[PADG:1462] RE: FW: Booklock shelving system

["Rekrut, Ala (CHT)" <ARekrut@xxxxxxxxx>]

>From the literature at the website you give, it look like the Booklock
product fits on top of existing shelving and acts as a bookend substitute,
not as freestanding shelving.  ABS (AcrylonitrileButadieneStyrene) is
modified PolyStyrene (PS), a relatively chemically stable plastic compatible
for use with artifacts according to the Canadian Conservation Institute
http://www.cci-icc.gc.ca/frameset_e.shtml.  PS is commonly used for
"archival" containers for very chemically sensitive materials such as moving
picture films, so I wouldn't worry about offgassing with the product at
normal room temperatures.  I would worry about how much heat the product can
take before it deforms, collapses, melts onto books and shelving, and what
it off-gasses when heated, but if you have a good sprinkler system this may
be moot.  Your local fire department can give you advice about offgasing
under various fire conditions, and it's in their interest to know if there
are higher than usual concentrations of plastics present in your library.

Ala Rekrut
Chief, Preservation Services
Provincial Archives of Manitoba
200 Vaughan Street
Winnipeg, MB  R3C 1T5
CANADA
(204) 945-1265
(204) 948-2008 fax
arekrut@xxxxxxxxx


> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Andi [SMTP:andit-@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
> Sent:	Thursday, October 11, 2001 9:26 PM
> To:	padg@xxxxxxx
> Subject:	[PADG:1460] FW: Booklock shelving system
> 
> Has anyone investigated the "Booklock" shelving system?
> (http://www.booklock.org/index.htm)  A salesman came by our library the
> other day and showed me a sample.  I asked him what type of plastic the
> shelves were made of, and he stated it was ABS plastic.  I got additional
> information about what ABS plastic is composed of from
> http://www.matweb.com/abspolymer.htm. I know that this plastic is not
> polyethylene or polyvinyl, which makes me wary of using it.  The salesman
> (of course) assured me that the plastic would not offgas.  Does anyone
> have
> any idea about the long-term effects of ABS plastic on library materials
> such as books, audio/visual media, etc.?  Are there any other things I
> should know or try to find out about this system?
> 
> Thanks,
> Andi Windham
> Library Assitant
> Austin Public Library
> -------
> Graduate
> The Center for the Cultural Record
> Preservation and Conservation Studies
> Graduate School of Library and Information Science
> The University of Texas at Austin