Transferring and Retrieving the Records of the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Presented by Jennifer Wright Smithsonian Institution Archives Records Management Team November 9, 2004

Goals of the Presentation  Introduce the Smithsonian Institution Archives (SIA) and its Records Management Services  Discuss the Freer/Sackler Records Disposition Schedule  Describe the Processes for Transferring and Retrieving Records  Answer Questions

SIA’s Mission  Appraise, acquire and preserve records of the Institution  Establish policies and provide guidance for management of the National Collections  Offer a range of reference, research, and records services  Create products and services which promote understanding of the Smithsonian and its history

SIA’s Authority – SD 501  “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.”

Records Management Services  Help identify what to keep and what to discard  Create disposition schedules  Assist you in organizing your records – advice and file plans  Supply boxes and do the physical transfer of records  Maintain and care for records  Provide access to the records  Destroy records according to established schedules

Advantages of Records Management  Faster retrieval of documents  Reduced/eliminated level of record-keeping redundancies  Reduced costs of storage equipment and supplies  Elimination of unnecessary files storage  Increased usable space

Freer/Sackler Records Disposition Schedule  Authorized by Freer/Sackler administration in 1999  Instructs on records disposition  Consists of a general schedule and a schedule for each office –General Schedule – Used for records common to many offices –Office Schedule – Used for records found in a specific office

Record Schedule Structure  Consists of 6 columns –Series Title –Series Description –Office of Record –Retention Period –Source –Disposition

Series Title and Description  Series –A group of records that serve the same function and are often filed together  Series Title –A descriptive title used to identify a series of records  Series Description –A detailed description of the types of records that are included in this series.

Office of Record  Office of Record is responsible for maintaining the official and most complete set of the record –“Torch” Office of Public Affairs –“Smithsonian Directives” (SDs) Office of Planning Management and Budget  Not all offices are the Office of Record

Retention Period  Permanent Records –Historical, enduring value –Best document your office’s activities  Temporary Records –Records of short-term value –Records for which you are not the Office of Record –Administrative, routine, housekeeping functions  Permanent/Temporary Records –Records with short-term value that are interfiled with records of permanent value and need to be weeded before transfer

Appraisal Source  Documentation of legal authority, or appraisal decision on which retention decisions are based –SIA –National Archives and Records Administration General Records Schedules –Previously authorized schedules for Smithsonian units

Records Disposition  Instructions for the maintenance or transfer of records once they become inactive –Inactive Records are no longer needed by your office to conduct current business  Disposition information instructs units in how long to keep records in this series and what to do when that time period is over –Permanent records will usually be transferred to Archives –Temporary records will either be destroyed on-site or transferred to SIA’s Records Center for longer-term temporary storage

Records Transfer  Call SIA with the types of records to be transferred and the number of boxes you will require  Transfer records from filing cabinets to boxes, removing all hanging folders and binders  Number the boxes and create a list of folder titles in each box  the folder list to SIA and schedule a records pickup

Records Retrieval  After the records transfer, SIA will provide you with the accession number and a copy of the folder list and will place another copy on the Web with full-text search.  To retrieve records, simply contact SIA.  Records stored on-site can be retrieved immediately. Records stored off-site will be retrieved once per week.  Records may be used in the SIA Reading Room or charged-out for extended use.

Records Center  Records Center materials should be prepared, transferred, and retrieved in the same manner as permanent records.  At transfer, a destruction date will be assigned based on the Freer/Sackler records disposition schedule.  SIA will ensure the timely destruction of records.  Destruction will be suspended pending investigations or legal actions that might bear upon the records.

Contact Information and Resources  General questions and records transfers: contact Jennifer Wright, Freer/Sackler Liaison, ext. 37,  Reference Services: or call  SI Archives Website:  Records Management on the Web:  Freer/Sackler Disposition Schedule: e/fgaamsgtoc.html (SI only) e/fgaamsgtoc.html