How should broadcast materials be properly stored?
General Best Practices
All materials should be kept in dry, climate-controlled conditions. If possible, they should not be stored in attics or basements where moisture, pests, heat, flooding, and other hazardous conditions will put them at risk for mold, water damage, or in the case of audiovisual materials, hasten their deterioration.
Print Materials
Print documents are best stored in acid-free folders organized vertically in Paige or banker boxes, which are standard archival sizes. Regular office file folders and boxes of other sizes also work just fine as long as they are sturdy and undamaged.
Audiovisual Materials
Audiovisual materials are best stored in their original containers, provided there is no damage or significant deterioration to them, and stacked vertically by item on shelves raised at least two inches from the floor. Smaller AV items such as cassette tapes and DATs may be stacked in paige boxes. All AV items can be boxed when moving.
Additional Resources on Managing AV Materials
Digitized materials
All digitized materials and electronic records should be stored on reliable devices such as hard drives or USBs, or online in password-protected and professionally maintained cloud storage or server spaces. It is a good idea to keep backups of highly selected material in separate storage locations. Hard drives fail and cloud storage providers change their policies, and many archivists follow the the practice of LOCKSS, which means “Lots Of Copies Keeps Stuff Safe.”
