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Elizabeth Estbergs, ACT Government Reference Archivist. KEY CONSIDERATIONS, CHALLENGES AND STRATEGIES IN MANAGING LEGACY RECORDS. Considerations. What is a legacy record?
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Elizabeth Estbergs, ACT Government Reference Archivist KEY CONSIDERATIONS, CHALLENGES AND STRATEGIES IN MANAGING LEGACY RECORDS
Considerations • What is a legacy record? • existing accumulations of older records, created by an organisation in the past or inherited from another organisation during a transfer of functions. • What forms do they take? • Rock art • Rune stones • Birch bark documents • Paper records • Cylinder audio discs – Edison phonographs • Floppy discs • Polaroid photographs
Considerations - Storage • Environmental requirements • Transmittal packaging • Contaminant examination • Location tracking • Labelling • Physical storage standard • Risk mitigation
Auditor-General’s reports Records kept in disused toilets by Natasha Rudra in the Canberra Times 27/06/2008 A report has criticised the ACT Government's record-keeping, saying the territory's key records office is understaffed and accurate records may not be guaranteed. The report also said some records were being kept in basements or disused toilet blocks. … Some agencies had so little storage space that unclassified records were being kept in disused toilet blocks or in boxes outside staff toilets. http://www.audit.act.gov.au/auditreports/reports2008/Report%203-2008%20-%20Records%20Management.pdf
Challenges Security Content Container
Challenges Distributed archive Agencies own their records for the life of the record Agencies have custody of the records for the life of the record Other jurisdictions have ACT records
Distributed archive - Photographs In celebration of The City of Canberra maiden voyage in 1961, the bell was donated to the City of Canberra. Photo owned by and in the custody of the ACT Legislative Assembly
Distributed archive - artefacts The actual gift. Owned by the Chief Minister’s Department.
Legacy records collection - description • What we do have • ACT/NSW border survey books • Photos, maps, plans • Building files, leasing files • Birth, death & marriage records • Cemetery records • Wills
Legacy records • Maps
Legacy file History
Strategies Functional thesaurus Appraisal Records disposal schedules Sentencing decisions Disposal Retention
Sentencing legacy records • Sentencing is the process of identifying and classifying records according to a Records Disposal Schedule and applying the disposal action specified in it. • Examine at folio level • Use current Records Disposal Schedules • Sentence all parts • Select the longest retention period
Sentencing example 83/1496 part 2 National Capital Development Commission. Narrabundah Long Stay Caravan Park Extension. • 17 of the folios are engineering plans for utilities and individual sites drawn by Weir and O’Neil Pty Ltd Consulting Engineers. • 1 published brochure on delivering utilities to individual caravan sites • Folios on contract variations • Folios on accommodation for contract workers • 1 geotechnical investigation report • Folios on claims for fees for producing the geotechnical report • 1 signed copy of approval of the final design • 1 file note stating that part 3 of the file be made to hold the drawings “forever”
Records disposal classes • ACCOMMODATION SUPPORT SERVICES – Assessing 1.5.1 Destroy 7 years after residence vacated • DEVELOPMENT APPROVALS & ASSET ACCEPTANCE – Approvals 1.4.2 Destroy 10 years after last action • FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT – Accounting 5.2.1 Destroy 7 years after last action • LAND DEVELOPMENT – Certification (Construction) 2.10.1 Retain as Territory Archives • LAND DEVELOPMENT – Infrastructure Implementation & Coordination 2.28.1 Retain as Territory Archives • PROPERTY MANAGEMENT – Construction 13.24.1 Retain as Territory Archives • PROPERTY MANAGEMENT – Contracting-out 13.25.1 Destroy 7 years after completion or other termination of contract
Strategies Overcoming subject based titling Listing – control records Retrieval Migration Storage
Strategies • Impact of distributed custody • Repository business rules • Management of different agency archives on site • Return of archives to correct repository
Strategies • Risk assessment • Resource usage • Incremental progress
Conclusion We need not destroy the past. It is gone. ~John Milton Cage Jnr
Contacts For any additional information please contact;Elizabeth EstbergsACT Government Reference ArchivistPh +61 2 6207 5726Fax +61 2 6207 5835 Email archives@act.gov.auWeb http://www.archives.act.gov.au