As our institution looks toward getting a good, secure, organized archive room set up, we are torn between two ideas. We are a historic house museum, and as such are in an old structure whose timbers are from 90 to 200 years old. We have a good integrated alarm system for fire and theft, but no fire suppression system. There is some climate control, though that would be boosted if we were to move archives there. From a practical point of view, it seems logical to try to find a space within our physical building to store archives and provide space for their use. But there are people worried about the fire risk of the building. The other option is to rent a space 15 minutes walk away, in a modern office building on the main street of the small coastal city we live in. It has a sprinkler system, alarms, and better climate control - though as things stand we wouldn't have control of the climate control. We would have security systems installed. Either location would be fitted with good cabinets and shelves suitable for archives, though I would explore "fireproof" housing more deeply if the archives were to be in the museum. Off-site would be a nuisance, as staff would have to suspend other work any time outside researchers needed to use the archives, not to mention the added risk of transferring papers back and forth for exhibit and prolonged staff research. So, any thoughts on the risks of keeping archives in a historic structure but on our own property, as opposed to keeping them in a more modern building with suppression integrated but less in our control and under our oversite? I appreciate any thoughts, however random! Thanks, Juliette Rogers Collections Manager/Registrar Stephen Phillips Trust House Salem Mass. ========================================================= Important Subscriber Information: The Museum-L FAQ file is located at http://www.finalchapter.com/museum-l-faq/ . You may obtain detailed information about the listserv commands by sending a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "help" (without the quotes). If you decide to leave Museum-L, please send a one line e-mail message to [log in to unmask] . The body of the message should read "Signoff Museum-L" (without the quotes).