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 - THOMAS, David: Architectural Design and Technical Equipment for the Physical Protection and Conservation of Documents
Architectural Design and Technical Equipment 247 tion of printed material which is experiencing problems of theft might consider acquiring one of these systems65). The provision of adequate security for archives is mainly dependent on good building design, as well as having a well-trained and adequately motivated staff. The extent to which the physical security provided by the premises and the guarding undertaken by the staff needs to be supplemented by electronic measures depends on a careful analysis of both the risks to which the institution is exposed and the relative cost and benefits of the equipment available. 6 Fire is the worst threat to records. There are a wide range of possible causes. Careless contractors are a particular hazard; in 1879 a workman heating a frozen gas pipe with a naked flame caused a fire which destroyed some major collections in the Birmingham Free Library66). Arson and faulty or misused electrical appliances were the cause of nearly half of a sample of 1,216 major fires in the United Kingdom67). In the USA there were 34 fires in libraries in the period 1978-1983; of these, 3 were electrical, one spread from a caretaker’s living quarters, one was caused by a contractor and the rest (82%) were the result of arson68). In archives the worst threats come from conservation laboratories, workshops, offices, kitchens and areas undergoing building work. Fire generates smoke, fumes and heat and may spread via stairs, lift shafts and other openings. Flames may emanate from windows and spreading upwards may, by radiation, ignite the contents of the floor above69). Apart from the obvious dangers of heat and smoke, the attempts of the fire brigade to extinguish the flames can be damaging; high pressure fire hose streams and large quantities of water can harm records. Photographic materials are susceptible to heat and steam. Control of fire may lead the archivist into conflict with other authorities. During the planning stage, the fire officer may call for large fire escapes which consume a great deal of valuable repository space; this happened at the Public Record Office and the Gloucestershire Record Office in England70). Alternatively, the need to keep fire exits unlocked may compromise security. In the event of a fire, the archivist will find that the fire brigade’s main aim is to save life and that this has a far higher priority than reducing damage caused by fire or water. Clearly, good planning and close cooperation with the relevant officials is essential at an early stage. All experts agree that the main way to reduce the danger of fire is compart- mentation. Buildings should be divided into small compartments of fire65) N. H. Knight Theft Detection Systems Revisited: An Updated Survey in Library Technology Reports 15 (1979) 221—409. 66) John Morris Managing the Library Fire Risk (University of California 1979) 3. 67) Fire Protection Association Fire in Buildings in Health and Safety 4 (1981) 17. 68) John Morris Protecting the Library from Fire in Library Trends 33 (1984) 55. 69) Fire Protection Association Fire in Buildings 15. ™) Bell Archival Accommodation 362.
