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A
ACCESS. The availability of or the permission to consult records.
ACCESSIONS. (1) The act and procedures involved in the taking of records or papers into the physical custody of an archival agency or a records center. In records center operations, transfer of legal title is not involved. (2) The materials involved in such a transfer of custody.
ACTION COPY. That copy of a communication directed to a particular agency, office, or individual responsible for action, as opposed to an information copy.
ACTIVE RECORD. A record needed to be readily available for the daily, weekly, monthly, semi-annual, or annual activity of a organization. Usually considered those records that are referred to more than once per cubic foot per month.
ADMINISTRATIVE VALUE. In appraisal, the usefulness of records to the originating or succeeding agency for conducting business. See also EVIDENTIAL VALUE, INFORMATIONAL VALUE.
APERTURE CARD. A punched card incorporating a window into which a piece of microfilm can be inserted.
APPRAISAL. The process of determining the value and thus the retention or disposition of records based upon their administrative and other uses, the evidential and informational or research value, their arrangement, and their relationship to other records.
ARCHIVAL VALUE. The determination by appraisal that records are worthy of permanent preservation by the Office of State Archives. See also HISTORICAL VALUE.
ARCHIVES. (1) Inactive records preserved because of their historical research value; also referred to, in this sense, as archival materials or archival holdings. (2) The agency responsible for selecting, preserving, and making available archival materials. (3) The building or a part of a building where such materials are located; also referred to as an archival repository or depository.
ARCHIVIST. A custodian of an organization's history. Usually one who is professionally trained for, or whose primary duties consist of, appraising and caring for archival records.
ARRANGEMENT. The process and results of organizing records in accordance with accepted principles.
AUDIOVISUAL RECORDS. Program and information motion pictures, still pictures, sound recordings, video recordings, and related documentation.
C
CARTOGRAPHIC RECORDS. Program and information motion pictures, still pictures, sound recordings, video recordings, and related documentation.
CASE FILE. A folder or other file unit containing material related to a specific action, event, person, place, project, or other subject. Sometimes referred to as a project file or a transaction file. Also a collection of such folders or other files units.
CENTRAL FILES. The file of several offices or organizational units physically and/or functionally centralized and supervised in one location.
CHRONOLOGICAL FILE. See READING FILE.
CLOSED FILE. A file unit or series containing documents on which action has been completed and to which additional documents are not likely to be added.
CONVENIENCE FILE. Extra copies of records, personal papers, or publications maintained for ease of access and reference. Sometimes known as a personal file or working papers.
COPY. A reproduction of the contents of an original document, prepared simultaneously or separately, usually identified by function or by method of creation. Copies identified by function may include action, copy, comeback copy, file or record copy, information or reference copy, official copy, and tickler copy. Copies identified by method of creation include carbon copy, mimeograph copy, ribbon copy, and electrostatic copy.
CORPORATE MEMORY. The total in-house information systems and services of an organization; established to store, organize, retrieve and disseminate all information generated within or coming into an organization.
CORRESPONDENCE. Letters, postcards, memoranda, notes, telecommunications, and any other form of addressed, written communications sent and received.
CORRESPONDENCE MANAGEMENT. The management of all correspondence processed by an organization and the establishment of uniform systems for filing, maintenance, retrieval, and disposition of such records.
CROSS REFERENCE. A notation in a file or on a list showing that a record has been stored elsewhere.
CUBIC FOOT. The basic measurement for volume for records.
CUSTODY. The guardianship of records that, in a strict sense, includes both physical possession (protective responsibility) and legal title (legal responsibility). When used in records center operations, custody does not include legal title.
CUT OFF. See FILE BREAK.
D
DATA BASE. The information and/or data physically stored in a record center or electronically stored in machine form; implies a system that permits access to and manipulation of information and/or data for retrieval purposes.
DATA RANGE. The period of time covered by records in a file.
DATA PROCESSING. Handling and processing of information necessary to record the transactions of an organization. Usually used in conjunction with mechanical and electronic data-handling equipment.
DECENTRALIZED FILES. Files scattered throughout an organization; not centralized. Usually contains records that are generated and used by a single organizational unit and maintained and controlled at the point of origin.
DEPARTMENTAL STORAGE. A storage area for records in space less expensive than office space, such as a basement or warehouse.
DISPOSAL. Physical movement of records for destruction or recycling, or for transfer to State Archives, another user, or a storage facility.
DISPOSAL AUTHORITY. The legal authorization for the disposal of records granted by the Department of General Services.
DISPOSAL LIST. A document providing one-time authorization for the legal destruction of specified nonrecurring series.
DISPOSAL PERIOD. The length of time, based on an event or a chronological period, during which a series is retained before its authorized disposal. See also RETENTION PERIOD.
DISPOSITION. The actions taken with regard to records following their appraisal. The actions include transfer to a records center for temporary storage, transfer to the Office of State Archives of another state agency or destruction. The term includes but is not synonymous with disposal.
DISPOSITION SCHEDULE. See RETENTION SCHEDULE.
DISPOSITION PERIOD. The time period scheduled for the cutoff, transfer to a records center, destruction or transfer to the State Archives. See also RETENTION PERIOD.
DOCUMENT. Recorded information regardless of medium or characteristics. Frequently used interchangeably with record. See also ITEM, RECORDS.
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ELECTRONIC DATA PROCESSING. System for recording and processing data on magnetic media.
ESSENTIAL RECORDS. See VITAL RECORDS.
EVALUATION. See APPRAISAL.
EVIDENTIAL VALUE. The value of agency records, which provide documentation of its organization and functioning.
F
FACSIMILE TRANSMISSION. The electronic transmission by wire of document images for reproduction at remote locations having compatible equipment.
FILE. (1) An accumulation of records maintained in a predetermined physical arrangement. The term may also refer to either a series or a file unit; such as a folder or dossier. (2) To place documents in a predetermined location according to an overall plan of classification. (3) In machine-readable records, two or more date records of identical layout treated as a unit. The unit is larger than a data record but smaller than a data system and is sometimes known as a data set. (4) Storage equipment, such as a filing cabinet. See also SERIES.
FILE BREAK. Termination of a file at regular periodic intervals to facilitate continuous disposal or transfer of the file series.
FILE INTEGRITY. Accuracy and completeness of the records.
FILES. A collective term usually applied to all records of an office or agency.
FILES ADMINISTRATION. The management function which provides for the analysis of filing equipment and procedures to determine the most efficient type of equipment and system for a given operation at the most economical price.
FILING. The process of arranging and sorting records so that they may be retrieved rapidly when needed.
FINDING AIDS. The descriptive media, published and unpublished, created by an originated office, which establish physical or administrative control over records and other holdings. Basic finding aids include guides (general, subject or topical), inventories or registers, location registers, card catalogs, special lists, shelf and box lists, indexes, calendars and, for machine-readable records, soft-ward documentation.
FISCAL VALUE. The usefulness of records for information about the financial transactions and obligations of agencies and organizations. See also ADMINISTRATIVE VALUE.
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GENERAL SCHEDULE. A records retention schedule covering records common to several or all of the departments of an organization.
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HARD COPY. Any record that can be read without the use of a viewer or magnifying device.
HISTORICAL VALUE. The usefulness of records for historical research concerning the agency of origin or for information about persons, places, events or things. See also RESEARCH VALUE.
HOLDING AREA. Agency space assigned for the temporary storage of active or semi-active records and for records with relatively short retention periods. Also known as staging area.
HOUSEKEEPING RECORDS. Records of an organization that relate to budget, fiscal, personnel, supply and similar administrative or facilitative operations normally common to most agencies, as distinguished from program or substantive records that relate to an agency's primary functions. See also PROGRAM RECORDS.
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INACTIVE RECORDS. Those records no longer needed to conduct business. Usually those records referred to no more than once per cubic foot per month.
INFORMATIONAL VALUE. The value of records that derive form the information they contain. See also ADMINISTRATIVE VALUE, EVIDENTIAL VALUE.
INVENTORY. A survey of records series prior to the development of schedules. Generally includes data such as series titles, inclusive dates, use, quantity, arrangement, duplication and other pertinent information.
ITEM. A separately numbered entry describing records in a records retention schedule.
L
. The use of record containing evidence of legally enforceable rights or obligations of governments and/or private persons.
M
MACHINE-READABLE RECORDS. The informational content of records which is usually in code and has been recorded on media, such as magnetic disks, drums, tapes, punched paper cards or tapes, accompanied by finding aids know as software documentation. The coded information is retrievable only by machine.
MAPS AND CHARTS. Graphic representation at a reduced scale of selected physical and cultural features of the surface of the earth and other planetary bodies. These may include topographical quadrangles, cadastral plans, charts (hydrographics, nautical, weather and aeronautical), photomaps, cartograms, globes and relief models.
MICROFICHE. Miniaturized images arranged in rows that form a grid pattern on card-size transparent sheet file.
MICROFILM. A negative or a positive microphotograph on film. The term is usually applied to a sheet of film or to a long strip or roll of film that is 16mm, 35mm, 70mm or 105mm in width and on which there is a series of microphotographs.
MICROFORM. Any miniaturized from containing micro images, such as microcards, microfiche, microfilm and aperture cards.
MICROGRAPHICS. The total body of knowledge, practice and technology involved in the creation and use of micro images.
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NONRECORD MATERIAL. Material not usually included within the definition of records, such as unofficial copies of documents that are kept only for convenience of reference, stocks of publications and processed documents and library or museum material intended solely for reference or exhibition.
P
PAPERWORK MANAGEMENT. Collectively, the techniques of managing the creation, maintenance and disposition of records. Also agency programs incorporating such techniques. Generally synonymous with the term "records management". See also RECORDS MANAGEMENT.
PERMANENT RECORDS. See ARCHIVES.
PHOTOGRAPHIC RECORDS. Records that take the form of pictures or photographs, sometimes with related textual records.
PHYSICAL CUSTODY. See CUSTODY.
PROGRAM RECORDS. Records created or received and maintained by an agency in the conduct of the substantive functions for which it is responsible. The term is used in contrast wit housekeeping of facilitative records. See also HOUSEKEEPING RECORDS.
PROJECT FILE. See CASE FILE. PUBLIC RECORDS. (1) In general usage, records accumulated by Government agencies. (2) Records open to public inspection by law or custom.
R
READING FILE. A file containing copies of documents arranged in chronological order. Sometimes known as a chronological file or a day file.
RECORD COPY. See COPY.
RECORD GROUP. A body of organizationally related records established with regard to the administrative history, the complexity and the volume of the records of the organization involved.
RECORD SERIES. See SERIES.
RECORDS. All recorded information, regardless of media or physical characteristics, made or received and maintained by an organization or institution in pursuance of its legal obligations or in the transaction of its business. In machine-readable records, two or more data fields in predetermined order and treated as a unit. See also DOCUMENT, ITEM.
RECORDS CENTER. A facility, sometimes especially designed and constructed, for the low-cost and efficient storage and furnishing of reference service on semicurrent records pending their ultimate disposition.
RECORDS CENTER CONTAINER/CARTON. A corrugated cardboard box designed to hold 1 cubic foot of records, either legal or letter size, and used primarily in a records center.
RECORDS DISPOSITION. See DISPOSITION.
RECORDS MANAGEMENT. That area of general administrative management concerned with achieving economy and efficiency in the creation, use and maintenance, and disposition of records. Includes fulfilling archival requirements and ensuring effective documentation. See also PAPERWORK MANAGEMENT.
RECORDS MANAGEMENT ANALYST. The agency person responsible for operation of an agencywide records management program.
RECORDS MANAGER. The person responsible for or engaged in a records management program. Sometimes known as a records officer or records administrator.
RECORDS RETENTION SCHEDULE. A document governing, on a continuing basis, the mandatory disposition of recurring records series of an organization or agency. Also known as a records schedule, records control schedule, retention schedule or records disposition schedule.
RECORDS RETIREMENT. See DISPOSITION.
RECORDS SCHEDULE. See RECORDS RETENTION SCHEDULE.
REPOSITORY. A place where archives, records or manuscripts are kept the word "depository" is sometimes used as a synonym for repository.
RESEARCH VALUE. The usefulness of records for research by the government, business and other private organizations and by scholars in the humanities, social and physical sciences and administration, and other disciplines. See also HISTORICAL VALUE.
RETENTION PERIOD. The rime period for particular records (normally a series) to be kept.
RETENTION SCHEDULE. See RECORDS RETENTION SCHEDULE.
S
SAMPLING. Selection for retention of part of a body of similar records to serve as a representation of the whole body.
SCREEN. To remove selected documents form disposable files or parts of series from disposable series.
SELECTIVE RETENTION. See APPRAISAL.
SERIES. File units or documents arranged in accordance with a filing system or maintained as a unit because they relate to a particular subject or function, result from the same activity, have a particular form or because of some other relationship arising out of their creation, receipt or use. Also known as a records series.
SOURCE DOCUMENTS. Documents intended for microfilming or which provide input data for machine-readable records systems.
STAGING AREA. See HOLDING AREA.
SUBSTANTIVE RECORDS. See PROGRAM RECORDS.
T
TICKLER FILE. A file arranged by date to facilitate selection of records for disposal when they become due.
TRANSACTION FILE. See CASE FILE.
TRANSFER. The movement of records out of office space and equipment to a Records Center.
U
UNSCHEDULED RECORDS. Records for which no ultimate disposition has been determined.
V
VALUATION. See APPRAISAL.
VAULTING. Storing records in a completely fire-resistive enclosure to be used exclusively for storage. VITAL RECORDS. Records necessary to the life or continuity of an organization.
VITAL RECORDS CENTER. A repository for housing records classified as vital to an organization's operations.
W
WORKING PAPERS. Documents such as rough notes, calculations or drafts assembled or created and used in the preparation or analysis of other documents.
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