Best Practices

Best Practices for Storage

Tools

• An inventory of each box or record stored, either in-house or offsite, is crucial to any record keeping operation. It will enable ease of access as a finding aid at a later date, but also as a backup record for disaster recovery purposes. This inventory control will enable our organization to have knowledge of all records within our custody and at any given time respond to all requests, whether a public records request, an audit or for legal discovery. 
• Every box should have an unique identifying number and appear on the inventory list. A label should be attached and describe the department, records type/contents, total number of boxes if a series (box 1 of 10), priority (short term/confidential/permanent/historical), disposition (warehousing needs, state transfer or shredding) and a retention/destruction date according to the current Arizona State retention schedule. This data is also important to include on the master inventory list.
• Each shelving unit should be numbered as to provide a location. This identifier will be used as a location tool when accessing records at a later date. A schematic or drawing of your storage area with box locations is also an efficient tool for locating records and as a backup record for disaster recovery purposes.
• Ensure that all shelving is of the required weight capacity and strength and can support long term records storage. There are several designs and configurations, considerations should be amount of reference frequency, retention requirements and total amounts should be looked at for overall design.

• It is recommended that all boxes have their lids/tops left on the top, this will keep the dust, pests and water out. A box is designed to protect the contents inside and the outer cardboard shell can absorb a fair amount of water and keep it off of the records. Lighting over a period of time will fade ink and type on paper records, your long term records will show signs of this if left exposed.
• Records should always be kept off of the floor. At the very least they should be stored on a pallet to give the few inches in case of flooding, pipes bursting or the sprinklers are set off,  3" to 6" is usually adequate. Records can be rescued and salvaged if proper steps are taken in the necessary period of time. In the case of an event, contact Records Management
• A good safety practice is to not store the boxes/records any higher than 6'. A sturdy ladder, four legged stool or a commercial rolling ladder is ideal for boxes that have been stored on a higher shelf or heavy to lift.
• We recommend the standard box size (10"x 12"x 15") for safety reasons, this smaller size aids in lifting and moving, but also we are maximizing the available space at the same time. This box size is a records industry standard and our division can assist in providing the departments with vendors. Attention to the stacking of boxes is necessary, placement of heavier boxes on the bottom and do not stack higher than 4 boxes, this is a good practice to prevent tipping of boxes.

• All media should be considered when storing for short term, long term, onsite or offsite. Tape media, CD's/DVD's, photographs, thumb drives or disk drives should be stored in low temperature and low humidity to assist in the preservation and retrieval if needed. A stable environment is best. These media types are not considered for long term retention and can be migrated to a longer term media such as paper, electronic document management system or microfilm.
• Temperature and humidity are concerns for long term retention and storage 30+ years, especially permanent/historical records and the several types of media such as microfilm, tapes and electronic media. Steps should be taken to ensure proper care is provided to protect and preserve the records. A stable controlled environment is best.
• Do not store furniture, equipment, paint, chemicals or flammables in the same area as your records. Over time not only is this detrimental to any record and media stored, it is an unsafe practice for a records storage environment. These items can increase the spaces for pest, dust and is disorderly to the records storage area.
• If at all possible, avoid storing records under cooler vents, water pipes or windows that could leak and damage the records. Avoid storing under or very near to large windows, they can also expose records to excessive light and heat.

• Access controls should be established for each records area to lessen the liability of lost or stolen records, this can be done with a sign in/out log or specific key access. Only staff with a true business need should have access. Limiting access to only pertinent personnel is not only prudent, but also decreases the risk of unauthorized disclosure to confidential/restricted records.