A few archiving rules
The handbook for all good archivists:
- The technical terms relative to storage
- The stages involved in adding to archives
- What are the archiving durations and periods?
- Storage conditions for documents or how to keep archives in good physical condition?
- What lay-out and safety requirements must an archive room comply with?
Role and activities of an archive manager
- essential archiving activities
- rules to be followed
- means to be used
Activities of an archive manager:
-
advise, support and communicate
- inform and advise the various departments of the organisation in terms of regulations, filing and storage of documents
- leading the archive correspondent network -
manage documents
- through the organisation and coordination of document collection from all the departments in the organisation
- through the management and storage of these documents
- through reporting of documents of historical interest -
make available and utilise documents
- respond to consultation requests from the various departments in the organisation
- receive, advise and guide researchers sent to him/her -
administer
- prepare his/her budget, activity report
- take part in internal meetings and those external to the organisation on the subject of archives
In terms of collection management
As the title indicates, an archive manager is responsible for the contents of his/her archive collection .
In this capacity, he/she must take care to comply with:
- physical rules for adding to archives
- storage times
- updating the inventory
- monitoring loans
- safety standards
... without forgetting to monitor any organisational changes (in order to reflect them in his/her management schedule) and to mobilise correspondents.
Files for:
- an exhaustive summary inventory
- collation of archiving rules
- management of loans and destructions
-
confidentiality: imperative
with respect to both content and container -
vigilance: constant
- a departure? == > watch the waste bins
- a new arrival? == > give him/her the 'archiving information'
- a period without transfer? == > jog people's memories -
responsibility-sharing: essential
- a deposit slip (in duplicate, signed)
- a destruction slip (in duplicate, signed and validated by the national archives)
In conclusion ...
Looking after archives might appear to be a thankless task ...
| But ... |
|
... then the archives will reward you handsomely.
Technical terms common to archivists and their correspondents
These terms concern:
- the content of boxes,
- their geographic location
- measurement of space occupied by archives
to designate the contents of the boxes:
| Article | Basic unit for filing and classifying (group of items, dossier or part of dossier) |
| Dossier | Set of documents combined for handling and processing a given task by a person or department. It may be composed of several articles. |
| Serial code | Set of symbols (letters, digits, signs) used to class each article in its collection or series. |
measurement of occupied space and available space:
| linear metrage | Measurement corresponding to all the documents arranged one after another, occupying a metre of shelving |
Which terms are used to indicate the geographic location of storage of an archive box?
Five elements should be specified
| premises | name of the building or archive storage room |
| range | set of juxtaposed shelving tiers |
| tier | set of superimposed shelves between two uprights |
| shelf | shelf on which the archive boxes are placed |
Example:
| Box No. | Shelf 4 | Tier 2 | Range 5 | Premises K150 |
