User Manual

Basics in archives and libraries

Building Technologies 049_Archives_and_Libraries_A6

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Fire Safety & Security Products 03.2009

Historically of great importance but to be found in small quantities are special ma-

terials such as sealing wax, wax and lead (e.g. for sealing and bulla), textiles,

leather, precious metals (e.g. for binding) etc. These delicate materials or material

combinations partly require special measures for their maintenance and correct

storage.

In certain institutions, the separation between archive/library and museum stock is

not possible because the roots of the institution lie in a universal collection of pre-

vious centuries. These collections can, along with the typical archive and library

groups mentioned above - include basically all kinds of objects which are also

stored in a museum. This includes for example paintings as well as numismatic

and philatelic, ethnographical and natural history collections, technical cultural as-

sets or gypsum casting of antique sculptures. The specific problems of such stock

are mentioned elsewhere (see information for museums).

2.7 Risks in archives and libraries

Every object and every item in a collection is subject to certain risks which directly

influence the likelihood of its preservation. How these are evaluated and assessed

compared to each other, depends on the local conditions, the importance of the ob-

jects and the precautions and measures taken.

Fig. 3 Risks in archives

Air pollutants

Technical risks

Risks directly caused

by man

Secondary risks

Biological pests

Force of Nature