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Vital Records: Appendix 3: Environmental Requirements To Ensure Media
Stability
There are certain environmental considerations for any area which will be
used to store Vital Records. The following are best practices to ensure
that your records will be in relatively good condition when you need
them. Few offices will be able to follow all of these suggestions. The
goal is to do the best you can and try to get as close as possible to the
optimum temperature and humidity levels.
If a dust and air filtration unit is available in your records storage
area, it should be able to remove approximately 90% of the airborne
particles (dust, chemicals, outside pollutants, etc.) that may work their
way into the area.
Paper:
- Storage facility should be maintained at 60 - 70 degrees Fahrenheit (F)
with a Relative humidity (Rh) of 50 - 55%.
- Extended exposures to humidity below 30% will cause drying and
brittleness of paper; extended exposure to humidity higher than 75% will
cause mold spores to develop.
- Temperature and humidity should not fluctuate over 5% during a 24 hour
period.
Magnetic Media (magnetic tape, floppy and optical disks):
- Storage facility should be maintained at a temperature of 65 degrees F
with a Rh of 30 - 40%.
- Temperature and humidity should not fluctuate more than 5% within a 24
hour period.
- Magnetic Media is extremely sensitive to heat, water, steam, magnetic
fields, and sunlight - try to limit exposure to these conditions. Optical
disks should be stored at a temperature 55 - 65 degrees F with
a Rh of 20 - 40%.
Microfilm, Negatives, Photographs:
- Air should be filtered to remove dust from storage areas.
- Microfilm storage area should be maintained at a temperature not
exceeding 65 degrees F with a Rh of 20 - 30%.
- Photographic storage area should be maintained at a temperature of 70
degrees F with a Rh of 45 - 50%.
- Temperature and humidity should not fluctuate over 5% during a 24 hour
period.
- Security copies of microfilm should be stored in acid free containers.
For further information, please contact Records Management Services at
543-6512.
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