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Re: Lessons Learned in Houston--Disposal of Flood Damaged Boxes



I am wondering if there is a type of plastic container that would keep water

out of records stored in basements?  Something that could be sealed like
Tupperware, but would not have outgasing problems?

Sharon Centanne

Mark Lambert wrote:

> Gang:
> I'd like to add something to Paul Scott's information, that I found out
> last week helping out at the Texas Medical Center archives after it was
> flooded.  [I definitely had survivor's guilt at the end of that day,
> knowing I could walk away from all the damage, and they would have to
> deal with it for months to come.  Needless to say, any plans they had
> for improvements to their archive during the year definitely got washed
> away with the flood.]
>
> A 1 cu.ft. record center carton full of records, when submerged in
> water, and then allowed to partially dry out, will have expanded (and
> burst the box open) to a size a little larger than that held by a 1.5
> cu. ft. box.  The soggy handles will also now tear under the load of a
> box that has doubled in weight.  I was glad to have learned this, since
> I have wondered about obtaining additional disaster response supplies
> like the "rescue-cubes."
>
> Save your money, and get much cheaper and collapse-able 1.5 cu.ft.
> cardboard boxes to keep in storage.  The soggy records can be
> transferred to the 1.5 cu. ft. boxes for their trip to freeze-drying.
> They will work almost perfectly.  Records still dripping wet when you
> first get on site can sit a while longer while they drip dry a little
> longer (after first getting them out of the water), and then just line
> the 1.5 cu. ft. boxes with wax paper, just so the box lasts long enough
> to get to the freeze-dryer.
>
> Paul's email was also correct about the weight of those soaked boxes.  I
> was worn out by the end of the day lifting them, and I'm a big person.
> And I have started wondering if everyone's shelving (most of the time
> probably standard library cantilever shelving, and not record center 4
> post shelving) in flood prone areas could stand the instant doubling of
> the load on those shelves if a flood should occur.
>
> Mark
>
> Mark Lambert
> Special Collections and Government Documents Librarian
> South Texas College of Law Library
> Houston, TX
>
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--
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A posting from the Archives & Archivists LISTSERV List!

To subscribe or unsubscribe, send e-mail to listserv@listserv.muohio.edu
      In body of message:  SUB ARCHIVES firstname lastname
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Or to do *anything* (and enjoy doing it!), use the web interface at
     http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/archives.html

Problems?  Send e-mail to Robert F Schmidt <rschmidt@lib.muohio.edu>