Diana,

Since our fireproof vaults are expensive per square foot, almost all  
of them are filled with some version of high density shelving.

Your project should start out with an inventory of items that will be  
stored  (e.g. 700 linear feet of paper documents, 50 cubic feet of  
microfilm, etc.)  Then a growth rate for each along with an  
intelligent guess as to which items might grow faster while others  
might slow down.

Also, to often, one forgets to add space for media.  Your goal should  
be to pull media into your collection whether is be LTO, Magstar,  
Ultrium or even disk drives.  This is the record platform that should  
also be under your care.  So some Gemtracs should be part of the plan.

Too often we build a vault and the system is not flexible enough and  
two years later the vault is fine but the shelving system is all  
wrong.  You need to buy what works for flexibility for you and take a  
view to the future.

I once witnessed a company set up for one type of storage, a change  
occurred and 80% of their shelving was worthless and an investment of  
$60,000 was ruined.

Think where you want to be in the next five years and make sure your  
shelving will be there too.

Also it is better to put in the rails and a few rows of shelving and  
then add on more rows later.  Anything can run on those rails so  
putting off buying half your shelving till you need it will save  
dollars today, and make sure you don't make a mistake.

Also, if certain parts of your collection are vital and permanent  
such as Birth Records, Deed Books, Utility Plans or historical  
records and artifacts as well as City Official Meeting Records then  
you need to think about whether your vault is designed to protect  
media (microfilm, sound recordings, aperature cards, etc.) as well as  
paper.

The National Fire Protection Association hosted two sessions from  
members of the NFPA 232 "Protection of Records" Standard,  Technical  
Committee so look for Fire Protection Engineers and Fire Marshals to  
start paying attention to how you protect records.

Also if your shelving system can move to a park condition where  
everything is locked, this is a good thing as it makes it more  
difficult to start a fire.

Another tip, look for a Clean Agent Suppression System in your File  
Room as your first responder. I was amazed that in the fire tests  
conducted on mobile shelving that the cabinets shielded the heat from  
the sprinkler heads so the fires raged for 41 minutes to even longer  
before the sprinklers went off.

A clean agent system reacts with smoke or heat and therefore would  
respond faster and can flow to wherever the fire is.  The sprinkler  
heads are not as effective with the files tightened up, as the steel  
deflects the water.  Clean agents react faster and with less residual  
damage.

Well as usual I have digressed but I think this is stuff that  
everyone who is buying a mobile or track shelving system should know.

Hugh Smith
FIRELOCK Fireproof Modular Vaults
[log in to unmask]
(610)  756-4440    Fax (610)  756-4134
WWW.FIRELOCK.COM


On Jul 2, 2008, at 12:00 AM, RECMGMT-L automatic digest system wrote:

> From:    "Banning, Diana" <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: Compact Shelving Inquiry
>
> My dear colleagues,
>
> I'm collecting information about compact shelving that will help  
> craft an
> RFP I'm writing.  In essence, I'd like to hear about your  
> experiences with
> compact shelving: purchasing, installation, working with vendors,  
> operation,
> maintenance and warranties.   For instance, I've heard that some of  
> the
> manufacturers are fully proprietary, which poses problems down the  
> road when
> looking for parts.  What other problems have you experienced that  
> could have
> been mitigated with clearer specifications?  Are there  
> specifications that
> you included in your RFP (or wished you had) that you'd like to share?
>
> Thanks in advance for your guidance!
>
> Diana Banning
> Archives & Records Management
> City of Portland, Oregon
> 503-823-4564
>


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