The protection and preservation of state agency records is essential to the maintenance of government functions. This section deals with information concerning how to prevent a disaster, how to best prepare for a disaster and what action to take after a disaster occurs.

The State Records Act mandates that the Secretary of State:

"establish a system for the protection and preservation of essential State records necessary for the continuity of governmental functions in the event of an emergency arising from enemy action or natural disaster and for the reestablishment of State government thereafter."

This Act gives the Secretary responsibility for "security storage or relocation of essential state records in the event of an emergency." Each state agency is required by law to work with the Secretary in determining which records are "essential" for emergency and post-emergency government operation, and each agency is required to "establish and maintain an essential records preservation program."

The State Records Unit is prepared to work with agencies in preparing lists of (vital) essential records for emergency and post-emergency governmental operations and to aid agencies in preparing their disaster and recovery plans. After reading the following general information, contact the State Records Unit at (217) 782-2647 for specific help and guidance in preparing lists of vital records and disaster recovery plans.

Prevention
To prevent a disaster from damaging your records, you must first recognize potential hazards. These threats include damage caused by fire, water, wind, theft, sabotage, domestic violence and enemy action. Records should be stored in an environment that takes into account as many of the above factors as possible. Here are some ideas that you should consider in planning your record storage environment.

Fire — The prevention of fire is probably the single most important factor in safeguarding records. You can approach this problem by either (1) minimizing the chances that a fire will start or (2) maximizing your chances of extinguishing it. The first approach will be easier and less expensive. Fire protection tips include:

• No smoking in record storage area.
• Don’t store records with chemicals, cleaning supplies, old newspapers, etc.
• Keep the record storage area neat and police it at regular intervals.
• Don’t store records by the furnace, radiator or heater.
• Make sure all wiring is safe.
• Have fire extinguishers checked at regular intervals. Show your staff where they are located and demonstrate how to use them.
• Be sure to follow all local fire, electrical, plumbing, heating and construction codes.

Water — Water damage to records occurs when storage areas flood, sewers back up, overhead water pipes break and sprinkler systems or hoses are used to extinguish fires. When possible, do not store records under water pipes and never keep records directly on the floor. The advantages and disadvantages of sprinkler systems or other types of large scale fire extinguisher equipment should be discussed with a records manager from the State Archives before purchases are made.

Theft and Sabotage — Limit access to the record storage area and limit the number of staff members who handle records. Caution should be taken when hiring new employees, and efforts should be made to keep employees from becoming disgruntled.

Domestic Violence and Enemy Action — Safeguards can be taken against these threats, but it is cost prohibitive and impractical to store state government records in underground security vaults in Kansas or Utah. A possible precautionary measure is to identify the most vital of your records and to store duplicates as securely as possible at another site in the state. You may store security copies of permanent microfilm free at the Illinois State Archives.

Environmental Controls — Most modern paper stock is undergoing a continual process of deterioration. This is caused by the high-level acidity found in contemporary paper composition and is intensified by pollution in the atmosphere. Acid weakens the structure of paper. This causes the life expectancy of most modern paper to be about 20 years. Most records need not be kept this long, and many agencies have turned to microfilming to save space and preserve documents that have a permanent retention. However, adverse conditions, especially if they involve acidic or corrosive elements, can render the microform image unusable. Since environmental damage to books, paper, microforms and computer software is irreversible, control of the environment is perhaps the most important factor in prolonging the life of your records. Periodic inspection of records with long retentions (especially microform and magnetic data) should be made to ensure their quality.

Temperature, Humidity, Pollution, Lighting — The most important factor concerning temperature and humidity in records storage areas is consistency. Record mediums are injured by great fluctuations of temperature and humidity. Excessive heat can cause paper and microforms to become brittle, while high humidity promotes the growth of fungus that can rot paper and leather and breakdown the composition of microfilm. Therefore, you should avoid storing records in attics, basements, garages and warehouses that are not in some way climatically controlled. Ideally the temperature should be in the 65-70 degrees Fahrenheit range. The ideal level of humidity for paper is 45-55 percent; for microfilm, it is 30-40 percent. When storing these record forms together, 40 percent humidity is a good compromise. More importantly, humidity fluctuations of more than 5 percent up or down should be avoided. In situations where even minimal control of relative humidity is difficult to achieve, an effort should be made to keep air circulating through the record area. Mildew is more likely to grow if air is stagnant.

Avoid storing records in areas where there is smoke, dust or chemical fumes produced by paints or copying devices. Direct sunlight and bright lights will also shorten the life of paper and microforms.

Storage and Handling — When planning the storage of records, the primary concerns should be ease of access, preservation of records and security. Records should always be stored in the like series and should never be loose. They should always be left in file folders and placed in suitable boxes. If the records require a long retention period or are of permanent value, they should be placed in acid-free folders and acid-free cardboard boxes. Paper records should not be folded or rolled and metal paper clips and rubber bands should be removed before storage. Storage boxes should be of uniform size. Boxes that hold 1 cu. ft. of records are best. (A letter-size file drawer contains 1.5 cu. ft. of records and a legal-size file drawer contains 2 cu. ft.) Boxes should be filled but not packed so tightly that materials are difficult to remove. Papers within a box should be kept in folders and should be removed in these folders and not extracted by individual sheets.

Remember, records that are no longer active but still need to be retained may be transferred to the State Records Center in Springfield after they have been inventoried by the State Records Unit.

The Records Center stores records in an environmentally sound structure.

If your agency stores large quantities of records in your own centers, please note the following guidelines:

• Store boxes of records on sturdy shelving.
• All records should be at least three inches off the ground.
• Open spaces should be left around shelves to allow for air circulation.
• Avoid stacking boxes on top of boxes after they are two-high.
• Keep storage area free of food, beverages and plants to prevent possible soiling of records and to reduce the possibility of attracting insects and rodents.
• Paper records and working copies of microfilm should be handled only with clean hands.

Preparedness
A disaster can be any event of unexpected timing that produces destructive results. To be prepared for the unexpected:

• Determine what records you have in your care.
• Identify the locations of each record series.
• Decide which records have priority as being "vital" or "essential."
• Know who to contact for emergency help or supplies in order to restore your operation and perform your normal services.
• Decide who will have what responsibilities in various emergency situations.

To learn exactly what records are under your control, a complete records inventory should take place. This can be accomplished with the aid of records analysts from the Illinois State Archives. Your inventory will list the volume and dates of each record series. With this information you can now prepare a "map" of where each record series is located.

Each agency should tailor a vital records plan that fits its individual needs and function. Most disasters will be caused by human error or sabotage. However, a complete plan should also prepare for "any emergency arising from enemy attack or natural disaster." Agency officials should decide which records would be most necessary for the continuity of government functions during an emergency and which records would be most essential for the reestablishment of agency and government functions after the emergency situation has passed.

Agency officials should consider duplicating information deemed vital and which cannot be recreated from any other source. A security copy of these records (microfilm, paper, computer software) should be stored off-site. Remember, if vital records are maintained in machine-readable form, equipment is needed to provide access to the information. A copy of the program or other information required to use the records should be stored with them. State agencies are encouraged to store security copies of microfilmed records in the Illinois State Archives.

Each agency should devise a master plan for various emergency situations. This plan should identify vital records and their locations. The plan should include the duties of each person during a disaster. It should also contain a list of contacts that can provide assistance and supplies for various emergency situations. The person in charge of recovery must:

• have complete authority and be able to direct cooperation from everyone,
• be temporarily free of all other obligations to the organization, and
• be able to manage people and make decisions within a short span of time.

Prompt Action
If a disaster affects your agency’s records, immediately contact the State Records Unit at 782-2647. The staff will be able to help you make emergency record disposals and advise you on record restoration.

When responding to a disaster that has affected the structure of your building, be sure the area is safe to enter. Always consult with gas, electrical and structural officials before entering. Before attempting any records salvage, meet with the people whose records are involved to establish priorities and later to identify material. The State Archives staff can advise and assist state agencies with the restoration of damaged records.

In general, if large volumes of needed paper records become wet, it is best to freeze these records within three days and store them until they can be commercially dried by techniques such as vacuum drying at the McDonnell-Douglas Corporation in St. Louis. Store wet and frozen records in plastic milk cases on wooden pallets to facilitate moving, freezing and drying. Photographs, negatives, films and sound recordings must not be frozen but rather sent to professionals for restoration within three days. Wet microfilm and photographic film may be kept in cool, clean unchlorinated water for up to three days before being professionally restored.

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