety of its students, faculty and others in the
building...but one never knows.

1228.228(n)(4)
"The facility must be kept under positive air pressure especially in the
area of the loading dock.  In addition, to prevent fumes from vehicle
exhausts from entering the facility, air intake louvers must not be located
in the area of the loading dock, adjacent to parking areas or in any
location where a vehicle engine may be running for any period of time.
Loading docks must have an air supply and exhaust system that is separate
from the remainder of the facility."

Also subsection (r) reinforces that "Hazardous materials, including records
on cellulose nitrate film, must not be stored in records storage areas."  So
hopefully all these flammables are a distance from your records/archives
area and you have a fine sprinkler system in place. (And that last comment
might start a whole new line of discussion!)

See: http://www.nara.gov/nara/cfr/cfr1228k.html

-----Original Message-----
From: Lisa Pruitt [mailto:lpruitt@MTSU.EDU]
Sent: Thursday, September 21, 2000 6:07 PM
To: ARCHIVES@LISTSERV.MUOHIO.EDU
Subject: Environmental conditions for archival facilities


Our campus planners are floating a proposal to move us into renovated
space in a building that formerly served as the campus library (vacated
when a new library opened 18 months ago).  The major tenant of the
building will be the Art Department (upper two floors).  Someone has
expressed to me some concerns about the effects that fumes from
solvents, paint thinners, paints, etc. would enter the ventilation
system and have an adverse effect on archival materials.  This had not
occurred to me.  Obviously, it would be ideal to have a separate HVAC
from the rest of the building, but I fear it will be prohibitively
expensive (I know it's not in the approved renovation budget).

Has anyone dealt with this situation before?  Does anyone know of
research that has been done on this aspect of archives and environment?

Thanks for your help!

Lisa Pruitt
Albert Gore Research Center
Middle Tennessee State University

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