On Sep 2, 2005, at 12:02 AM, Automatic digest processor wrote:

> From:    "Parapadakis, George" <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Re: Vacuum packed records - Sensible?

I think your main problem is that while packing peas and carrots works,
as this is a one time opening to serve with dinner, records are
constantly accessed.  If every time you need a file you need to rip
open the package and then reseal it, it would be very costly.

Plus you would need great software as searching would be difficult.
Paging through a box would not be possible so you would have to be sure
  a record was in this particular box before you slice the packaging.

Plus the 40% savings of space might be true to fluffy shirts but most
boxes of records are jammed tight and space savings would be far less.

But it could be worthwhile for archival records that don't get accessed
or that are stored on lower shelves in flood plain areas.

But in the end it is better to build on a hill or out of the flood
plain and avoid a lot of this risk.

But New Orleans is only part of the problem, this devastation spread
across hundreds of miles and it is not sensible to have a 3,000 square
mile area without any records stored within it.  This is where
redundancy is the key.

Also if 93% of all records are born digital, then storing this
information out of the flood and storm areas is not that difficult to
accomplish for a good management team.  Many companies packed their
digital records and moved them inland.  The cost of the lost paper
records will be much less than anticipated when they can be reproduced
from digital records.

Hugh Smith
FIRELOCK Fireproof Modular Vaults
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(610)  756-4440    Fax (610)  756-4134
WWW.FIRELOCK.COM

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