Todd-

I think I would first be concerned with the environment in which they will
be stored and how well that will provide protection from external
influences, such as excessive heat, moisture, humidity, dust, light,
improper access, handling, pests, etc.  And naturally, the 'big 'uns' like
fire, water, flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes and the like.  

If these are required for a lengthy retention, do they also qualify as vital
records, and is there a second copy (on paper, film or a scanned image) that
exists at a safe distance elsewhere in the event they're damaged, lost or
destroyed? 

I've seen paper stored in proper environmental conditions not have any
problem lasting up to or over 100 years without the need for special
cartons/containers. Many of the drawings, specifications and other documents
I handled while working for "an unnamed utility" dated back to the very
early 1900s and in the mid-1990s were in perfect shape, and they were stored
in flat files and upright file cabinets in normal office environments. 

That said, there are different concerns now that we did not face in the
past, such as images made on electrostatic copiers, water based inks on
recycled paper, and recycled folders and boxes which have chemicals in them
that didn't exist in paper previously.  But placing these types of paper
with these types of ink on them in acid or lignin-free containers may not
have any bearing on increasing their lifespan either. 

Larry
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