Mike said:  Is a $1.00 a box the vendor standard?
Are the vendors willing to provide more coverage?  At what added cost to
the customers?


When we outsourced our long term storage, this was a real "bug-a-boo" of
mine.  Here is what I was told.  First, the vendor has no idea of the
content or the value of each box.  It is too difficult for them to put a
value on each box, also the more they insure the boxes for, the more they
have to charge the client (you).  I understood their dilemma.  Why they
chose a dollar, I have no idea?

How do we value our records?  They suggested that we insure our records
for what "we" thought they were worth and man that was hard.  So, to come
up with a figure, I assumed that the biggest threat to our records was a
fire.  If a fire occurred, chances are the records would get wet.  I
worked out a cost for a damage restoration firm to freeze dry the records
and return the records to a "pre-fire" quality.   As the cost to restore
all records was astronomical, I decided we would only restore one years
records as well as all permanent and critical records.  Although this
would not be a great fix, at least we could continue in business and the
more important records would be rescued.

Of course the best situation is to have an EDRMS where you have a backup.
If a fire occurred and records were wet or destroyed, at least you would
have an imaged copy.  This is what we have purchased.  Currently we are in
the midst of scanning our critical records, and once that is done, will
remove the costly insurance on the paper records.

John Annunziello
Records Information Specialist
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
5 Shoreham Drive
Downsview, Ontario M3N 1S4
(416) 661-6600 ext. 5272
fax:  (416) 661-6898
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