Archives resources on the web

Portals
Archives Canada http://www.archivescanada.ca/english/index.html
Archives Canada is an official archival portal maintained by the Canadian Council of Archives (CCA), and is a joint initiative of the CCA, the Provincial – Territorial Archival Network, and Library and Archives Canada.

UNESCO Archives Portal
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-and-information/portals-and-platforms/unesco-archives-portal/


Associations and Archives
Archives of Manitoba http://www.gov.mb.ca/chc/archives/

Association of Canadian Archivists http://archivists.ca/


Association for Manitoba Archives http://mbarchives.ca/

Canadian Council of Archives http://www.cdncouncilarchives.ca/

International Council on Archives http://www.ica.org/
ICA is the professional organization for the world archival community, dedicated to promoting the preservation, development, and use of the world’s archival heritage.

Library and Archives Canada http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/Pages/home.aspx

Links to Collections and Archives in Canada http://web.archive.org/web/20040603023231/http://mmsd1.mms.nrcan.gc.ca/archives/tools/links_alpha-e.asp

Society of American Archivists http://www2.archivists.org/

Education
Directory of Education Resources http://www.archivescanada.ca/car/car_e.asp?l=e&a=education

Manuals
Archives Association of British Columbia. Archivist’s Toolkit. http://aabc.ca/resources/archivists-toolkit/
The “Archivist’s Toolkit” has been designed as a community resource for use by those working primarily in small and medium-sized archives in British Columbia.

Introduction to Archival Organization and Description https://web.archive.org/web/20060208055206/http://www.schistory.org/getty/
This site, prepared by the Getty Information Institute, USA, contains introductory information about organizing and describing collections of personal papers and organizational records that make up the fabric of archival collections.


Readings
American Historical Association. Careers For History Majors. http://www.historians.org/pubs/Free/careers/Information.htm

Canadian Library Association. Competency Profile of Information Management Specialists in Archives, Libraries and Record Management http://www.cla.ca/resources/competency.htm

Concordia University Archives. Introduction to the Concept of Archives. http://web.archive.org/web/20100206025321/http://archives3.concordia.ca/using.html

Gilliland-Swetland, Anne J. Enduring Paradigm, New Opportunities: The Value of the Archival Perspective in the Digital Environment. Washington, D.C.: Council on Library Resources, February 2000.
http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub89/contents.html
This report examines how the archival perspective can be useful in addressing problems faced by those who design, manage, disseminate, and preserve digital information.

Understanding Society Through Its Records http://john.curtin.edu.au/society/index.html
From Australia. Provides a basic introduction to a career as an archivist and the roles records play in society.

Using Archives: A Practical Guide for Researchers http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/04/0416_e.html
From Library and Archives Canada.

Inactive records management

Inactive records management http://web.archive.org/web/20041224151753/http://xnet.rrc.mb.ca/recmgmt/chapter17.htm

Inactive records management

Purposes of records centres

• As a general rule 40% of records are inactive
• 30% inactive + 10% long-term
• Where should they be housed so they can be retrieved when needed but where the cost is less expensive than office space?
• How can we get the best use of space?

Uses of records centres

• Records centres are facilities designed to house inactive records
• Fill two major needs:
• Serve as low-cost Storage Centres
• Serve as Reference Centres

Storage centre

• Must provide
• physical protection of inactive records
• protection of contents of records from theft, alteration, observation by unauthorized parties
• Safety and security responsibilities’ of the record manager and records centre staff
• Inactive records storage centre provides cost savings
• more efficient storage
• microfilming

Reference service centre

• Place for people to refer to any inactive record
• Many provide tables, chairs, terminals, microfilm readers

Objectives of records centres

• Overall goal is to provide safe storage and access to records at a reduced cost
• Specific objectives:
• Reduce volume of records held thereby reducing cost of storage
• Establish controls to ensure continuous flow of records from offices to low-cost storage
• Free space and reduce need for storage equipment
• Establish an efficient retrieval system
• Develop microfilm program if appropriate
• Maintain total security over records

Records centre facilities

• Commercially provided
• Company owned

Commercial: self-service

• Outgrowth of household storage
• Also known as a landlord/tenant agreement
• Landlord provides space and shelving for records
• Storage charges based on amount of space or number of cartons used by tenant
• Tenant responsible for maintaining records, inventories and controlling retrievals
• Storage and retrieval responsibilities reside with tenant
• Tenant (depositor) may place any type of record in space; remove or add records as needed
• Landlord (records centre) obligated to provide “reasonable” care in maintenance of storage areas
• Landlord may provide additional services at additional costs, e.g. copying, packing records, transferring records, pick up/delivery, fax, mailing

Commercial: full service services

• Can include
• Original records transfer to facility including transfer boxes and transfer forms
• Records inventory
• Records security
• Fireproof vaults
• Sprinkler systems
• Burglar and fire alarms
• Authorized signature systems
• Confidentiality
• Backup water and power systems
• Blanket insurance for liability and damage
• Bonded employees
• Temperature and humidity controls
• Storage for a variety of media
• Pickup and delivery
• Computerized tracking systems from records receipt to destruction
• Retrieval of box, folder, or document
• Copying services
• Fax services
• Destruction services
• Computerized client activity reports providing information re costs, retrievals, removals, charge-outs, returns, etc.
• Micrographic services
• Records construction capacity
• Consulting services
• Onsite reference and conference rooms
• Communication systems

Cost

• Costs for commercial centre computed using different methods based on cubic feet used
• Costs of retrieval included in storage fee
• Hourly fee for retrieval added to storage fee
• Fixed fees for various types of services
• Service contract
• Appropriate when retrieval requirements can be accurately predicted, if not may be expensive
• Combination plan
• Minimum guarantee for fixed number of retrievals and flat rate for those in excess

Company-owned centres

• Nonprime space within own location e.g. basement, attic, which must have:
• Proper heating, lighting, humidity controls, floor load capacity
• usable space, e.g. ceiling height, number of obstructions, odd shaped spaces
• Must factor in space conversion costs, costs of storage equipment, personnel costs, energy costs, etc.

Onsite advantages

• Availability of records
• Delivery system from one location to another not needed
• Organization has total control over records and information

Offsite advantages

• May be commercial or company-owned
• Offsite centre may be less costly
• May be located near by or many kilometres away from organization
• Above ground
• Generally less expensive
• Underground
• Greater security
• More limited geographic locations, e.g. salt mines, limestone mines, under mountains/hills

Onsite/offsite storage comparison

	Onsite	Provincial Government Records Centre
Storage cost for 1 box	$30	$6
Storage cost for 1,000 boxes	$30,000	$6,000

Site selection criteria

• Many factors must be considered when selecting an appropriate site
• Cost
• Commercial versus company-owned
• Pickup delivery cost
• Security/insurance costs (high if site in high-risk area)
• Access to records
• If offsite, access a greater problem
• Commercial centres outside of immediate area
• Fax, computer access, courier, Canada Post
• 75% of all information requests can be answered verbally, so telephone service essential
• Transportation
• Company-owned offsite location should have accessible roads for easy commuting
• Commercial centres should be in areas allowing prompt delivery by Canada Post, special messenger, express mail, etc.
• Safe and security
• Do not consider a site with high risk of unauthorized access, loss, destruction, theft

Space utilization

• Volume and kinds of records are determined by records inventory report
• Space required to house inactive records determined by storage method used
• Most store records in cartons on steel shelves placed back to back
• Maximum of 50 feet of unbroken shelf length recommended
• Plans must be made to allow for different sizes and types of records (e.g. av, maps, publications, microform, engineering drawings, computer output, etc.)
• Different media types have different storage requirements
• Compact mobile shelving allows greater density
• General rule: 3 to 4 cubic feet of records will take one square inch of space
• Ceiling height affects storage cabinets
• Use ladders up to 14 feet
• Over 14 feet catwalks or automated storage and retrieval
• When estimating square footage required to house records consider type of storage container, type of shelving, height of ceiling, and any obstruction that reduces available storage space
• Ratio of cubic feet of records to square feet of required floor space

8 ft stacks	10 ft stacks	12 ft stacks	14 ft stacks	22 ft stacks
2.7 to 1	3.3 to 1	3.9 to 1	4.5 to 1	7.1 to 1

• Floor load capacity
• weight of records and equipment a floor can safely accommodate
• a filled records carton weighs between 30-50 lbs
• Plan centre so weight of equipment and records do not exceed floor load capacity and that future additions can be accommodated

Physical layout

• Records centre must accommodate inactive records storage are and admin. receiving, preparation and distribution areas
• Plans should include:
• Records Storage Area
• Administrative Area (reference and office areas)
• Receiving Area
• Preparation Area
• Distribution/Disposal Area

Records transfer

• Determine transfer period
• Periodic versus Perpetual transfer
• Periodic – on a regular schedule
• Perpetual – continuous basis
• Determine records to be transferred
• Prepare records for transfer
• Forms
• Packaging
• Arrange transfer
• Receive records

Records charge-out and follow-up

• Records request
• By phone, computer, mail, person
• Specific information needed for request
• Box no. (assigned by records centre, noted on records transmittal form)
• Folder title/description
• Name, dept., location, telephone no. of requester
• Length of time recorded needed
• Charge-out and follow-up
• Manually or electronically

Records destruction

• Disposal of records no longer needed by organization
• Internal
• Commercial record centre
• Contract to local company
• Methods include:
• Wastebasket
• Shredding
• Incineration
• Chemical destruction (maceration)
• Pulping

Method selection factors

1. Volume of records to be destroyed?
2. Same size and type of material? If not, which processes would destroy all types?
3. What percentage confidential?
4. What environmental standards affect destruction of the records in the community?
5. Bonded contractors available to provide desired destruction method?
6. Possible to sell to paper salvage company? Have to be shredded first?
7. Costs of in-house vs contracted destruction?

Destruction documentation

• Records destruction authorization and confirmation should be documented

References
Developing an Inactive Records Storage Facility Archives Technical Information Series #48 https://web.archive.org/web/20080820081012/http://www.archives.nysed.gov/a/records/mr_pub48_accessible.html
The Value of Offsite Storage http://web.archive.org/web/20050526082823/http://www.filebankinc.com/reports/offsite_storage.html
FACS Record Centre http://web.archive.org/web/20071009061848/http://www.walshbros.com/offsite_records_index.html

Records creation and control

Records creation and control
Chapter 13 Correspondence, directives, and management
Chapter 14 Forms and reports management
Chapter 15 Records control—audits and reports
http://web.archive.org/web/20041224151642/http://xnet.rrc.mb.ca/recmgmt/chapter13-15.htm

Reports review guide

REPORTS REVIEW GUIDE	DATE	FILE NUMBER
TITLE OF REPORT
Note to reviewing Officers--- checked, use separate sheet	Check appropriate column.  for recording changes or	If "Questionable" is observations.
	PART I: To be completed by the using office.
	Questionable	Satisfactory
1. USEFULNESS
1. THE REPORT AS A WHOLE Who uses it? How is it used? What is it purpose? Should it be continued?
2. USE OF EACH ITEM Is every item used? Are there any items missing?
3. USE OF EACH COPY Are all distributed copies used to good purpose?
4. USE OF NEGATIVE REPORTS Are negative reports required? What use is made of them?
5. FREQUENCY Is frequency adequate? Is a lower or diminishing frequency feasible?
6. VALUE VERSUS COST. Is the value of the report worth its cost?
7. EFFECTIVENESS. How effective a management tool has this been?
8. CONTENT Do the contents develop trends by properly mixing historical, current, and projected conditions?
2. QUALITY
1. ADEQUACY AND SUITABILITY Are scope and content of the report tailored to need?
2. COMPARISONS Are comparisons provided against goals, standards of past performance, or some other known factor?
3. REPORTING UNITS Are units proper for meaningful interpretation?
4. SIGNATURE AUTHENTICATION. Are signatures of verifying and approving officials included when necessary?
5. ACCURACY Is source data accurate? What is its record of dependability?
3.TECHNIQUES
1. INTEGRATED REPORTING Are data needs of other levels and offices tied in?
2. EXCEPTION REPORTING Would it be appropriate to report conditions only when other than normal?
3. SAMPLING Would sampling of a few offices provide representative and reliable data?
4. STANDARDIZATION If forms are used, do all offices use the same form? If narrative is used, is there a standard of acceptability?
4. EASE OF USE
1. STYLE OF PRESENTATION Does the style of presentation provide clarity and finding ease? Is it condensed? Are graphics used well?
2. SUMMARY INFORMATION Would just a summary be better?
	PART II: To be completed by the preparing office.
1. POLICY
1. PREPARATION Has a procedure been written for the preparation of the report?
2. REVIEW Are the report and the preparation procedures regularly reviewed?
2. SHORTCUTS
1. ANOTHER AVAILABLE RESOURCE Is the data in some other report? Is the data more accessible from another office?
2. COMBINATION Could this report be combined with another report?
3. BY-PRODUCT Is it possible to get the report as a by-product of some other process (i.e. multicopy form set)?
4. DISTRIBUTION Are all copies distributed essential?
3. TIMING
1. ADEQUATE TIME Do due dates give enough time for preparation and review?
2. OFFICE WORKLOAD Has preparing office workload been considered? Could end-of-month or end-of-year reports be avoided?
3. REPORTING PERIODS Are there periodic conflicts among respondents or between feeder and summary reports?
4. SUBMISSION Has complete and/or timely submission of this report been a problem?
4. FORMAT
1. PRESENTATION Does the type of presentation--narrative, graphic, or tabular--best portray information?
2. STRIP REPORTING Is it possible to match feeder reports from several sources and compile by stripping?
3. ARRANGEMENTS AND SIZE Are items grouped and sequenced to work flow? Is spacing adequate for responses?
4. LAYOUT Does the layout lead the reader to prompt and accurate conclusions?
5. ARRANGEMENT OF RECORDS Should records be arranged differently to simplify reporting?
5. SOURCES
1. FEEDER REPORTS Are procedures for feeder reports provided to ensure uniformity and simplicity?
2. DIRECT USE OF RECORDS Could actual records or copies be sent instead of the prepared report?
3. CUMULATIVE DATA Can fiscal or statistical data be kept on a cumulative basis in order to eliminate last-minute workloads?

Report evaluation form

REPORT EVALUATION FORM TO: Report Recipient                DATE:                             To assist in reducing the volume of paperwork, your evaluation of this report is needed. Please check the item below that, for you, best describes the attached report copy--

[ ] 1. I don't really need this report; please discontinue it.	[ ] 5. I need the report as is; please continue it. (I keep it on hand for __ months.)
[ ] 2. I need the information in the report but could obtain it from a reference copy if one were made in my general area.	Additional comments on Item No. :
[ ] 3. I need the information, but on a less frequent basis.  I would like a copy (circle one): weekly     monthly   quarterly     annually
[ ] 4. I need this report, but it would be much more useful if the report could be modified in format or content.

Date:

Your name:

Department:

Note: If you wish to continue to receive this report, you must respond within 10 days.

Forms design checklist

	Yes	No
Arrangement
1. Considering the source of the information, its use, and the way users normally write or read it, are all items and groups of items arranged in the right sequence?
2. Considering the type of storage equipment used, is the key information (data used to retrieve the form in a file) in the most visible location
Spacing
3. Considering the preparation method, has the proper amount of space been provided for each piece of requested information?
4. Does the horizontal spacing visually direct the user from one section to the next?
5. Is the vertical spacing set so that data can be entered on the form using a typewriter or computer without vertical adjustments?
6. Is all extra space used properly for emphasis, separation, and balance instead of looking left over?
Captions
7. Will all captions be understood by everyone who might use the form?
8. Are captions placed in the upper-left corner of each fill-in area?
9. Will abbreviations really be understood?
10. Are group captions or headings used to identify major areas?
Multiple-choice answers
11. Are possible answers given (including check boxes) whenever they would help the users provide better answers in less time?
12. Are the answers and check boxes arranged properly for the most productive and accurate fill-in?
Instruction and distribution
13. Can someone unfamiliar with the form complete it without referring to any other source for help?
14. Have all unnecessary instructions and explanations been left off the form so that the user’s intelligence will not be insulted?
15. Are the distribution instructions shown on the form in the most effective way for its usage pattern and construction?
16. If an interior copy is to be removed from the set before the others, is that copy slightly longer so that it can be easily identified and removed?
17. Is the self-mailer format used whenever applicable?
18. Is the form designed to fit a window envelope whenever appropriate?
Margins
19. Does the form have adequate margins for the required lock-up (gripper) space on the press?
20. Are the margins adequate for any binding technique to be used, such as hole punches for notebooks and post binders?
21. Are the margins adequate for other handling characteristics, such as filing, copying, stapling, and so on?
Types, lines, and screens
22. Do all of the lines on the form do what they are supposed to do? (Some guide, some separate, some stop.)
23. Is screening (shading) used where helpful to separate, highlight, or identify fields or zones and not just to decorate the form?
24. Within the same typeface, is there variation in the size of type, its boldness, and use of capital and small letters and italics to enhance the appearance and legibility of the form?
Construction
25. Is the size appropriate for the printer, all users, and storage equipment?
26. Is the construction right for the way the form will be handled?
27. Is the paper right for the use and retention needs of the form?
28. Is the colour of ink appropriate?
29. Are all appropriate holes, perforations, scores, and so forth, shown on the layout and not interfered with by the copy?
Identification
30. Is the title meaningful?
31. Is the form properly identified with a number and date for ease in referencing, ordering, inventorying, and so on?
32. Is the organization properly identified?
General
33. Is this form accomplish its purpose with the minimum amount of effort by all users?
34. Is this the best possible tool to do this job?