Establishing an in-house archives requires a commitment of time, money, personnel, and facilities. The extent of the commitment depends on many variables, including the size of the organization, the purpose of the archives, and the condition of existing organizational records, to name a few.

The first step in establishing an in-house archives is to ask some basic questions:

.What is the organization's purpose in starting an archives?

.How will the archives fit into the structure of the organization?

.Who will use the archives? Will it be open to the public and to researchers from outside the organization?

.Will there be a formal records management program?

.How will the organization fund the archives?

The answers to these questions help establish guidelines and set parameters for the project. These are philosophical questions about which the organization's members must reach a consensus. The archives will be more successful if it has the support of the membership as a whole and if there is an absence of controversy.

After determining the philosophical underpinnings of the archives, the organization must grapple with the nuts and bolts of setting up an archival program. The basic requirements for a nascent archival program fall into four broad categories:

.Personnel

.Facilities

.Equipment

.Supplies

Personnel

The minimum staff for a small in-house archives is one part-time archivist. The archivist might be a member of the organization, either a paid employee or volunteer, or even a volunteer or employee recruited from outside the organization. However, an archivist from outside the organization needs a liaison, preferably a person in a leadership position within the organization, as the primary advocate for the archives.

The archivist should possess the ability to establish a records program and communication skills to provide instruction to staff members. The organization, in turn, should provide ongoing support for the archivist. That support may include continuing education about archival techniques and practices including appraisal, arrangement, and description of archival records. (For guidance on arranging and filing archival records see Appendix C: Principles of Archival Arrangement). Information about support and continuing education is available from:

Society of American Archivists

600 S. Federal

Suite 504

Chicago, IL 60605

(312) 922-0140

Assistance is also available on an informal basis from local archives repositories and by networking with area archivists.

Facilities

.Space

Most archival facilities include a storage area for records, a work area for organizing and processing the records, and a search room in which users examine archival records. In a small archives, all of these functions may occur within a single room, but the areas should be distinct from one another to maintain a logical work flow. The archives should have enough space for current needs and future growth.

.Environmental Controls

The room should have central heat and air conditioning to provide adequate environmental protection for the records. The ideal temperature for archival storage is 67 F, plus or minus 2 F, with relative humidity of 47%, plus or minus 2%. Fluctuations in temperature and humidity are especially harmful to records, however, so the archives should strive to maintain a consistent environment even if temperature and humidity levels are not ideal.

.Security

The entrance to the archives should be equipped with a lock for adequate security and should remain locked when not in use. An interior room, without windows or exterior doors, provides the best security.

Equipment

The facility should contain the following furniture and equipment:

.Tables providing separate workspaces for the archivist and archives patrons

.A computer, word processor, or typewriter for the archivist to use (this may be located in a separate room and be used for other functions within the organization as well, but should be available as needed by the archivist)

.Steel shelving sufficient for projected growth, on which to store archival records

.A telephone

.Proximity to a photocopy machine

.Proximity to photoreproduction services

Supplies

The extra expense of purchasing archival-quality storage materials is money well spent. These materials are strong, long-lasting, and will protect archival records from the acid and fumes that leach from standard office supplies. Manila folders, PVC plastics, and ordinary corrugated cardboard all emit harmful chemicals that migrate to archival records causing them to

discolor, weaken, and break down over time. An archives is an investment in the future and archival quality storage materials protect that investment for years to come.

Even a beginning archives can establish sound preservation practices by using only safe, archival-quality storage materials. All paper and board stock in contact with archival records should be acid-free and buffered with an alkaline reserve and a pH of 8.5 to prevent the rapid deterioration of the records. Materials that meet these requirements are available from numerous archival supply vendors. Some of the more widely used sources are listed in Appendix D. These suppliers offer a wide range of boxes, folders, and papers of all types and sizes to meet virtually any need. Basic supplies required in a beginning archives include the following:

.Records storage boxes

These large, corrugated cardboard boxes (approximately 13" x 16" x 10") with removable lids and recessed handles, hold upright legal-size or letter-size folders, depending on which way the folders are oriented within the box. Boxes are shipped flat and assembled at the archives. Because of their bulky size they are cumbersome to handle and, when full, are heavy and difficult to retrieve from high shelving.

.Document boxes

These smaller, sturdy boxes are easier to handle and transport. They are available in both legal-size and letter-size lengths. The boxes have an attached flip-top cover, reinforced metal edges, and pull ties for easy retrieval from shelving. The most popular size is about five inches deep, although a slimmer three-inch version is also available.

.Flat storage boxes

These boxes allow weak, flimsy, damaged, or oversize archival records to lie flat for storage, rather than upright as in the records storage and document boxes. Flat storage boxes have a removable lid, metal-reinforced corners, and an optional drop-front bottom to allow insertion and removal of records with less chance of bending or damage. These boxes are available in a wide range of sizes, from about 8" x 10" to as large as 20" x 24", in depths from 1 1/2" to 3".

.File folders

Archival file folders look like acidic manila folders except for their color, which may be green, tan or white, depending on the maker. They are available with index tabs, or with the more desirable straight cut reinforced top. They are available with scored bottoms to allow upright storage in the records storage boxes and document boxes.

.Mylar photo sleeves

These polyester sleeves see-through; and they protect photographs from dust and excessive handling, reducing the chance of photos being bent, torn, or dog-eared from use. Some sleeves are hole-punched for storage in ring binders, or they can be placed in file folders and stored upright or flat. The sleeves are available in a variety of sizes, divided into pockets designed to provide storage for photos, negatives, and transparencies in a multitude of formats, from 8" x 10" prints to 35mm., 4" x 6", and many other sizes.

.Permalife paper

This paper, also referred to simply as "acid-free paper," is a white, unlined 20 lb. bond useful for interleaving fragile items, lining boxes, and wrapping acidic items to prevent contact with and damage of other archival materials. The paper can also be used in photocopy machines to produce an acid-free permanent copy of acidic or deteriorating records such as newspaper clippings, old mimeographs, and onionskin documents. Permalife paper is acid-free, durable, and does not yellow or become brittle with age. It is available in several standard sizes and in large rolls.

These are just some of the most basic and widely used archives storage materials. Each vendor publishes catalogs of the many specialized storage containers available, including slide boxes, magazine files, CD cases, card boxes, portfolio boxes, page protectors, mounting pages, and hundreds of other arcane but sometimes useful items.