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Guidelines for College and University Archives
V. Facilities & Equipment
Space requirements and facilities will vary with the size of the institution
and the development of the archival program. Planning for archival facilities
should include consideration of the potential types of media to be stored,
the archives' organizational environment, the potential clientele for the archives
to support and serve, and the types of functions and services the program will
provide. The following recommendations are for minimal facilities and equipment
for the proper functioning of an academic archives.
A. Facilities for Academic Archives.
1. General considerations.
- The archives should be in a fire-resistant or fireproof building and
equipped with an appropriate heat/fire detection and suppression system,
including smoke and heat detectors and fire extinguishers. Local fire codes
and regulations may dictate the final choice of these items. Archivists
should consider their specific needs, resources, and the range of system
alternatives before selecting one.
- Maintain constant temperature and humidity conditions. Since most archives
store a variety of materials together, each with different optimum storage
conditions, it will be impossible to provide ideal conditions for all materials.
Archivists should be familiar with professional and industry standards
for their range of record storage media. Suggested ranges are—temperature
of 60-70ºF. (16-21ºC.) and relative humidity of 40-50%. It is
especially important to minimize fluctuations within the suggested ranges.
- A security system should protect the archives. All archives areas should
have locks. Only authorized personnel should ever have access to the keys
or combination to these areas' locks.
- All windows and fluorescent lighting in the archives should have appropriate
ultra violet light filter screens, particularly display areas and areas
where archival material is on open shelves.
- Archives should have convenient access to a loading dock and elevators
as required.
- Archives should have direct access to running water and sinks.
- In a multi-story building, archivists must ensure that floor load capacities
will support appropriate shelving and records loads.
- Protect or locate archives away from environmental or structural hazards
such as leaky pipes or wet basements.
- Adequately wire the archives for computer and communications services.
2. Other considerations.
a) Administration: Provide adequate space for staff and standard office
equipment and supplies.
b) Work areas: Provide separate space for examining and processing records.
This area should be large enough to accommodate large tables, computing
equipment, and other equipment for processing records.
c) Reference/research area: This space should be separate from, but convenient
to, storage and work areas. It must be:
- supervised and restricted;
- large enough to accommodate several users;
- well lighted;
- furnished with appropriate furniture and accommodations for lap top
computers and other electronic devices if the archives' reference policies
permit their use.
It should provide:
- a separate space and facilities for checking bags, briefcases, and
coats;
- space for user registration;
- an area for discussing researchers' needs without disturbing other
researchers;
- space for reference collections and finding aids.
d) Storage areas: Only archives' personnel should have access to the stacks.
The area should be large enough to:
- accommodate present holdings;
- permit the future growth of the archives. Determination of future space
needs will depend on several factors, but reviewing annual accession
rates will provide some guidance.
e) Other areas: The functions provided by the archives program will determine
the space for other areas. Space needs may include areas for;
- exhibits and public programs;
- special media, such as microforms, photographs, oversized items, and
emerging electronic media.
B. Equipment and Supplies
Archives should have enough shelving for present holdings and for five to
ten years of projected growth. It should be constructed of material that
is safe for archival records with adjustable shelves to accommodate the types
of materials and containers used for storage.
Archives must provide appropriate storage equipment for oversized items,
photographs, maps, and other items which may vary in size or types of media.
Major types of necessary equipment and supplies include:
- computers, word processors, printers, photocopiers, and other electronic
equipment as appropriate;
- equipment appropriate for transporting boxes and other archival materials;
- folders, document cases, boxes, or other containers appropriate for the
long-term preservation of archival materials;
- standard office supplies.
Special equipment required will depend upon the types of records and their
potential uses. Other items to consider include microform reader/printers,
public access and network computer terminals and printers, and a scanner.
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