AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION

LIBRARY

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARING MATERIALS

FOR THE ALA ARCHIVES

December 2011

These instructions are designed to assist the units of ALA in managing records and preparing materials for transfer to the ALA Archives, which have been located at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign since 1973.

A. Retention Period

The retention period for particular groups of records will very not only from unit to unit, but also among types of record. Only records that are no longer of current or even occasional use should be transferred.

Materials needed for current administrative, fiscal, operational, or legal reference should NOT be transferred to the Archives.

Headquarters unit files: retention periods for HQ unit files are at the discretion of the unit staff.

Files held by members: units whose members in the field transfer files among officers or committee chairs should designate a specific number of years (e.g., for three years) that files would be held. Such a retention period relieves the paperwork burden on members, and helps preserve important files.

B. What to Preserve

The following types of material should be preserved, except where such material has been separately published (If the published materials might be needed for comparison with related material in the archives and it is not more than a few pages in length -- i.e. reprints, clippings, but not whole volumes -- one copy should be kept.).

1.Files and other materials relating to the history, programs, activities and accomplishments of divisions, boards, round tables, ALA committees, or other subsidiary groups, should be included with that of the larger group of which it is a part.

2.Constitutions and By-laws.

3.Statement of function or duties of Boards, Committees, etc.

4.List of officers, members of Committees, Boards, etc.

  1. Reports.
  1. Minutes.
  1. Correspondence (preserve as little miscellaneous correspondence as possible; significant items will be included with the material under projects, policy decisions, etc.)
  1. Programs and proceedings.
  1. Records of all projects and other activities proposed, whether or not completed.
  1. Policy decision statements. (Some of these might be included in reports of officers, in statements of function and duties of Committees, in minutes of Boards and Committees, or in correspondence. In the last case, where several letters have been written to a group, one copy -- annotated to whom sent -- should be preserved.)
  1. Questionnaires (one copy, annotated to show to whom and when sent).
  1. Forms (one copy).
  1. Treasurer’s reports.
  1. Material of biographical interest (including contributions of an individual to the development of a project, the Division, Board, Committee, etc., or to the library profession).
  1. Unpublished papers (only those that make a contribution to library development and progress in the subject field of the Division, Section, etc.).

C. What to Discard

  • Duplicate material. When, by bringing together two files, an original and a copy are found, the original should be kept. Keep copies only if they contain significant annotations to the original.
  • General correspondence.
  • Materials superseded by more complete reports.
  • Materials pertaining to other units that would otherwise be retained by the issuing unit and not relating to specific activities of the unit weeding its files.
  • Miscellaneous business records (e.g., invoices, payment vouchers, expenditure lists, etc.) no longer needed for current reference, especially when full records are kept in Fiscal Services.

D. Procedures

1.It is recommended that the units schedule an annual time for file weeding, and/or do it at the conclusion of individual major projects.

2.Arrangement of records for transfer:

  1. General material pertaining to Divisions, Boards, ALA Committees, Round Tables, etc. should be arranged first alphabetically by form, (i.e. annual reports, minutes, proceedings, etc.) and second chronologically within the form.
  1. Project files should be arranged alphabetically by subject or project title.
  1. Material from committees, sections, subcommittees, etc. of Divisions, Boards, Round Tables, etc., other than that pertaining to projects as above, should be arranged first by name of committee and then by form (if there is enough to subdivide).
  1. File Headings: the files of all groups will not fall under the same headings, but it is urged that uniform headings be developed for use from year to year by each group. This uniformity will help not only those responsible for the archives of their group, but also those studying the material over a period of years.

4. Place material in letter-size folders.

5.Mark each folder as follows:

a.Name of Division, Board, Round Table, or ALA Committee.

b.Year covered.

c.Name of Section, Committee, or Subcommittee when necessary.

d.Heading.

6.For each group of records transmitted, fill out a Records Transmittal Form (see attached copy). Forms are available from the Library and Research Center.

7.Cross-references: it will be helpful to include with the materials, where appropriate, information for the following:

a.Change in name of committee.

b.“See also” for material on same or similar topics in other folders.

8.Confidential materials should be so identified, and restrictions on their use specifically stated. Include conditions of the materials’ use and state the length of term of their confidentiality.

9.Boxed records may be sent directly to:

ALA Archives

University of Illinois Archives Research Center

Room 105, Horticulture Field Lab

1707 S. Orchard

Urbana, IL 61801

Shipping boxes are available from the Distribution Center.

Boxes should be numbered (e.g., “Box 1 of 4”) and each box should contain a copy of the Records Transmittal Form for the group of records being transferred.

Please contact Library staff for assistance in planning for transmittal of records to the Archives.

E. Instructions: Archives Record Transmittal Form

Please prepare a Record Transmittal Form for each record series to be transferred to the Archives. A record series or file is a group of records or documents having (1) a common arrangement, and (2) a common relationship to the functions of the office that created them.

Include on the form the date, and the title and telephone extension of the person preparing the file for transfer. Include the number of boxes in the record series; each box or carton should be prominently labeled with the title of the record series and the box number (e.g., Box 3 of 5).

1. Title of Record Series: A short, familiar title, descriptive of the informational content of the file. Be specific in identifying record series; avoid lumping several together under “miscellaneous” headings.

2. Division, Office, or Major Unit: Enter the title of the major unit which generated the records.

3. Section, Committee, or Subunit: Enter the titles(s) of the subunit(s) within the major unit.

4. Dates: Enter the inclusive dates covered by the record series.

5. Description: Provide a prose description of the record series, including types of material included (e.g., correspondence, dockets, programs, reports, etc.) and subjects or activities covered.

6. Form of Arrangement: Identify form of arrangement of file, e.g., chronological, alphabetical, etc.

7. Special Comments: Enter special remarks pertinent to the file, especially such matters as confidentiality, access, etc.

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Revised December 2011. With minor exceptions this document is the same as instructions created in 1973 and revised in 1976, 1980, 1985, 1997, and 1999.

Donation and Transfer Guidelines from ALA Archives Website

These guidelines provide criteria and instructions for preparing documents for transfer to the ALA Archives. Please contact the University of Illinois Archives via e-mail-- -- or at (217) 333-0798 with any additional questions or for assistance in preparing files for transfer.

Material should be transferred in the order which the creator maintained it. Both official records and personal papers of ALA officers and members area appropriate for transfer. A letter briefly identifying the material and describing the activity and ALA Unit to which it relates should accompany the shipment. Please contact the Archives to alert us to impending arrivals of material.

All information formats (e.g., published, typescript, audio-visual, and electronic data, such as computer disks and files) are appropriate for consideration for transfer. For documents in formats requiring any machine intervention, such as videotapes, kinescopes, and all computer files, consideration should be given to transferring the equipment needed to access the documents or, preferably, converting the documents to a format accessible to the Archives' users. Early consultation with the Archivist is strongly encouraged for all such materials.

Items to be transferred include:
  1. Official records: constitutions, by-laws, minutes, transcripts, rosters, etc.
  2. Office files: correspondence, memoranda, and subject files concerning office activities.
  3. Historical files documenting policies, decisions, committee reports, questionnaires.
  4. Publications: one record copy of all programs, journals, monographs, newsletters,
    brochures, posters and announcements issued by the association or its subdivisions.
  5. Audio-visuals: photographs and sound recordings.
  6. Personal papers of members which relate directly to association work; for personal papers
    not directly related to ALA work, please consult the Archives prior to transfer.
  7. Charts and maps.
Records which should not be transferred include:
  1. Records of specific financial and membership transactions.
  2. Letters of transmittal where the date and routing information is on the document transmitted.
  3. Requests for publications or information after the requests have been filled.
  4. All blank forms and unused printed or duplicated materials.
  5. All duplicate material: keep only the original copy and annotated copies.
  6. Papers, reports, work papers and drafts; which have been published.
  7. Replies to questionnaires if the results are recorded and preserved either in the archives
    or in a published report.

These criteria are intended as a general guide. If there are questions about records not listed here or questions about the retention or disposal of specific records or manuscripts, please contact the University of Illinois Archives at (217) 333-0798.

AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION

LIBRARY

ALA ARCHIVES

RECORD TRANSMITTAL FORM

Date:

Number of Boxes:

Prepared by:

Title:

Telephone, Fax, E-mail:

Title of Record Series:

Division, Office, or Major Unit:

Section, Committee, or Subunit:

Date(s) of Record Series:

Description:

(Title, types of material, nature and dates of the creating unit or individual, subjects or activities covered, etc.)

Form of Arrangement:

Special Comments:

Materials should be sent to:

ALA Archives
University of Illinois Archives Research Center
Room 105, Horticulture Field Lab
1707 S. Orchard
Urbana, IL 61801