Circular No. 09/2007/TT-BNV guiding specialized storage facilities

 

CIRCULAR

Guidelines on specialized storage facilities

Pursuant to Decree No. 45/2003/NĐ-CP dated May 9, 2003 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Home Affairs;

Pursuant to Article 14 of Decree No. 111/2004/NĐ-CP dated April 8, 2004 of the Government detailing the implementation of certain provisions of the National Archives Law;

Pursuant to Point b Clause 1 of Directive No. 05/2007/CT-TTg dated March 2, 2007 of the Prime Minister on enhancing the protection and utilization of archival materials.

The Ministry of Home Affairs hereby issues guidelines on specialized storage facilities as follows:

I. GENERAL GUIDELINES

Thông tư này quy định chi tiết khoản 4 Điều 38 Luật Thủy sản số 18/2017/QH14 đã được sửa đổi, bổ sung tại điểm c khoản 21 Điều 14 Luật số 146/2025/QH15.

These Circulars provide requirements and technical specifications for specialized storage facilities.

A specialized storage facility includes areas for document storage, archival processing, administrative offices, installation of technical equipment, and public service areas.

Thông tư này áp dụng đối với tổ chức, cá nhân có liên quan đến hoạt động kinh doanh đối tượng thủy sản nuôi chủ lực trên lãnh thổ Việt Nam.

These Circulars apply to agencies and organizations using state budget funds.

3. General Requirements

Specialized storage facilities must meet the following general requirements:

a) Location: convenient transportation; stable geological conditions, far from seismic zones; high ground with good drainage; not near areas prone to fire, explosion, pollution, and have reserve land for expansion when necessary.

b) Ensure structural durability; protect and safely store archival materials.

c) Rational design suitable for various types of documents and archival processes.

d) Meet aesthetic requirements for cultural buildings.

II. SPECIFIC GUIDELINES

1. Document Storage Area

The document storage area should be arranged separately, minimizing contact with walkways, having independent access routes. The layout should be appropriate for the type of documents.

a) Floor Area

The floor area of the document storage is calculated according to the formula:

b) Storage Area Size and Door Orientation

Each storage area has a maximum size of no more than 200 square meters² including: shelf space for documents, aisle space between rows of shelves, aisle space at the end of shelves, main aisle within the storage area.

Doors of storage areas should be oriented away from the west direction.

c) Structure

The structure of the document storage area must have a strong load-bearing capacity, withstand earthquakes up to 7 on the Richter scale, and resist typhoons up to Category 12.

d) Floor Load

Minimum floor load is 1700 kg/square meter² if fixed shelving is used or 2400 kg/square meter² if mobile shelving is used.

đ) Foundation

The foundation of the document storage area must be treated against termites, flat, able to withstand friction, and not generate dust.

e) Walls

The walls of the document storage area and partitions between storage areas must have a fire resistance rating of Class 1 according to national standards (do not collapse after four hours of burning).

The walls of the document storage area can be designed in one of two options:

- Double wall design: outer wall separated from inner wall by 1.2 meters creating a thermal insulation corridor, preventing direct sunlight from entering the storage area and allowing for the installation of necessary equipment.

- Single wall design: minimum thickness of 0.6 meters.

d) Roof

The roof is designed in two layers: the inner layer poured with reinforced concrete on-site, the outer layer made of insulating material. Between the two layers of roof, there is a minimum height of 1 meter for ventilation. The roof slope is approximately 5%.

đ) Floor Height

The storage floor has a minimum clear height of 2.4 meters.

The top floor for heat insulation has a height of about 3.6 meters.

The basement for ventilation, moisture control, and termite prevention has a height of 2.1 to 2.4 meters.

e) Doors

- Entrance doors and emergency exits must be single-pane fire-resistant, with a minimum width of 1 meter, opening outward. The gap between door panels and the floor must not exceed 5 millimeters.

For storage areas equipped with air conditioning, the doors must prevent heat loss.

- Windows: window area should be about 1/10 of the wall area. In cases where the wall is designed as a single layer, windows should be symmetrically placed; they must be resistant to intrusion, insects, dust, direct sunlight, ensuring minimum natural lighting and allowing natural ventilation when needed.

g) Vertical Traffic

Vertical traffic in the storage area includes:

- Main staircase;

- Emergency exit staircase, located at the ends of the storage area, with a width of 1.5 to 2.0 meters.

- Elevators installed for storage areas with two floors or more. Elevators are placed adjacent to the storage rooms and workrooms. Document elevators have a useful load of 500 to 800 kg, surrounded by fire-resistant walls (fire resistance of 4 hours). The elevator shaft measures 1.5 meters by 1.8 meters, and the door opening has a minimum width of 1.2 meters.

h) Shelving Arrangement

Shelves are arranged in double-sided rows, each row not exceeding 10 meters in length. Rows of shelves are placed perpendicular to the windows, 0.4 to 0.6 meters away from the walls. Aisles between rows of shelves are 0.7 to 0.8 meters wide, and aisles between the ends of shelves are 1.2 to 1.4 meters wide.

i) Environmental Requirements in the Storage Area

- Temperature and humidity: for paper documents, temperature should be controlled and maintained at 20°C (±2°C) and humidity at 50% (±5%); for film, photo, tape, and disc documents, temperature should be 16°C (±2°C) and humidity at 45% (±5%).⁰- Light: illumination in the storage area should be between 50 to 80 lux. 2⁰- Toxic gas concentration in the storage room: sulfur dioxide (SO2) below 0.15 mg/cubic meter; nitrogen oxide (NO2) around 0.1 mg/cubic meter; carbon monoxide (CO) below 0.15 mg/cubic meter.⁰- Ventilation: air in the storage area should circulate at a speed of about 5 meters per second.⁰k) Equipment for Protecting and Preserving Documents

- Protective equipment includes: surveillance cameras; alarm systems; automatic fire detection and extinguishing systems; anti-intrusion devices...

- Necessary equipment for document storage includes: document racks, boxes, cabinets complying with standards set by the State Records and Archives Administration; air conditioners and dehumidifiers; temperature and humidity measuring instruments; ventilation equipment; electric fans...₂at less than 0.15 mg/m³;³nitrogen oxide (NO);₂at approximately 0.1 mg/m³;³; carbon monoxide (CO)₂ at less than 0.15 mg/m³;³.

Ventilation regime: the air inside the warehouse must be circulated at a speed of about 5 m/s.

k) Protective and preservation equipment for documents

- Protective equipment includes: surveillance cameras; alarm devices; automatic fire detection and extinguishing systems; anti-burglary devices...

- Necessary equipment for document storage warehouses includes: shelves, boxes, cabinets for storing documents in accordance with standards prescribed by the State Archives and Records Administration; air conditioners and dehumidifiers; temperature and humidity measuring instruments; ventilation equipment; electric fans...

2. Other areas

Other areas include: the business processing area for storage, administrative area, equipment installation area, and public service area.

The total floor area of the business processing area for storage, administrative area, and equipment installation area must be at least 50% of the total floor area of the document storage warehouse. The public service area must be equal to the total floor area of the document storage warehouse.

a) Business Processing Area for Storage

The business processing area is located near the document storage warehouse and includes the following rooms:

- Document reception room: this room is conveniently positioned for document transportation and equipped with shelving units, document cleaning equipment, and document transport facilities.

- Document decontamination room: this room is placed close to the reception room, designed and constructed to accommodate freezing or vacuum decontamination methods, and equipped with appropriate decontamination devices.

- Document acid removal room: equipped with acid removal devices.

- Document processing room: located near the reception room and the room for expired documents, equipped with suitable devices for each type of document.

- Room for expired documents: situated near the vehicle transport path, close to the document processing room, and equipped with shelving units for expired documents.

- Repair and restoration rooms: located in well-ventilated areas with good lighting; equipped with repair and restoration devices suitable for each type of document; equipped with hot and cold water supply and drainage systems.

- Microfilm copy rooms: microfilm photography room, film development room, microfilm inspection room, equipped with appropriate equipment; equipped with hot and cold water supply and drainage systems and wastewater treatment system.

b) Equipment Installation Area

Includes rooms for installing the following systems: central air conditioning; monitoring, surveillance, and control equipment for protection and handling situations such as fire and explosion.

c) Administrative Area

Consists of rooms suitable for the scale of the organization:

- Administrative workrooms;

- Meeting rooms;

- Reception rooms;

- Security guard rooms;

- Parking areas for staff and readers;

- Ancillary facilities: gates, flower gardens, ornamental plants, fences, power stations, water tanks, sanitary facilities...

d) Public Service Area

Includes the following rooms:²- General reading room: the size of the reading room varies according to the number of readers, with a minimum area of 5m²/person. The reading room has few columns; it has a good soundproofing system; it is ventilated; it has sufficient light; it has adequate research tools such as file indexes, computers, and other reference books.

- Special reading room: for using audiovisual materials, microfilm reading, etc., for different types of readers.

- Temporary document storage room: located near the reading room to store documents that readers have registered but not yet read or are still reading.

- Document copying room: located near the reading room.

- Conference room: used for seminars, film screenings, and organizing conferences. The room is equipped with sound systems, screens, and movable tables and chairs for various purposes.

- Exhibition room: spacious, equipped with both fixed and mobile lighting fixtures. The interior space can be changed through non-flammable panels that can be assembled and disassembled.

- Public locker room: located near the entrance and exit of the reading room, exhibition room, and security guard room.

3. Additional Requirements

a) Electrical System

Lighting and security electrical systems inside and outside the warehouse are installed separately; there are common and individual switches for the entire warehouse and each floor. Electrical wiring inside the warehouse must comply with technical safety standards.

b) Water Supply and Drainage System

Water supply and drainage systems are installed separately.

Water supply equipment should not be placed on upper floors or the roof of the storage warehouse. Water pipes must ensure tightness, without leakage, and should not pass through document storage rooms.

The drainage system must ensure rapid discharge, including from the roof and walls.

c) Fire Prevention and Extinguishing Requirements

The storage warehouse must be fully equipped with fire prevention, extinguishing, and lightning protection devices; it must have emergency exits. Around the storage warehouse, there must be fire truck access roads and fire water systems.

For fire extinguishing purposes and to prevent damage to documents, only gas or powder fire extinguishers may be used in the document storage area.

Fire prevention and extinguishing equipment must comply with current national standards.

The construction design of the storage warehouse must be approved by specialized fire prevention and extinguishing authorities.

d) Traffic Requirements Between Warehouse Areas

- Must ensure convenience for document transportation between areas; ease of movement for the public researching documents, especially for disabled individuals; and ease for fire prevention and extinguishing.

- Reader pathways must be arranged separately.

III. GUIDELINES FOR IMPLEMENTATION

1. In the case of building a new dedicated storage warehouse

a) When organizations build a new dedicated storage warehouse, they must comply with the requirements outlined in this Circular. Note the following points:

- Regarding scale selection: based on the functions, tasks, and authority of the archive institution, the quantity and composition of submitted documents to choose an appropriate scale. Dedicated storage warehouses have the following scales:

Type 1: storing more than 10 km of document shelves, with a minimum floor area of 3200m²².

Type 2: storing 7 to 9 km of document shelves, with a floor area of 2190 to 2820m² t s².

Type 3: storing 4 to 6 km of document shelves, with a floor area of 1245 to 1875m²².

Type 4: storing 1 to 3 km of document shelves, with a floor area of 312 to 936m²².

- Determining the scale is based on:

+ The actual quantity of documents currently stored in the storage warehouse;

+ The actual quantity of documents stored in submission sources that are due but not yet returned;

+ The estimated quantity of documents expected to form in submission sources to be collected within the next 30 to 50 years;

+ The estimated quantity of private documents expected to be collected or donated by organizations and individuals.

- Regarding the design of components:

For specialized storage facilities with small scale, when designing, some administrative rooms and public service areas may be combined or not set up, depending on actual conditions.

b) During the process of preparing investment construction projects for storage facilities, agencies and organizations may refer to the Typical Design "Provincial State Archive Center - Paper Storage Block" and Typical Design "Administrative Block, Document Usage, Technology - Provincial State Archive Center" issued by the Ministry of Construction pursuant to Decision No. 679/QD-BXD dated June 10, 1999 and Decision No. 22/2000/QD-BXD dated November 2, 2000.

2. In cases of renovation and upgrading to specialized storage facilities

For agencies and organizations that already have storage facilities but with small scale not meeting the requirements stipulated in this Circular or in cases where old office buildings are renovated into specialized storage facilities, particular attention should be paid to issues such as floor load, doorways, windows, electrical systems, water supply and drainage systems, access routes for document transport vehicles, fire trucks...

3. For storage facilities located within the offices of agencies and organizations

a) For general agencies and organizations, the following main issues should be noted:

- Regarding location: choose a storage room that meets the requirements for protecting and safely preserving archival materials; do not arrange the storage room for archival materials in the basement or topmost floor of the agency's building; avoid west-facing doors, areas prone to moisture, pollution, fire, and explosion risks. Arrange the storage room near elevators and stairs for convenient material transportation.

- Regarding the area of the storage room: ensure sufficient space for storing materials.

- Regarding the environment inside the storage room: ensure temperature, humidity, light, dust, and toxic gas requirements as specified in Clause i, Point 1, Part II of this Circular.

- The electrical system in the archival material storage room must be absolutely safe.

- Arrange a separate reading room, isolated from the archival material storage room.

b) For communes, towns, and wards

- The archival material storage room should be arranged in a separate room within the People's Committee Office building with a minimum area of 20 square meters.².

- The location of the storage room should avoid damp areas or direct sunlight exposure.

- The storage room must be secure, resistant to intrusion, windstorms, flooding, rodents, termites, and other pests.

- The environment inside the storage room must be clean and well-ventilated.

- Equip with sufficient shelves, folders, boxes, and binders for material preservation according to standards.

- Equip with all necessary firefighting equipment as required.

IV. IMPLEMENTATION

1. Ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government agencies, People's Committees of provinces and centrally-administered cities are responsible for disseminating and implementing this Circular among subordinate agencies and organizations under their management and directing its implementation.

2. This Circular shall take effect fifteen days after its publication in the Official Gazette. All previous regulations and guidelines inconsistent with those in this Circular are hereby abolished.

3. During the implementation period, if any issues arise, agencies and organizations are requested to report them to the Ministry of Home Affairs for resolution./.