In early June, it made headlines on VRT: a renowned city is taking major steps to digitise and restructure its historical archives. A great initiative, of course, and at first glance it seemed as though an enthusiastic team of volunteers could simply get the job done. But anyone who has ever stood in a damp basement knows that professional archive management involves much more than a few extra pairs of hands.

Renovating an archive space so that it complies with strict legal and regulatory requirements for safe storage requires a significant long-term investment.

The ticking time bomb beneath your office
Many organisations store their archives wherever there happens to be space available: in a basement, an old garage or an attic. Until reality strikes:

• The plumbing risk: One leaking pipe above the shelving can irreparably destroy decades’ worth of contracts, construction plans or historical records.
• The mould problem: Rising damp can spread rapidly. Once an archive has been affected, the entire space must be evacuated immediately, and the documents often require costly specialist treatment before they can even be moved.

If you are told that a building needs to be demolished or extensively renovated to resolve a moisture problem, you suddenly face a logistical nightmare. Where do you temporarily store thousands of files?

The smart solution: Off-site archiving

You can invest tens of thousands of euros in renovating, climate-controlling and securing your own archive space. Or you can choose a structural solution: off-site archiving.

By storing your archives — after a thorough clean-up, of course — in Merak’s optimally conditioned storage facilities, you can eliminate physical risks in one move. No more worrying about leaks, moisture or lack of space, while gaining the reassurance that your documents are stored safely for the future.

Would you like to identify the risks in your current archive space?
Request a no-obligation consultation with Merak’s experts.