Environmental conditions and the storage of audiovisual materials in archival institutions in the ESARBICA region

Abstract

This article discusses environmental factors which affect audiovisual (AV) materials in east and southern Africa. Since countries in the East and Southern Africa Regional Branch of the International Council on Archives (ESARBICA) are in a tropical region, AV materials are affected by high temperatures which result in vinegar syndrome, while high humidity results in binder hydrolysis. The rate of deterioration of AV materials is exacerbated by lack of/or malfunctioning HVAC systems in some national archives, lack of disaster prevention strategies, poor maintenance of some archival buildings, exposure to light, and biological factors such as insects, dust and mould.