"The depository helps secure their safe-keeping, their well-being, in perpetuity," Graham says.
Lane and the staff members driving the "man-aboards" retrieval devices wear heavy sweatshirts because the facility is kept at a chilly 50 degrees, with a mere 35 percent humidity. These conditions, Lane says, are "an attainable level recommended by preservationists."
The film vault is kept even cooler, as a key chemical component of the material, acetate, has a tendency to decay over time.
These conditions will keep the collections readable for generations--up to 400 years.
Leaving the depository, Schneiter looks back at the shelves. "It's preserving the intellectual record," Schneiter says, surveying the immense rows of books.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Lane responds. " I just put them on the shelves."