Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Based upon the standards and guidelines listed in the accompanying table, here are
some guidelines to assist in determining the feasibility of using an existing building for
records storage; or considerations in building a new facility.
Space(s) within the building where records are stored should meet additional criteria:
• Adjacent to a loading dock or, if on an upper floor, a freight elevator
• At or above grade; probably on the ground floor where sufficient floor load to
handle fully loaded shelving units (for static shelving about 220-250 pounds per
square foot but many variables; structural engineer should review)
• If not climate controlled, must be well-ventilated with temperature and
humidity not exceeding 77E or 55% RH on a regular basis because of the threat of
a mold outbreak. Cooler temperatures (below 70E and lower humidity between
30 and 50%) recommended for the preservation of permanent paper records as
well as other media.
• No windows; or ultraviolet [UV] radiation from sunlight blocked by means of
shades, UV filtered plexiglas or UV filter film; UV radiation from fluorescent
lights blocked with filters
• No overhead water pipes except for the sprinkler system; sprinkler heads are
generally at least 18 inches above the shelving so will affect shelving height
• NO carpets
Section 5. Records Storage Facilities: Requirements Page 50
It is possible a single large space might be divided into two or three separate areas:
1) inactive scheduled records that are going to be destroyed within a few years might be
stored in a room without 24/7/365 environmental controls;
2) inactive permanent records that are not confidential in a room with environmental
controls (this space would ideally have a great amount of excess capacity as the records
Section 5. Records Storage Facilities: Requirements Page 51
3) inactive confidential records, most of which are permanent but some scheduled, in a
caged area or locked room with environmental controls where access is extremely
limited and supervised at all times.
There also should be a separate room adjacent to the storage area(s) that can be used as
a work space. This area would serve as a holding area for boxes that are being checked
in and entered into a database; boxes that have been pulled for someone to review; or
boxes awaiting disposal. The basic needs for this space are a desk, large table(s), chairs,
hand truck, one or two units of shelving, pallets, computer, and copier/scanner.
Section 5. Records Storage Facilities: Requirements Page 52
1
There are five construction classifications that are then subdivided into additional categories. Type I - Fire resistive; Type II - Non-
com bustible; Type III - Lim ited Com bustible; Type IV - Heavy Tim ber; Type V - W ood fram e . NFPA defines a Fire-resistive building as a building
of Type I or Type II (222) construction in which the structural m em bers, including wall, partitions, colum ns, floors, and roofs are of noncom bustible
or lim ited com bustible m aterials.
Section 5. Records Storage Facilities: Requirements Page 54
Storage area All building m em bers Building colum ns at least 1 Building colum ns m eet --
[Fire Protection] supporting the vault shall hour fire resistant; One requirem ents of local
be noncom bustible. All building code and be a
hour rated fire barrier walls
structure m aterials used in m inim um of 2 hour fire
between records storage
the construction of a vault resistive construction ;
area and other auxiliary
shall have a fire resistance
spaces in an existing facility separated from offices by a
rating of 6 hours. All interior
(m ore stringent for new m inim um one hour rated
fittings and finish shall be
ones) fire barrier
noncom bustible.
Section 5. Records Storage Facilities: Requirements Page 56
Vaults m ay be equipped
with autom atic sprinkler
protection installed in
accordance with NFPA 13,
Standard for the Installation
of Sprinkler System s
[Hazardous -- 2 hour rated barrier walls Fire barrier walls shall be a Avoid attics and basem ents
spaces] for boiler room s and no m inim um of 2 hour fire-
opening directly to records resistive construction
storage area.
Section 5. Records Storage Facilities: Requirements Page 58
2
ASHRAE [Am erican Society of Heating, Refrigerating & Air-conditioning Engineers] HVAC Handbook -2007 chapter 20 for Museum s,
Galleries, Archives & Libraries: 50% rh and tem perature between 59 and 77E. To prevent all high-risk extrem es, short fluctuations and seasonal
adjustm ents should be within 25 and 75% rh year round; tem perature rarely over 86E, usually below 77E
Section 5. Records Storage Facilities: Requirements Page 59
3
Thom as P. W ilsted Planning New and Remodeled Archival Facilities (Society of Am erican Archivists), 2007: Indicates that floor load for
fully loaded static shelving units m ay be 220-250 pounds per square foot but m any variables; structural engineer should review.
Section 5. Records Storage Facilities: Requirements Page 65
Physical Storage
See Massachusetts’ standards.
Technical Bulletin 1: Performance Standards of Safes and Vaults, Version 2 (1996)
http://www.sec.state.ma.us/arc/arcrmu/rmutbl/tbl1.htm
SPR Bulletin NO. 3-92 Maintenance of Records Storage Areas (January 21, 1992)
http://www.sec.state.ma.us/arc/arcrmu/rmubul/bul392.htm
NFPA 232 Standard for the Protection of Records (2007) [incorporates 232A]
can be purchased at www.nfpa.org; Fire Department and perhaps Building Inspection
likely to have code available.
Section 5. Records Storage Facilities: Standards & Guidelines for Storage and Page 67
Preservation of Records
Chapter 6 Standard Records Vault [Quoted directly from the 2007 standard]
6.1.1. ...constructed as specified herein with a minimum fire rating of four hours in
noncombustible constructed buildings and six hours in combustible constructed
buildings.
6.2.1. In a fire-resistive building, the vault shall be of either the ground-supported or the
structure-supported type.
6.2.2. In a non-fire-resistive building, the vaults shall be of the ground-supported type,
and the walls of a building shall not be used as walls of the vault.
6.2.3. Plans and specifications shall be prepared and construction supervised by a
licensed or registered structural engineer or architect in consultation with a licensed or
registered fire protection engineer.
6.13.1. Vaults shall be protected with an automatic fire suppression system....
See also: NFPA 75 Standard for the Protection of Information Technology Equipment
Records Management
ISO 15489 Information and Documentation - Records Management (based on Australian
Standards AS4390) May be purchased at www.niso.org or www.arma.org
Outlines principles of records management programs, design and implementation,
processes and controls. Not a how-to-do it.
All links worked 17 April 2011
Section 5. Records Storage Facilities: Westford’s Records Storage Spaces Page 69
The Vault is actually what we would call the Town Archives. It is the storage area
where those paper records of permanent value to the Town should be stored; or those
paper records that the Town determines are vital records, i.e. records essential for
resumption of operations after a disaster. The Vault’s fire resistance rating and climate
control (temperature and humidity) is intended for paper records, not film, optical, or
magnetic media.
The room outside the vault is an internal space that is above grade with office HVAC
conditions. Access is somewhat controlled as most users must enter through the Clerk’s
Office and sign in. Its sprinkler system affords reasonable protection.
We think the purposes of both spaces need to better defined. Those purposes may
change over time as a Records Management program is more fully implemented.
Basement
A room that we call the File Room was created in the basement to provide storage space
for the voluminous records primarily created by the Assessor, Board of Health, and
Permitting functions. The room does not meet existing standards and guidelines for a
records storage space containing permanent or long-term records. See Records Storage
Facilities Standards and Guidelines earlier in this Section 5.
Positives
Sprinkler system
Thermostat controlling temperature (as long as constant temperature provided
24/7)
No carpeting
Well- lit
Section 5. Records Storage Facilities: Westford’s Records Storage Spaces Page 70
Negatives
Below grade
Electrical equipment in the space
Potential hazards from the adjacent elevator and HVAC equipment
Relatively low ceiling and awkward shape affecting positioning of existing
storage equipment & height of any future storage equipment, reducing storage
capacity
Well-lit (fluorescent lighting and sunlight’s ultraviolet radiation can damage
paper, fade printing)
The rotating file cabinets are generally used in office settings as we believe these were
prior to the closing of the building. One or two such units, used as dividers and holding
confidential records, improve storage capacity, offer some security and can even serve
as a room or cubicle divider. Units as high as the ones Westford has, however, are
seldom a good choice for extensive and frequently used records because they are
difficult to pivot when fully loaded with files. Their short shelves also make scanning
shelves for records more time-consuming. In other words, they reduce retrieval time
and make filing more burdensome than it needs to be.
We recommend that the Town have Systematics or another office equipment vendor look at the
space, and offer several plans and estimated costs for moveable and fixed shelving. (As
Systematics sells Time 2 rotating cabinets, the sales rep may be able to advise whether
servicing of the existing units might make turning them any easier). We realize that the
ceiling height and sprinkler head distance requirement probably means that any
shelving will be one shelf less than the existing storage equipment. On the other hand,
Section 5. Records Storage Facilities: Westford’s Records Storage Spaces Page 71
moveable shelving should result in the gain of some storage capacity, especially if some
of the lateral file cabinets can be removed with their contents either moved to the
shelving or stored elsewhere.
Positives
– On a slab
– Building occupied so natural or manmade disaster
may be discovered relatively quickly
– Well lit
Negatives
– No sprinkler system
– Adjacent to motor vehicles and other electrical or mechanical equipment,
hazardous materials; also adjacent restroom, furnace
– Possible exposure to fumes and other pollutants from the equipment
– Windows, external walls
– Awkward access to room for delivery and removal of boxed records
– No work space for managing the delivery and removal of boxed records
– Evidence of leaks on ceiling tiles
– Carpeting on floor that is stained which may
be sign of water; carpeting can be source of
mold and pollutants
– Baseboard heat but no air conditioning unless
someone present and turns on the air
conditioner; no ventilation apparent
– Not large enough for the volume of inactive
records which must be retained until their legal
retention period is reached
Section 5. Records Storage Facilities: Westford’s Records Storage Spaces Page 72
As the Town transitions to standard records storage boxes (10 x 12 x 15), replace some
of the deep wire shelving at the Water Department building with commercial steel
shelving 42 inches wide and 15 or 16 inches deep. Going forward, when furnishing an
offsite records facility, purchase the 42 inch wide, 15-16 deep shelving for the boxed
inactive and scheduled records.
The deep wire shelving here and in the Highway Furnace Room might be used for
maps and plans as long as they are boxed but the Town will likely need to purchase
additional shelves so that the boxed maps and plans are stacked no more than three
high.
Positives
– Sprinkler system
– At grade level
Negatives
– Hazards everywhere (furnace, water
pipes in room; adjacent to lunch room with possibility of pests, fumes, fire)
– No control over temperature and humidity
Millennium Building
We also visited the Millennium Building where records awaiting destruction or recent
records used for the audit were being kept temporarily. The next week they were
moved to the Water Department space. While at Millennium, they were stacked
directly on the floor in no order, clogging an office space and impeding access to the
Veterans Services office.
We did not see the Graniteville Fire Department where evidently the Health
Section 5. Records Storage Facilities: Westford’s Records Storage Spaces Page 73
Department has some paper records; we do not know if it may be a candidate for
becoming a suitable Offsite Records Center.
Nor did we see the Technology Department’s data centers or where it maintains its
computer storage media. We assume at least one of the data centers does not have an
appropriate fire suppression system. Please note that computer tapes, disks, magnetic
media, and microfilm all require more stringent environmental and fire resistance
ratings than paper records.