PRESERV—the RLG Preservation Program

Master Microfilm Preservation: Shared Storage Facility

---

At underground storage facilities in caves deep beneath the hills of western Pennsylvania, RLG has leased vaults for long-term storage of microfilm masters. There, RLG and its members store microfilm in secure, climate-controlled conditions ideally formulated for stewardship of the film over the long term. In the event that an owning institution's print master is damaged or lost, the master negative can be retrieved from storage to create a replacement.

RLG first leased vaults in the 1980s to create shared storage for 35-millimeter master negative microfilm rolls created in RLG members' collaborative preservation projects. RLG worked with National Underground Storage (now owned by Iron Mountain, Inc.) to create a preservation environment that meets the US national standard for preserving the research resources represented by these film reels. RLG's preservation community agreed on these standards, which are codified in the RLG Preservation Microfilming Handbook.

RLG members are welcome to store their master negative film roles in the shared facility. Participating institutions buy drawers in which to store their films, a one-time charge (currently $57.07 per drawer plus Pennsylvania sales tax). They are subsequently charged an annual space and service fee (currently $15.00 per drawer used). RLG acts as broker for the joint use of the facility, billing participating members annually, usually in November, to recoup each one's proportional share of the annual leasing cost.

Iron Mountain, Inc. maintains the environmental conditions within a very narrow range of temperature and humidity fluctuations, using an uninterruptible power source. Services include ensuring security and managing the film inventory, guaranteeing that film rolls are filed correctly by institution and always accessible.

RLG stores several thousand rolls of master negative film that it owns as a result of the grant-funded Great Collections microfilming projects of the 1980s and early 1990s.

For more information about using the shared storage facility for microfilm storage, contact Robin Dale.

Go to the PRESERV home page.

---

Last updated October 2000

HOME | SEARCH | CONTACTS | USER SUPPORT

Want a faster connection?
Trademarks, Copyright, & Permissions