Archives emergency response
we solve small and big emergencies in the archive
The emergency in the archive does not occur only in cases of serious hydrogeological catastrophes such as floods or earthquakes, but much more often in the case of “mini disasters” affecting environments and contents such as water infiltrations, partial collapses, biological infections and infestations, contamination by toxic agents.
Within archives, libraries, museums and foundations, paper and parchment supports predominate, which by their nature are seriously threatened by fire and water, as well as by slower but equally harmful agents such as dust, humidity and molds.
The need to improve disaster prevention is listed as a top priority in all EU documents relating to archives.
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Intervention request form
Best practices for prevention and conservation
Cataloging
Knowledge and identification of the assets that make up the heritage to be safeguarded
Materials and formats
Knowledge of the material, format, supports and media of the various documents, both analog and digital, present in archives, libraries and foundations
Checklists
Drafting and constant updating of specific”checklists”, in which the percentage value of the total documentation must be indicated for each item, as well as of course the location inside the building
Responsible for conservation
Definition of a conservation manager who has the task of drawing up and updating the checklists
Topographic of the archive
Documentary heritage management through the use of a topographical inventory, which is the tool that associates documents with the building plan. Constant updating of the topographical inventory following movements of the documentation (public use, rejects, ordinary interventions, etc.)
Combined use of checklists and topographical
Associated use of checklists and topographical inventory: allows you to plan and keep interventions and priorities under control
Security and control
Arrangement of an adequate level of security within archives, museums and libraries.
Systematic risk control inside and outside the buildings.
Deposits maintenance
Installation and maintenance of safety systems and emergency devices. Control and care in the management of deposits and materials
Risk assessment
Effective risk assessment: analytical calculation of the measures necessary both for the prevention of disasters and for the protection of funds and collections
Possible causes of disaster and emergency in the archive:
- environmental disasters: floods, earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, rain or wind storms, insect and rodent infestations.
- man-made disasters: infiltration of moisture, breakage of sewage systems, short circuits, arson or negligence, explosions, dispersion of chemical or toxic products, construction defects or poor maintenance of buildings.
To deal with emergencies with the aim of preventing them, Prodoc has devised a risk plan that foresees and defines potential threats, alert, response and reorganization phases.
The risk assessment takes into account two factors:
1) The probability that an accident causing damage will occur in the interaction between the asset and the source of risk
2) The extent of the potential damage
The main objective of all the measures listed is to reduce the risk to acceptable levels by adopting all technically possible measures. Before an emergency occurs, it is good to think about a DRP or Doc Recovery Plan to avoid dangerous situations and minimize damage in the event of an accident or calamity.
Prodoc is able to intervene and recover paper, archival and books in the event of:
The work process in emergency situations
We receive the alarm following a claim:
Our emergency number is active 24/7.
We immediately activate our emergency teams:
On the site of the accident we activate all the procedures useful to secure the damaged goods and to avoid any worsening of the damage occurred on them.
We prepare the damaged material for restoration:
After an assessment of the accident carried out by expert restorers, we examine together with the customer the best activities to undertake to prepare the material for the restoration operations.
We proceed with the restoration activities:
The restoration of damaged goods can be carried out directly on the site of the accident or in our laboratory.