[NHCOLL-L:4603] Re: alcohol collections - state of the art?

[John E Simmons]

Fire codes do not directly address the storage of museum specimens in
standard museum preservatives.  As a result, what is "best practice" varies
from place to place.  For example, some institutions are required to use
explosion-proof safety cabinets, some are not; most institutions are
required to have wet pipe sprinkler systems (usually around 0.30 gallons per
minute per square foot capacity), but the required output of the system will
vary.  Most fluid specimen storage facilities are required to be above grade
and well-ventilated using floor vents because alcohol is heavier than air
(ventilation systems are usually 1 cubic foot per minute per square foot).

You will have to work with your local fire marshal to get an interpretation
of the regulations that is reasonable and ensures the safety of the
collection and those working with it.  In general, you will probably need to
reduce the number of ignition sources in fluid storage areas (e.g., limit
wall sockets, no work activities in fluid storage), reduce the chance of
spills (e.g., earthquake bars on shelves), have a good ventilation system to
prevent the build-up of fumes, restrict access to fluid collection storage,
and so forth.

--John

John E. Simmons
Museologica
128 E. Burnside Street
Bellefonte, Pennsylvania 16823-2010
simmons.johne at gmail.com
303-681-5708
www.museologica.com
and
Adjunct Curator of Collections
Earth and Mineral Science Museum & Art Gallery
Penn State University
19 Deike Building
University Park, Pennsylvania 16802-2709
jes67 at psu.edu

On Mon, Nov 9, 2009 at 12:02 PM, Stefan Sommer <Stefan.Sommer at nau.edu>wrote:

>  Dear All,
>
> We are in need of upgrading our alcohol collections infrastructure. We have
> significant collections in marine invertebrates, terrestrial arthropods,
> fish, amphibians, and reptiles. What is the current 'best practice' for fire
> resistant cabinetry and fire suppression systems?
>
> What does your museum use?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Stefan
>
>
>  Dr. Stefan Sommer
> Director, Colorado Plateau Biodiversity Center,
> http://www.mpcer.nau.edu/cpbc
> Executive Producer, A River Reborn, http://www.mpcer.nau.edu/riverreborn
> Faculty Advisor, Grand Canyon SEEDS Chapter,
> http://www.mpcer.nau.edu/seeds
> Board of Directors, Assoc. of College & University Museums & Galleries,
> http://www.acumg.org
> Faculty, Department of Biological Sciences
> Northern Arizona University
> Campus Box 5640
> Flagstaff, AZ  86011
>
> O: (928) 523-4463
> F: (928) 523-7500
> H: (928) 214-6324
> C: (928) 607-2028
>
> Stefan.Sommer at nau.edu
>
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