National Archives and Records Service film-vault fire at Suitland, Md. : hearings before a subcommittee of the Committee on Government Operations, House of Representatives, Ninety-sixth Congress, first session, June 19 and 21, 1979 (1979)

443 above 70 percent. As an extra precaution, NARS requested that humidity control be included as part of the renovations being performed on riuildinp^s A and C when the second 1978 fire occurred (see Attachment 2). The semiannual inspection of the films and the opening of the cj^ns provides further gas dispersion or aeration. 14. How does the Archives monitor humidity at the Suitland vault buildings? Tiiere is no procedure for monitoring humidity. Temperatures, however, are monitored daily. 15. How '."ell have PBS improvements in the main building ",'ork to control temperature and humidity levels? The improvements to HVAC in the Archives building have helped somev.-hat but there are still major problems that have not been corrected. In several records storage areas we cannot maintain a "constant" temperature or humidity reading for more than a day or two. We understand that additional improvements to "fine-tune" the Archives build'ing HVAC system will be undertaken by PBS in FY 1980. IG. What success is the Archives having with General Records Schedule 21, which requires agencies to submit films that are both pertinent and in good enough condition to copy? Since General Records Schedule 21 (nov./ mandatory) requires agencies to transfer on a regular basis and in a more timely manner permanent records with nU the necessary elements for preservation, duplication, and reference, tlie physical condition of the permanent material at the time of accessioning should be much better than it has been in the past. We anticipate that by monitoring compliance with these regulations our preservation needs for audiovisual records can, after a reasonable period, be limited to relatively small increases in space, supplies, and equipment. Right now, however, it's too early to state with any certainty what the impact the General Schedule will have on our preservation needs. As part of a planned review of this schedule, NARS solicited comments from Federal agencies on their use of GRS 21 and the adequacy of its guidelines for determining whether the audiovisual recorcis they produce and acquire are worthy of permanent retention or eligible for disposal. For the most part agencies responded favorably. The majority indicated tiiat GRS 21 criteria were satisfactory for differentiating between records worthy of retention and those which could be destroyed when no longer needed for current business. Several agencies suggested revisions to specific sections of the schedule. Tiiese arc being evaluated along with revisions recommended by members of the Audiovisual Archives nivision staff. Appropriate revisions will be incorporated in the GRS once this evaluation hs been completed. "lore than 1,900 cubic feet of agency motion picture film has been destoyed under tiie authority of GRS 21 since it was issued in January 1977. This material was disposed of through the Stock Film Library Branch (MNVS) evaluation program and the Audiovisual Archives Division's continuing appraisal of the extensive holdings of the International Communication Agency, formerly USIA. 17. yiow v.eU is the National Audio-Visual Center working to assure that government agencies do not duplicate or produce unnecessary films? What is it doing to avoid duplication?