圖書館是保存人類文化資產最重要的處所之一，其場所之安全與否，關係著人類歷史脈絡典文化教育是否能延續傳承。從1986年美國洛杉磯中央圖書館的大火到最近 (2003年) 埃及亞歷山大圖主館的火災事件，不難看出火災已是威脅這些珍貴書籍文獻的最大禍源。然而目前國內各類場所消防安全設備設置標準針對圖書館，僅著眼於保護建築物本身及內部使用者安全，對於館藏之特殊性並未做必要之防護規定。因此，國內大部分圖書館在保護這些珍藏書籍過程中，選擇設置昂貴的氣體滅火藥劑；但從先進國家多年來統計評估發現，氣體滅火藥劑卻不一定是最好的抉擇。

Libraries serve as one of the main places that preserves human cultural property. Thus, whether human history and cultural education is preserved and transmitted depens on the security of libraries. From The Los Angeles Central Library fire of 1986 to the latest fire Egypt's Alexandria Library fire of 2003, it is evidend that fire has become one of the most serious threats to rare book collections. However, current fire codes only focus on the protection of a library's structures and occupants, with regulations necessary for the protection of archives or documents being inadequate. Consequently, most librarians in Taiwan choose to set up expensive gas-based fire suppression systems. Nevertheless, long-term statistics and evaluations from developed countries indicate such systems are not necessarily the best alternative to preventing fire damage.