It is a well known fact, that by far the greatest risk for correct storage of many media supports, in particular photos and movies, is represented by ambient storage conditions. High or unstable temperatures and relative humidity are the primary and most dangerous causes of their deterioration. Consequently, setting up ambient and climatic conditions which eliminate these risk factors, greatly increases the “chances of survival” for these assets.

An accurate storage policy became much more important after the Law on Cultural Heritage (1999) and Code of Cultural and Landscape Heritage (2004) recognized that photographs, movies and audiovisual documents as “expression with a Cultural value” giving shape and legal status to the growing awareness of the need for suitable storage and appreciation of this heritage, which has become an important part of our recent and more remote historical memory.
Omtra was the first company in Italy to supply services of archiving services for third parties, and is once again ahead of the game by extending this service to other media. For this purpose it has set up specific suitable rooms for long term storage in accordance with ISO and the American Image Permanence Institute standards.Which media?
Omtra can store photos, negatives and films of any type and format as well as magnetic supports.
Our customers
Our customers include museums, archives, photo and movie libraries, media libraries, libraries, universities, and conservation organizations in general, photo agencies, advertising and press agencies, television stations, private collectors, and anyone who possesses or owns any collections of the above media, and feels the need, or has the institutional requirement, to store, preserve and use them in the most secure, suitable and effective manner.

The advantages of outsourcing with Omtra
There are many significant advantages that can be obtained from using this service offered by Omtra including:
- possibility of immediately starting, and without hesitation, conservation plans for your collections, even while waiting for your own storage areas to be set up;
- possibility of guaranteeing adequate storage conditions without the need for setting up specific systems at your premises, which are often very invasive;
- possibility of starting a storage service without the need for new in-house professional staff;
- guaranteed, perfectly maintained ambient conditions for long term storage of these media;
- best use of work spaces in your offices and separation of work spaces from storage areas;
- possibility of obtaining perfect conditions even for small collections, avoiding costly work to set up separate storage areas;
- quick and sure retrieval of all documents, thanks to Omtra’s Records Management system, for all consultation needs. Omtra guarantees immediate delivery to customer’s offices, or in a dedicated office at its premises with the use of computer, scanner, photocopy machine and assistance staff.

Services
In addition to the storage service, Omtra can handle the entire process involved in reorganizing and managing photo or film collections: cataloguing, digitalizing, designing enhancement plans used to create a consultable, useable and spendable photo or film library from a set of unorganized photos and films. Omtra can also provide materials for conserving photos and films – envelopes, sheets, boxes etc. – tested with P.A.T. (Photographic Activity Test).
Thanks to the above Omtra is a “full service” company for these media.

Storage areas
The storage rooms have been designed to obtain stable climatic conditions suitable for long term storage of many media. They are the ideal spot for archiving sensitive printed and media material including photographs, movies and magnetic tapes.
The following characteristics ensure a secure, stable environment:
- an air conditioning/heating system controls the storage conditions on a continuous basis;
- generators guarantee constant power in the event of a black-out or power failure;
- the rooms are kept constantly dark, except for rare needs to access them;
- the internal relative humidity is kept steady at 30%, and there are three main storage types based on temperature: 18°, 2° and -10°, with acclimatization area in the latter two cases. Other ambient values can be arranged for special situations upon request.
- the storage rooms have been designed with fireproof materials;
- the shelves are built of galvanized sheet metal which prevents rust;
- the modular design of the space means flexible and fast adjustments for customer needs.

Code of conduct
Omtra relies on specialized personnel able to securely manage all archiving, acceptance and pick up operations from temperature controlled rooms, in accordance with the standards recommended for handling and storing photographs and films.
It has set up an in-house Code of Conduct to ensure that rules and specific recommendations are always complied with.
Ha predisposto un Codice di comportamento interno allo scopo di assicurare sempre il rigoroso rispetto delle regole e delle raccomandazioni del caso.

Security
Our storage rooms have been specifically designed and created for secure storage of photos, films and other media. Only authorized personnel and customers who have made special arrangements are allowed access. Omtra possesses the best anti-intrusion systems.

Ambient testing and monitoring
All of storage rooms are constantly monitored by a computerized system. Omtra’s Code of Conduct also requires systematic checking of archives material on an annual basis, in order to ascertain the maintenance of their state of conservation.

Archiving management
Management of archived boxes is guaranteed by Omtra’s bar code system, which has been successfully used for years by our company.