NISO guidelines for storage of paper records

    Date: 19 Apr 96
    From: National Information Standards Organization <nisohq [at] cni__org>
    Subject: New NISO Technical Report

    New NISO technical report provides environmental guidelines for
    storage of paper records.

    A new technical report that will help libraries and archives
    store paper-based records in a way that ensures their
    preservation is now available from the National Information
    Standards Organization (NISO).

    Environmental Guidelines for the Storage of Paper Records (NISO
    TR-01-1995) provides helpful guidance to librarians, archivists,
    engineers, architects, and others involved in the design,
    construction, renovation, and maintenance of buildings where
    paper-based records are stored.  It was developed in response to
    an on-going demand for information on how to plan an appropriate
    environment for paper records.

    Experience and research have shown that maintaining an
    appropriate storage environment can significantly enhance the
    long-term preservation of library and archives collections.
    Most paper-based records in archives and libraries survive for
    only a fraction of their expected lifetime due to poor storage
    conditions.  Many systems that are capable of maintaining a good
    preservation environment are modified for human comfort, to run
    more cost-efficiently, or to shut down when the building is not
    occupied.

    This technical report suggests minimum and/or maximum values for
    temperature, relative humidity, exposure to light, and the
    removal of gaseous and particulate contaminants.  It is designed
    so that users may select specific limits for a particular
    storage condition or repository.

    While the report primarily addresses issues associated with the
    storage of paper-based records, its recommendations also take
    into consideration the storage of animal skins (leather,
    parchment, and vellum) and photographic materials which are
    typically stored in the same space as paper-based records.

    A detailed review of the technical and scientific literature
    which led to the report's conclusions is also included.

    Environmental Guidelines for the Storage of Paper Records was
    authored by William K. Wilson, former chief of the Paper Section
    of the National Bureau of Standards, now the National Institute
    of Standards and Technology.  It is available from NISO Press
    for $35.00 per copy.

    Environmental Guidelines for the Storage of Paper Records
    (NISO-TR01-1995), Bethesda, MD: NISO Press. Copyright 1995.
    40pp. ISBN: 1-880124-21-1.  ISSN:  1081-8006.  Price:  $35.00.

    NISO can be reached at:

        4733 Bethesda Avenue, Suite 300, Bethesda, MD 20814
        301 654-2512
        Fax: 301 654-1721
        nisohq [at] cni__org

                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 9:72
                  Distributed: Friday, April 26, 1996
                        Message Id: cdl-9-72-012
                                  ***