Mitteilungen des Österreichischen Staatsarchivs 39. (1986)
Archive Buildings and the Conservation of Archival Material. An Expert Meeting, held in Vienna, Austria October 30 - November 1, 1985 - USÓN, Cristina: Adaptation of Ancient Buildings as Archives Repositories in Spain
Adaptation of Ancient Buildings in Spain 223 1.3 Normally, administrative programs are not drafted until new needs arise. Thus, the administrative separation of archives and libraries in 1977 opened a new phase of independent buildings. 11 provincial archives have received new housing since then: 10 in old buildings and one in a new building. Buildings for another 13 archives are either in the planning stage or are currently under construction; only three of these will be housed in new buildings. Another archive must also be mentioned (Cáceres), which has taken over the entire Cultural Center, with the library being moved to another building. 2 Leaving aside the topic of the major Spanish archives, let us focus on readaptation projects undertaken during the 1980s for provincial historical archives. The fact that most archives have been located in old buildings that have been remodeled is not due to a positive policy, but to the lack of other alternatives. The acquisition of land for new buildings has generally been beyond our reach. On the other hand, there is an abundance of old buildings which must be preserved and maintained by local, provincial authorities or even by the state. As a result of political negotiations, which are always long and difficult and sometimes fail to achieve their aims due to other cultural priorities and the limited political weight of the archives, these institutions sometimes sell or grant such buildings for archives. So each possibility is carefully considered, keeping in mind the structural or decorative elements of the old buildings which must be preserved due to requirements beyond our control. Besides, not every old building is suited to house archives. As an example, the Palacio Moctezuma in Cáceres is a national historical monument which had already been converted into a state-run hotel and which was eventually rejected as a location for the provincial archives because its compartimentalization, excessive size and artistic elements made remodeling too difficult. The Spanish Guidelines for the Construction of Archives Repositories to be published soon, are in keeping with international standards. For example, three completely separate areas are established - strongrooms, working area and public area - however, with sufficient communication between them. The height of the strongrooms must be approximately 2.30 meters high; (the multicellular storage system used in the archives of the Real Chancilleria of Granada has been abandoned because of ventilation problems); double-wall insulation is used. This area is completed by an unloading area for the documents which is independent from the main entrance and is connected to the disinfection unit and a classification room. The service area includes personnel offices, restoration and reprography (microfilm) workshops. Finally, in addition to the searchrooms, there are conference and exhibit rooms, sometimes united in a multipurpose room. Strict security and conservation measures are taken, especially for the strongroom area. We must point out, however, some characteristics which are derived from the
