Securing Archives in storage areas

In the archives class I learned that secured documents are not just secured in the repository but also in storage areas. Storage facilities are commonly used by archives. In fact rare books and collections store the majority of their collections in these facilities. These collections are generally unprocessed collections and therefore securing the area is a necessity.

One thing that I found out is that the storage area manager and archives management need to be on the same page when securing the documents. I did some research. It seems that there are issues when archivists decide to store documents in storage areas. The first issue is who cleans the storage room, either staff provided by the archives or by the storage manager. I assume it would be the archives department's responsibility. I have a issue with contracted cleaners for cleaning the materials. They may not be properly trained on how to handle valuable material. I believe its the archivist's job to clean the area because they have the training.The second issue is whether or not security guards are protecting the storage area. Protection may mean patrolling inside the storage area or the perimeter around the area and how often they patrol. It is also important to have the security guards inform which archives ‘staff in cases of an emergency. In this case, just at what time and the criteria where staff is to consulted needs to be agreed upon with both security and management. The storage area manager also bears responsibility when it comes to taking care of damages to windows and doors. The archives staff is primarily responsible for the storage area where the collections are stored. The storage area manager and archives management need to be consulted in case of fire. Basically I think in cases of fire, if its a major fire, then the security guards need to contact the fire department right away.