> From: D NISHIMURA <[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>>
> Subject: Re: call for papers - Archiving 2015
> 
> -Doug
> Douglas Nishimura
> Image Permanence Institute
> Rochester Institute of Technology

Doug, back in the day when they issued the earliest of editions of IT9.11 they published standards for environmental control for microfilm long term storage based on aging tests. One of the agencies in Texas decided to build a fireproof vault with a Class 125 media fire rating and they also required that the vault be able to maintain the temperature at 68º F and 30% Relative Humidity as Dr. Peter Adelstein’s environmental conditions (IT9.11) required.

We built the vault and had a perfect vapor barrier and an R-33 insulation factor so holding the temperature was a breeze.  The archivist selected Liebert to provide a Datamate® which they said could easily deliver this environmental requirement.  In order to maintain the 30% fixed humidity level the staff had to work inside a vault with a 47º F. temperature as the system had to air condition constantly to get to  30% on the humidity.

The Texas Agency asked us, as vault experts, to research how they could fix the problem.  So we called Dr. Edelstein and asked him how they created the 30% relative humidity with a reasonable temperature in the container.  He replied “Well we cut the microfilm in little strips, put them in a bell had and dropped the humidity to 30%, sealed it and then stored them in a room with the temperature at the 68º F. temperature.”  I then asked “How do you do this in the real world??  People can’t cut their microfilm into little strips.  I need a real world solution.”  He replied “I have no idea, if you figure it out, please let me know.”

We did figure it out, we used “Desiccant Dehumidifiers” which can hold any humidity level; and, do not require the cooling/drying system to run to achieve these low humidities.  

Microfilm is not as prevalent as it once was but we used this same technology for protecting computer media so the technology lives on.  I did call Dr. Edelstein back and he was only mildly interested that we had found a way to provide in reality the temperature and humidity that would be required to deliver Image Permanence.

In over 43 years in the field of securing vaults for the protection of precious items, I often find Standards that espouse a technology solution that does not even exist.

Another requirement in Standards that we shake our heads about is storing underground in caves with temperatures at 50º to 60º for “Permanent" storage.  And the language in the Standards speaks of using a “conditioning room” to slowly bring the temperature up from 50º up to room temperature so staff can use the microfilm for reference.  (Since cycling is harmful to the media and simply walking from the cave to a standard office condition would cause condensation to form on the media and cause cracking and dissolution of the inks; the standards call for this conditioning room.)

In all the archive situations in the world, how few “conditioning rooms” really exist?  Very few!! And those few are probably all in Owner run archives.  People discover this when they send off a box with a chart recorder in the box and when they bring it back they find that they have been deceived about the actual conditions. (If you have special requirements for your media demand they provide a digital chart recorder that you can check on line so you know day and night what the real world conditions are.)

Standards need to focus more on how to actually achieve the results rather than including specifications that no one can comply with.  They should include practitioners.   The NFPA recently took this advice and added real world experts (records managers and archivists)  to the Protection of Records Standards Technical Committee and I expect that Standard to improve over time as the records management voice will be a stronger clarion in the coming years.


Hugh Smith
FIRELOCK Fireproof Modular Vaults
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