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
>
List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html
Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance
To unsubscribe from this list, click the below link. If not already present, place UNSUBSCRIBE RECMGMT-L or UNSUB RECMGMT-L in the body of the message.
mailto:[log in to unmask]
|