Questionnaire on fire control in libraries

    **** Moderator's comments: Please respond directly to the
    author.

I am advising one of my students at the Department of Information
Science of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS -
Brazil) in her monograph about fire safety for libraries. Part of
her paper consists of a questionnaire to be answered by librarians,
but she isn't getting the response we would like. Are there any
librarians who care to participate in her research? You can answer
the following questionnaire and send to me: lorete<-a t->ufrgs< . >br or
evangelista39<-a t->yahoo< . >com< . >br Your participation in this research is
extremely important for the completion of this monograph.

PS, this question isn't just for librarians: what do you think of
Inergen and misting? Are you aware of any cultural institution that
uses Inergen?

Questionnaire
To the librarian or person responsible for the prevention against
disasters of their library:

My name is Fernanda Evangelista, I am a student of Librarianship at
the Department of Information Science of the Federal University of
Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS - Brazil) and I am writing my monograph,
which consists of a research concerning the most efficient and
adequate methods of fire control within the library environment, as
well as inquiring what the most prestigious libraries in the world
are doing in terms of prevention measures against fire.

This questionnaire will be sent to highly regarded national and
university libraries located in the following countries: Portugal,
France, England, Italy, Holland, Germany, Spain, United States,
Canada, Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Australia.

Identification of the library and the respondent:
Name of the institution:
Complete address:
Name of the respondent:
Function of the respondent:
Number of users:
Number of employees:
Size of the library collection:
Total area of the library:
Year in which the building of the library was constructed:
Year in which the last restoration or renovation of the building
    occurred:
Which alterations were made?

Preventive measures implemented by the library:

Was the building where the library is located constructed for this
purpose? () yes () no

If no, what was its original purpose?

The building is located in a:
    () commercial area  () residential area  () industrial area

Are the main stacks situated in an isolated area of the library?
    () yes () no

Does the library possess:

Central air-conditioning system?  () yes () no
Rooms equipped with individual air-conditioning?  () yes () no
Heating?  () yes () no
Dehumidifiers?  () yes () no

Are temperature and humidity levels monitored?  () yes () no
Are there any walls without windows?  () yes () no
How many emergency exits are there?
Is there an emergency plan?  () yes () no
Who was responsible for elaborating it?
Is there a fire brigade?  () yes () no

Are there fire detection devices and fire control systems?
    () yes () no

Which equipment is used to detect and extinguish fire?
    () smoke detectors () sprinklers
    () hydrants with a fire hose () inergen or clean gases
    () fire extinguishers: () Co2 () water () chemical powder
How often is this equipment checked?
What criteria were adopted by the library for choosing a system of
prevention against fires?

Is there a documented policy for fire prevention?

Are there any measures being taken in order to replace the
information contained in damaged or destroyed documents?

The following questions should be answered by libraries that have
been through a fire:

    In what year did the (last) fire occur?
    Was the fire: () accidental () criminal
    Which materials were destroyed?
        () manuscripts () printed word () audiovisual
        ()other:
    How many volumes were lost?
    What is the estimated value of the damages?
    Were any rare items damaged?
    Was it possible to restore the damaged material? () yes () no
    How long did the process take?

    Were any preventive measures adopted after the fire?
    Other relevant information:

Thank you for your contribution and participation in this research.

Lorete Mattos
Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS - Brazil)


                                  ***
                  Conservation DistList Instance 21:61
                  Distributed: Saturday, May 17, 2008
                       Message Id: cdl-21-61-027
                                  ***