Dear All,
Here is a summary of the information I have received via my enquiry to the
Archives NRA list:
I had 15 responses in total.
All respondents were against the use of carpet in the archival room - the
most popular reasons being:
Dirt
Boxes and contents create dust all the time and carpet will add to the
volume of dust around = very bad not only for the archives but for the
lungs too.
Will the carpet get stuck on the shelving rails?
Impossible to push trolleys heavily laden with records on carpet.
In case of flood - it may be harder to mop up spillages to avoid the growth
of mould.
Carpet bugs - which love the taste of archives
The British Standard BS5454: 2000 also specifically recommends (5.6.4)
that "use of materials such as wool carpet 'should be minimized' on the
grounds that it provides a food source for insects. There are also
implications for general cleanliness: dust and fluff will inevitably
collect in carpet, with cleaning rendered more difficult than it would
otherwise be, particularly for carpet under mobile shelving".
Many thanks to all who responded
Charlotte McCarthy
Archivist @ the Laban Centre
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