Collecting and Preserving Records of A

1
Collecting and Preserving Records of AI
Occupants

• Presented by
• Tammy Peters
• Smithsonian Institution Archives
• Records Management Team
• February/March 2005

2
Goals of the Presentation

• Introduce the Smithsonian Institution Archives
  (SIA)
• Identify Records to Keep and to Discard
• Explain SIAs Services
• Answer Questions and Arrange Follow-Ups

3
SIAs Mission

• Appraise, acquire and preserve records of the
  Institution
• Establish policies and provide guidance for
  management of the National Collections
• Offer a range of reference, research, and records
  services
• Create products and services which promote
  understanding of the Smithsonian and its history

4
SIAs Authority SD 501

• All documents created or received by employees
  of SI in the course of official business are
  records of the Institution, and none may be
  disposed of except in accord with guidelines
  established by the Smithsonian Archives.

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What is a Record?

• Any official recorded information, regardless of
  medium or characteristics, created, received, and
  maintained by a Smithsonian museum, office, or
  employee

6
What Do Records Do?

• Document actions, decisions, policies and
  procedures
• Legal evidence
• Audit trail
• Accountability
• Corporate memory

7
What Do Records Look Like?

• Paper
• Film and Video
• Audio Recordings
• Photographs
• Email
• Spreadsheets and Databases

8
Not All Records Are Created Equal

• What to keep
• What is its function?
• Who is the creator?
• How long should a record be retained?
• Permanently
• Temporarily

9
Functions of SI Records

• 4 Core Functions
• Assuring Institutional Continuity
• Acquiring and Maintaining the National
  Collections
• Conducting and Supporting Original Research
• Diffusing Knowledge

10
Office of Record

• Office of Record is responsible for maintaining
  the official and most complete set of the record
• Torch Office of Public Affairs
• Smithsonian Directives (SDs) Office of
  Planning Management and Budget
• Not all offices are the Office of Record
• Exhibition Scripts one office generally
  maintains the final version although drafts and
  working copies of the final draft are found
  elsewhere

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Record Retention

• Permanent Records
• Historical, enduring value
• Best document your offices activities
• Temporary Records
• Records of short-term value
• Records for which you are not the Office of
  Record
• Administrative, routine, housekeeping functions

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Record Activity

• Active Records
• Current working files
• Regularly used to conduct current business
• Maintained on-site
• Inactive Records
• No longer needed by your office to conduct
  current business
• Transfer to the Archives or discard on-site after
  consulting SI Archives and in accordance with
  established disposition schedules

13
Records Management Services

• Help identify what to keep and what to discard
• Create disposition schedules
• Assist you in organizing your records advice
  and file plans
• Supply boxes and do the physical transfer of
  records
• Maintain and care for records
• Provide access to the records
• Destroy records according to established schedules

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Contact Information

• Tammy Peters, 357-1421 ext. 26 (peterst_at_si.edu)
• The Records Management Team (siarm_at_si.edu)
• Jennifer Wright (357-1421 x 37)
• (Robert) Shawn Johnstone (357-1421 x 32)
• Mitch Toda (357-1421 x 11)
• Ginger Yowell (357-1421 x 38)
• General Email osiaref_at_si.edu (or 357-1420)
• Records Management on the Web
  http//siarchives.si.edu/records/main.html
• SIA Website http//siarchives.si.edu/index.html