(I'd like to thank Margaret for her private response, and see what the
Listserve thinks of this question as well)
On Mar 7, 2005, at 8:22 AM, Margaret Crockett wrote:
> A is for Archives, R is for Records:
> a Two Day Course for Records and Archives Assistants
> Recognising that many assistants have a wealth of experience
> in the workplace, the course will build on existing practical
> knowledge and provide reinforcement of the basic aims and principles
> of good archives and records management in all media.
In keeping with the syllabus for this two-day course, I have a rather
basic question that I'd like to pose for discussion here. I realize
that many (most) of the participants on this list are from the UK
and/or other non-US environments, so I understand the responses may be
a bit different than what I'd expect.
First, let me frame the situation... you're in a Scientific/Research
environment, handling a mix of non-classified and classified materials
and there is a formal records management program and an organizational
archive. You have a regularly revised organizational retention
schedule, and a distributed, trained, records management staff in the
various owning organizations throughout your environment. As a part of
your RIM Program, you have an institutional record enter where
organizations can transfer active records to be managed on their behalf
whenever you need to, and they maintain sole custody of records when
they are transferred.
In a business scenario, you have records that by statute and
regulation are required for retention as long as they are active on a
permanent basis.
At some point in time, when they have been deemed by the "owning
organization" to become inactive, they are to be evaluated for their
potential historic, intrinsic and/or enduring value.
At this time, they are either to be transferred to the National
Archives, or maintained by the organization in a Private Archive until
transferred.
Is there ever a situation where it would be appropriate for these to be
accessioned into the organizational archive and processed as an
archival holding PRIOR to the period of determined inactivity?
Thanks
Larry Medina
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