Presented by Mitch Toda and Shawn Johnstone Archives and Information Management Team, Smithsonian Institution Archives August 6, 2009

The Smithsonian Institution Archives serves as the institutional memory of a unique American cultural resource. In order to ensure institutional accountability and enhance public appreciation of a great national treasure, we are committed to serving the Smithsonian community, scholars, and the general public by:  appraising, acquiring, and preserving the records of the institution and related documentary materials;  offering a range of reference, research, and records services;  and creating products and services which promote understanding of the Smithsonian and its history.

 Our origins go back to 1891, when William Jones Rhees, who had been Chief Clerk since 1852, was given the title Keeper of the Archives  Most recently Smithsonian Photographic Services and Smithsonian Photographic Initiative became a part of SIA and currently have a staff of 23  33,900 cubic feet of permanent records  3100 cubic feet of temporary records  95% of our collections on SIRIS  68% of our collections (2837) have online finding aids

 “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.”

 Provide assistance in identifying records to retain and records to discard  Create records disposition schedules  Supply boxes and physically transfer records  Maintain, preserve, and provide access to records  Destroy records according to established schedules

 More effective management of records  Reduced/eliminated level of record-keeping redundancies  Reduced costs of storage equipment and supplies  Elimination of unnecessary file storage  Increased usable space

 Will have scheduled time slots for staff to sign up for  Meetings will involve discussions with staff about their work responsibilities and what records they create  Meetings should only take minutes  Follow up with individuals as needed  Draft survey submitted to OPS for review

Any official recorded information, regardless of medium or characteristics, created, received, and maintained by OPS. Records come in a variety of formats, including paper, electronic, photographic, or audiovisual formats.

 Permanent  Historical, enduring value  Best documents your office’s activities  Temporary  Records of short-term value  Records for which you are not the Office of Record  Administrative, routine, housekeeping functions

 Individual meetings to survey records will begin in September  Draft of Records Disposition Schedule submitted to OPS by the end of October  Changes/Corrections made to Schedule as needed  Schedule submitted to J. J. McLaughlin for signature and approval  Schedule posted online by beginning of December

 Mitch Toda, Project Coordinator  ;  Shawn Johnstone  ;  SI Archives: