Dear All
Sarah posed an interesting case, and one I guess a few of us could
face.
> A records management colleague of mine is doing Y2K contingency
> planning and would like to know, in the event of failure of heating
> systems due to computer bugs, 'how long our paper and microfilm could
> put up with 0-4deg [centigrade I assume] winter temp Would any
> preservation/conservation experts care to comment on this? I assume
> that cold is not as bad as heat, and that heating failure for a few
> days will not be the end of the world.
My thoughts are that a few days of cold would not cause too much
damage. Paper survives extremely well in the cold.
Two things could potentially cause problems, dependant upon storage
facilities:
If it's very cold over the new year you could return to buildings
which have been empty for slightly longer than usual, because of the
extra days holiday, which have suffered frozen / burst pipes.
Re-heating post heating switch off would be better done slowly to
minimise condensation risks, again especially if it has been very
cold.
The main thing I guess is to be vigilant. The biggest danger to archives
from environment is fluctuations, a slow change is much easier on them
than a sudden one.
As far as I know there isn't much in the way of statistics in this
area, these are personal thoughts and others may disagree.
Shane Swaffield
Shane Swaffield
Conservator
Manchester Metropolitan University Library
All Saints
Oxford Road
Manchester
M15 6BH
0161 247 6644
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