An Overview of the State Agency Records Disposition Authority (RDA) Revision Process

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Previously, we discussed how to determine if your state agency Records Disposition Authority (RDA) needs revising:

Many state agency RDAs have not been revised since the late 1990s or early 2000s. They often lack key components and may no longer be consistent with records law and/or best practice. Records Management staff view RDA revision as an opportunity to conduct a holistic review of your currently approved RDA and create an updated document that better serves your agency.

Depending on your agency’s size and the state of its RDA, revision requires a considerable time commitment on the part of both agency staff and Records Management staff.

Read below for an overview of what to expect during the RDA revision process.

Agency Contacts the ADAH Records Management Staff

Agencies seeking an RDA revision should contact Records Management staff to schedule an in-person introductory meeting or conference call. This meeting/call will introduce the parties involved and help define the scope of the RDA revision before beginning work on either end. Please be mindful that due to the time required to revise an RDA and the high demand for revisions, Records Management staff may be unable to undertake your agency’s revision immediately.

Note: Your agency will not be placed on the schedule to present an RDA revision until you contact Records Management staff.

Contact one of the following staff members to discuss RDA revision:

Agency Uses “Track Changes” to Revise a Working RDA

Agencies with more than twenty employees are strongly encouraged to work on the revision by committee.

Records Management staff will send your agency representative(s) a copy of the currently approved RDA in Microsoft Word. The Microsoft Word copy of the RDA will contain notations indicating which sections may be revised and which sections contain standardized, inalterable language. Records Management staff will describe in detail what agency commentary is needed depending on the revision scope. Agency representative(s) will edit the document using Microsoft Word’s “Track Changes” feature.

Agency Returns RDA Working Draft to Records Management Staff

Once you return the edited Microsoft Word copy of the RDA, Records Management staff will independently research trends, best practices, and developments in your agency’s field or industry to supplement suggested revisions.

Agency Leadership Reviews Final Draft

Records Management staff will provide a timeline for your agency’s leadership to conduct a final review of the revised RDA and will work collaboratively to produce a final draft is satisfactory to all parties.

The ADAH Director and State Records Commission chairman, Mr. Steve Murray, will review the final draft in advance of the State Records Commission meeting.

The State Records Commission Approves the RDA Revision

Records Management staff will present the RDA revision to the State Records Commission. While not required, agency representative(s) are requested to attend the meeting to clarify any questions which Commissioners may ask.

The Commission meets twice a year on the fourth Wednesday of April and October. Meetings are planned up to one and a half years in advance and cannot be rescheduled.

Agency Leadership and State Records Commission Chairman Sign the RDA

Following approval by the State Records Commission, both Mr. Steve Murray and the designated agency representative (usually a director or commissioner) must sign the RDA on its signature page.

The agency will retain one copy of a signed RDA on file, while the ADAH will retain another signed copy. The new RDA will be made available on the ADAH website. 

Agency Uses the Approved RDA

The agency uses the approved RDA to manage information, preserve permanent records, and dispose of temporary records that have met their designated retention requirements.

Agency officials may destroy records after satisfying the retention requirements set forth in the RDA, presuming no litigation or other hold is placed upon the records. They must document the destruction of both paper and electronic records.

Each state agency is required to submit an Annual RDA Implementation Report to the ADAH every year on January 15 for the previous fiscal year documenting records management, records destruction activities, and permanent records activities.

Coming Up

Stay tuned to the For the Record blog for a third and final post on the state agency RDA revision process:

  • A Detailed Guide to the State Agency Records Disposition Authority (RDA) Revision Process

“Help – This RDA is Outdated!”: How to Determine if Your State Agency Records Disposition Authority (RDA) Needs Revision

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Records and recordkeeping practices change naturally over time as state agencies evolve. Records Disposition Authorities, or RDAs, require regular revision to accurately reflect the records that your agency creates and the retention requirements for those records.

RDAs can require revision for various reasons. Below are some of the most common reasons: 

(1) New state and/or federal laws have increased the scope of your agency’s work. As a result, your agency creates new records which are not described in the RDA. Note: Records not currently described in the RDA are ineligible for records destruction.

(2) New state and/or federal laws have modified the required minimum retention of certain record series in the RDA.

(3) The agency was restructured, and divisions were transferred from another state agency. New records are therefore being created which are not described in the RDA.

(4) The agency was restructured, and divisions were transferred to another state agency. Records presently described in the RDA are no longer created by your agency.

RDA revisions are not required for changes to the agency’s organization or leadership that do not affect the agency’s functions. Examples of changes not meriting RDA revision include divisional restructuring that does not affect the agency’s functions, or a change in agency director.

Contact the ADAH Records Management Staff

Agencies seeking an RDA revision should contact Records Management staff to schedule an in-person introductory meeting or conference call. This meeting/call will introduce the parties involved and help define the scope of the RDA revision before beginning work on either end. Please be mindful that due to the time required to revise an RDA and the high demand for revisions, Records Management staff may be unable to undertake your agency’s revision immediately.

Contact one of the following staff members to discuss RDA revision:

Coming Up

Stay tuned to the For the Record blog for two upcoming posts on the state agency RDA revision process:

  • An Overview of the State Agency Records Disposition Authority (RDA) Revision Process
  • A Detailed Guide to the State Agency Records Disposition Authority (RDA) Revision Process

Governor Bob Riley’s Digital Photographs Now Live on Preservica

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Digital photographs from Governor Bob Riley’s administration went live in the Alabama Department of Archives and History Electronic Records Collections on November 22, 2019, joining Governor Riley’s electronic office files. This site provides access to born-digital records through Preservica, a cloud-based subscription service that stores and migrates electronic file formats to ensure their long-term preservation.

Governor Riley declares College Colors Day on August 31, 2010, and poses on the steps of the Capitol building with the Auburn University mascot, Aubie the Tiger, and the University of Alabama mascot, Big Al.

Robert Renfroe “Bob” Riley was born in Talladega, Alabama in 1944. He grew up in the small town of Ashland, Alabama, where his family had worked on ranches and farms for six generations. In 1962, he graduated from Clay County High School and went on to pursue a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Alabama. He married his high school sweetheart, Patsy Adams, whose father owned a drugstore down the street from the Riley’s family store in Ashland. Upon his graduation in 1965, Riley returned to his hometown to sell eggs door-to-door and ultimately grow several small businesses, including a car dealership, a trucking company, a real estate company, a grocery store, and a small pharmacy. In his first political stint, he served on the Ashland City Council from 1972 until 1976.

Governor Riley poses with actors Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly at the Talladega Superspeedway, the setting of the 2006 comedy Talladega Nights.

In 1996, after a long break from politics, Riley began his first of three terms as a Republican in the United States House of Representatives. In Alabama’s 2002 primary for governor, he defeated Tim James, the son of former governor Fob James. In the general election, he narrowly defeated the democratic incumbent, Don Siegelman, to become the 52nd governor of Alabama.

Governor Riley and First Lady Patsy Riley greet Senator John McCain at Riley’s second inauguration on January 16, 2007.

In his first term, Riley focused on tax reform. His Amendment One tax package would have provided income tax breaks for lower tax brackets and increased taxes for higher brackets. Amendment One passed in the legislature but was rejected by voters. Riley persisted, working with the legislature to raise the income level at which individuals had to begin paying state income tax.

Governor Riley advocates for Amendment One on August 27, 2003.

Education was another high priority of Riley’s administration. By executive order, he established the Governor’s Education Spending Commission to make recommendations for improvements in education. Although the legislature did not act on most of the commission’s recommendations, Riley did obtain increased funding for reading initiatives and distance learning programs.

On October 22, 2003, Governor Riley visits an Alabama elementary school to highlight his education initiatives.

In his second term, Riley endeavored to end conflicts of interest in the Alabama State Board of Education’s supervision of the community college system. He enacted a policy in 2008 to prohibit state community college employees from legislative service.

To improve economic conditions, he established the Black Belt Action Committee and worked to attract new business to the state, such as Hyundai in Montgomery and ThyssenKrupp in Mobile. He opposed gambling and used raids and legal action to shut down state-regulated electronic-bingo casinos.

On September 15, 2009, Governor Riley tours ThyssenKrupp, a steel processing plant, in Mobile, Alabama.

In 2011, shortly after Governor Riley left office, his administration transferred paper and electronic records, including over 1.58 terabytes of digital photographs and videos. Because of the Office of the Governor’s historical significance, each administration’s permanent records are transferred to the Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH) at the end of the gubernatorial term.

On November 19, 2008, Governor Riley pardons Clyde, the Thanksgiving turkey.

Processing Governor Riley’s photographs required extensive “weeding.” Have you ever used “burst mode” with a phone camera to take several photos within a single second? Or have you taken twenty nearly identical pictures to get the perfect photo for Instagram? You wouldn’t want to keep every single one of these highly similar photos. Likewise, many of Riley’s photos were duplicates or alternate shots of the same person at the same event. The ADAH removed photographs that were blurry or duplicates so that researchers using Preservica will have to sort through less bulk.

Governor Riley delivers the annual State of the State Address on January 12, 2010.

Riley made hundreds of public appearances during his tenure. He publicly signed bills, presented proclamations, and made speeches like the annual State of the State Address. He spoke at a variety of venues, from schools, to businesses, to local rotary clubs. He participated in annual events like the Thanksgiving Turkey Pardoning and the Christmas Tree Lighting. He also responded to crises in the state. Photographs of these events and others document not only Governor Riley, but the history of Alabama.

Ready to start researching?

  • Access Governor Riley’s Chief of Staff, Policy Office, and Press Office files with the ADAH Electronic Records Collections.
  • Access Governor Riley’s digital photographs in the ADAH Electronic Records Collections.
  • Access Governor Riley’s paper records in the ADAH Research Room. Paper records include clipping files, scheduling files, administrative files, correspondence files, project files, legal subject files, execution files, and more.

Sources:

Alabama Governors: A Political History of the State. 2nd edition. Edited by Samuel L. Webb and Margaret E. Armbrester. University of Alabama Press, 2014.

“Bob Riley.” Alabama Governors. Alabama Department of Archives and History. https://archives.alabama.gov/govs_list/riley.html

This initiative was supported in part by a National Historic Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) grant to the Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH) and the Office of the Governor.

Updates from the Local Government Records Commission

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The Local Government Records Commission (LGRC) met on October 30, 2019 at the Alabama Department of Archives and History. The Code of Alabama 1975 § 41-13-21 charges the Commission with determining “which government records shall be permanently preserved…and which may be destroyed or otherwise disposed of.” The Commission meets every April and October to approve local government Records Disposition Authorities, or RDAs. These documents outline the records that local agencies create, identify which records should be preserved permanently, and provide disposition procedures for all other records.

Obsolete Records Destruction

At the meeting, Records Management staff reported on authorized local records destruction. In fiscal year 2019, local governments submitted 761 destruction notices, totaling 37,955.31 cubic feet of obsolete records. While local governments are not required to destroy obsolete records, doing so allows governments to better focus their limited resources.

The three counties submitting notices the most frequently were Mobile County, Madison County, and Shelby County. Records Management staff conducted a large-scale training session in Huntsville early in the year, educating department managers on records law in Alabama.

County Probate Offices accounted for 27 of 74 notices and received permission to destroy 11,108.77 cubic feet (nearly 30% of the total cubic feet destroyed in fiscal year 2019).

Systematic records management supports an organization’s mission, operations, and activities. Records Management staff offer free on-site training on records disposal and other records management topics, such as the preservation of permanent records, to local government agencies. To schedule training, contact Rebecca Hebert, State and Local Records Coordinator, at becky.hebert@archives.alabama.gov.

Reformatted RDAs on the ADAH Website

The Local Government RDAs on the Alabama Department of Archives and History website have been reformatted and standardized. New indices at the end of each RDA list the page number corresponding to every record series. Because RDA record numbers may change as revisions occur, local officials should be sure to consult the most updated version of the RDA when requesting authorization to destroy records.

Any records not present may not be destroyed until the RDA has been revised to include them. If you find that a record is not covered by the RDA, contact Rebecca Hebert at becky.hebert@archives.alabama.gov.

In calendar year 2019, the LGRC approved 25 revisions or additions to Local Government RDAs.

Revised Local RDAs

The Local Government Records Commission approved revisions to the following local record series:

All or multiple local RDAs

  • “Affordable Care Act Compliance Files” (new record series for all local RDAs)

Employers are required to submit documentation to the federal government to demonstrate their compliance with the Affordance Care Act. RDAs previously did not address this documentation. In accordance with federal requirements, these records should be retained for three years after submission.

  • “Purchasing Records” (revised record series for all local RDAs)

Previously, some RDAs described this series as including “invoices for goods” and others as “invoices for services.” The description is now “invoices for goods and services” in order to broaden the scope and establish consistency across RDAs. The retention remains two years after audit.

  • “Applications and Exemptions for Utility Fee Exemptions” (revised record series for County Commissions and Municipalities RDAs)

The previous description of these records was limiting, addressing only sanitation fee exemptions. The series now addresses all utility fee exemptions. The retention remains two years following audit.

  • “Utility Equipment Rebates” (new record series for County Commissions and Municipalities RDAs)

These records document rebates which public utility companies may issue to encourage the installation, purchase, and/or use of certain utility equipment, such as water heaters and environmentally friendly appliances. The retention is two years after audit.

Boards of Education

Alabama’s local boards of education offer a free public education to every Alabama child in grades kindergarten through twelfth grade.

  • “Internal Ballots and Related Files” (New record series)

These records document the use of internal secret ballots for purposes such as electing members of budget committees and approving the budget for state allocation funds. The retention is three years.

  • “School Bus Student Rosters” (Revised record series title and description)

The previous description of these records was limiting. These records provide a list of all students on the bus arranged by morning stop number. Information in the records may include, but is not limited to, each student’s name, grade/age, morning and afternoon pick-up/drop-off time, and emergency phone number. The retention remains one year after the current school year ends.

  • “Student Transportation Arrangements and Related Files” (New record series)

These records document student transportation arrangements authorized by parents/guardians, such as whether students will ride the bus, drive a personal vehicle, or ride with other students to and from school. The retention is one year after the end of the school year in which the records were created.

County Commissions

The County Commission RDA originally covered all functions administered by county government; RDAs have since been created to cover more specific subdivisions such as County Boards of Registrars, County Probate Offices, County Taxation Offices, and Law Enforcement Agencies.

The County Commission RDA contains records covering policy, revenue collection, utility and sanitation, roads and bridges, public transportation, senior services, community development, zoning, licensing, animal control, emergency management, and routine administering operations.

  •  “Structural Condemnation Files” (New record series)

These records document the government’s determination that buildings within their respective jurisdictions are not structurally sound. The retention is five years after destruction of the building.

Law Enforcement Agencies

Local law enforcement agencies prevent, control, and reduce crime; enforce criminal law and apprehend criminals; monitor the activities of the courts and related agencies having criminal jurisdiction; and ensure public safety.

  • “Background Investigation Files” (Revised record series description)

Previously, the description only addressed background checks conducted for employment purposes. Background checks may also be performed for purposes such as housing. Moreover, law enforcement agencies may not be notified whether applicant checks are successful, a distinction previously necessary for destruction. The series now includes both successful and unsuccessful applicant files and background checks for purposes beyond employment.

  • “Inmate Commissary Files” (New record series)

These records document the request for and receipt of goods from the commissary of a correctional facility. The retention is one year.

  •  “Investigation Files (including internal affairs files)” (Revised record series description)

Previously, the retention of these records was based on the nature of the criminal offense committed. Officers may conduct investigations of deaths unconnected to a crime, such as vehicular accidents and suicides. The revision adds “death investigations” as a record type with a retention of twenty-five years after the investigation is closed.

  • “Sex Offender Registration Records” (Revised record series description)

This retention is currently phrased “5 years after residence in the county ends.” The revised description clarifies that law enforcement agencies may also destroy Sex Offender Registration files after five years following the verification of the offender’s death.

Municipalities

In the United States, “municipalities” are understood to be a city, town, or other unit of local government authorized by the state constitution or state statute. Examples of core municipal government entities include mayor’s offices, city councils, city managers, and city clerks. Municipalities also include a variety of functions such as parks and recreation, utilities, sanitation, maintenance of streets and bridges, public transportation, licensing, permitting, and zoning.

  • “Property Assessment Requests” (New record series)

These records document requests by attorneys and/or property owners for information on whether any property fees are owed to the municipality. The retention is three years.

Next Meeting

The next meeting of the Local Government Records Commission will be held on April 22, 2020 in the Regions Room at the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

Updates from the State Records Commission

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The State Records Commission (SRC) met on October 30, 2019 at the Alabama Department of Archives and History. The Code of Alabama 1975 § 41-13-21 charges the Commission with determining “which government records shall be permanently preserved…and which may be destroyed or otherwise disposed of.” The Commission meets every April and October to approve Records Disposition Authorities, or RDAs. These documents outline all records that state agencies create, identify which records should be preserved permanently, and provide disposition procedures for all other records.

State Agency Outreach and Training

Records Management staff reported on state agency consultation and training sessions and permanent records transmittals to the Alabama Department of Archives and History. In fiscal year 2019, Records Management staff held a total of 62 outreach sessions with 170 attendees. Meeting topics included RDA development and revision, records management training, and permanent records transmittal.

A few highlights include:

  • November 2018: Records Management staff met with the staff from the Alabama Department of Commerce to develop an internal records management policy and conduct training.
  • February 2019: Records Management staff provided records management training for Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth’s staff.
  • March 2019: Records Management staff and ADAH Director Steve Murray met with staff from the Department of Mental Health to discuss the transmittal of permanent records to the Archives, including seven large ledger books containing the handwritten entries of patients admitted to Bryce Hospital in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, from 1861 to 1952.
  • June – July 2019: Records Management staff conducted 13 meetings with various divisions of the Alabama Office of Information Technology (OIT) to develop a new RDA for the agency.

Permanent Record Transmittal

In fiscal year 2019, 20 state agencies transmitted a total of 528 cubic feet of permanent paper records to the ADAH, spanning from the year 1861 to the year 2019. That’s roughly enough records to fill:

  • 264 bankers boxes or legal-sized file drawers
  • 528 copy paper boxes
  • An 8’ x 8’ x 8’ bouncy castle
  • A 4,000-gallon swimming pool

The chart below shows the “Top Ten Transmitters” of fiscal year 2019 and the amount of paper records they transmitted in cubic feet. 

The majority of the Legislative Services Agency’s transmittals included Budget Change Records, Legislative Fiscal Notes Files, and Fiscal Reference Files. The Office of the Secretary of State transmitted, among other record types, 42 cubic feet of Tract Books and 18 cubic feet of Bills and Resolutions. Transmittals from the Alabama Department of Archives and History consisted primarily of State and Local Government Agency Files. Yes, you read correctly – we transmit our permanent records to ourselves!

Two other notable transmittals are the Office of Governor Fob James, which transmitted 7 cubic feet of photographs from his administration, and the State Council on the Arts, which transmitted 18 cubic feet of Field Recordings. Read all about how we processed these audiovisual recordings in our blog post, “Preserving Alabama’s Musical Heritage: The Alabama State Council on the Arts Processing Project.”

New and Revised State Agency RDAs

The State Records Commission approved new or revised RDAs for the following agencies:

Home Builders Licensure Board (Major RDA Revision)

The Home Builders Licensure Board screens and licenses applicants who engage in residential construction and remodeling in the state of Alabama where the cost of the undertaking exceeds $10,000 and applicants who engage in residential roofing in the state of Alabama where the cost of the undertaking exceeds $2,500.

Alabama Act 2018-143, effective May 1, 2018, authorized the Home Builders Licensure Board to license roofers in addition to home builders. The RDA has been revised to reflect the board’s expanded regulatory scope.

Alabama Board for Registered Interior Designers (Major RDA Revision)

The Alabama Board for Registered Interior Designers governs the registration process for interior designers, who analyze, plan, design, document, and manage interior non-structural construction and alteration projects. Interior designers submit construction documents for commercial interior projects to building officials for review and permitting purposes.

The RDA has been revised to include the outcome of Alabama v. Lupo, an Alabama Supreme Court case which required the board’s governing legislation to be rewritten. Licensees of the Alabama Board for Registered Interior Designers are known as “registered interior designers,” in contrast to interior decorators, who focus primarily on aesthetics and do not participate in renovations or structural planning.

Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences (Major RDA Revision)

The Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences investigates unlawful, suspicious, or unnatural deaths and crimes in the state. The department provides forensic test results to members of the criminal justice system, such as Sheriffs’ Offices, in all 67 counties of Alabama.

The RDA has been revised to include mention of databases, including a federal database and in-house case management system, and to better describe several temporary record types.

Alabama Office of Information Technology (New RDA)

The Office of Information Technology (OIT)streamlines the delivery of information technology services in state government. OIT focuses on three primary mandates: IT strategic planning, IT governance, and IT resource utilization.

This RDA is new, and its listed agency subfunctions include “Promulgating Rules and Regulations,” “Planning and Promoting,” “Providing Services,” and “Inventorying.” The agency’s permanent records are associated with the agency’s role as the state’s central regulatory body for information technology and responsibility to inventory information technology assets.

Next Meeting

The next meeting of State Records Commission will be held on April 22, 2020 in the Regions Room at the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

Meet the Staff Feature: Devon Henschel

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For the Record’s “Meet the Staff” feature is an opportunity for our archivists to connect directly with the community which we serve.

Name: Devon Henschel

Title: Records Management Archivist

Specialties: Local government records management and training

How did you end up working at the Alabama Department of Archives and History?

I received my undergraduate degree in Anthropology, with a concentration in Museum Studies, from the University of Alabama. Despite my degree being in Anthropology, most of my work experience is with libraries, both public and academic. Many of the skills I developed in my library positions, especially my attention to detail and ability to walk patrons through obscure or complicated processes they don’t have to deal with every day, have been a great benefit in my current work at the ADAH. The ADAH was already on my radar as a great historical resource in the state, and this job proved to be great opportunity to combine my interests and experience to help create and preserve what will become the historical record, while putting to use the detail-oriented mindset I’ve fostered in the library world.

What is your role?

I work primarily with local governments and the records they create. In the future, I will be training public officials, especially local agencies, on managing their records – how to organize, store, and permanently preserve permanent records or eventually dispose of temporary records in accordance with the Record Disposition Authority (RDA) and with destruction notices. Though there are only fifteen local RDAs, they are organized by type so that each one covers a multitude of individual agencies. Think about how many schools there are in Alabama – the RDA for Boards of Education applies to all of them. The same concept applies to the RDAs for Municipalities, governing local governments, and to Law Enforcement Agencies, governing local police departments and county sheriff’s offices. Those fifteen local RDAs keep me busy!

What is something people don’t know about the Records Management Section?

Just how much we deal with! Many people don’t think about how many records government agencies produce in a given year. We’re here to help them wade through all of it, armed with an RDA. As support staff for the State Records Commission and Local Government Records Commission, we are responsible for creating and revising these RDAs in cooperation with agencies, ultimately outlining what records need to be kept and for how long. Right now, our section works with everyone from large state agencies like the Office of Information Technology, to small state agencies like the Multiple Needs Child Office, to local agencies such as the Lakeview Fire Protection District, all while keeping in the back of our minds that we’ll need to create new RDAs with new agencies like the Bicentennial Commission. There’s something new every day, and I love the variety.

For people who don’t think about their records every day, why is records management important?

Many employees – and especially state employees – produce and accumulate an enormous amount of records. These might range from historically significant documents, such as meeting minutes, to less important records, like potluck fliers and the internet printouts shoved in a drawer. Some records need to be kept permanently to show the work agencies do, but most records can be disposed of in a short period of time. Many records don’t need to be kept longer than a day, like the ubiquitous “donuts in the break room” email. Implementing a records management system and a plan to dispose of what you don’t need cuts down on the records clutter – both paper and electronic – so that day-to-day operations can run more smoothly. Luckily, we’re here to help!

What are your hobbies outside of work?

In the past few years, I’ve really gotten into cooking and baking, and I’m always on the lookout for new desserts and breads I can test out in my stand mixer. Beyond that, I love embroidering, discovering new walking and hiking trails, and piecing together jigsaw puzzles.

State Agency Publications Now Live on Preservica

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Secretary of State, 2017 Annual Report

State agency publications premiered in the Alabama Department of Archives and History’s Electronic Records Collections on October 1, 2019. This site provides access to born-digital records through Preservica, a cloud-based service that ensures the long-term preservation of electronic file formats. The new collections include full-text publications produced electronically by Alabama state agencies. These collections are expected to grow as the Alabama Department of Archives and History continues to receive state publications.

The new collections, organized by state agency, include annual reports, newsletters, and bulletins. Annual reports may be informational, promotional, and/or statistical in nature. Many agencies issue reports on an annual or periodic basis to provide important information to the public or to their key audience. Some agencies are required by law to submit written reports to the governor each calendar or fiscal year. Annual reports typically describe the agency’s yearly activities, ongoing programs, accomplishments, announcements, challenges, and priorities. They may provide statistics, a valuable resource for future researchers. The annual reports of agencies which engage in licensing activities may contain rosters of licensed facilities or individuals. Newsletters and bulletins, on the other hand, contain news about the agency or industry and are regularly sent to subscribers. All of these state publications document critical activities, updates, industry developments, and interaction with the public. They provide a “snapshot in time” of agencies and therefore form a unique historical resource.

Some state publications document how agencies responded to key events in the state. Following the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, the Alabama Department of Public Health’s (ADPH) October 2010 newsletter described how the ADPH responded to the crisis. In the first few weeks, ADPH staff worked in Mobile to collect health data and speak with the public and journalists about the health effects of the oil spill. They worked with the Alabama Department of Environmental Management (ADEM) and the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) to collect data and test samples, and with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to conduct a survey of physical and mental health among residents in coastal areas. To study the potential long-term effects of the spill and help Alabama recover from the disaster, the ADPH joined two major efforts: (1) they launched a five-year study of fish and seafood products alongside the ADCNR in order to promote the consumption of seafood from the Gulf of Mexico, and (2) they made a plan with ADEM and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to determine when swimming advisories could be lifted by sampling water and sand. These efforts were chronicled in ensuing ADPH newsletters.

The collections include state publications on a wide variety of topics, including the following:

Healthcare

State agencies such as the Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) and the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services (ADRS) help to promote quality medical services for Alabama citizens. Other agencies, such as the Alabama Board of Nursing (ABN) and Alabama State Board of Chiropractic Examiners (ASBCE), regulate healthcare practitioners.

Alabama Department of Public Health, 2017 Annual Report


Alabama Board of Nursing, 2003 Annual Report

Professional licensing

Many agencies maintain licensing authority over professionals in their respective disciplines. Examples include the Home Builders Licensure Board, the Alabama State Board of Public Accountancy, and the Alabama Real Estate Appraisers Board.

Home Builders Licensure Board, Fall 2015 Newsletter

Law enforcement and public safety

State agencies such as the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) and the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) help to ensure public safety in the state by educating citizens, enforcing laws, investigating crimes, and incarcerating criminals.

Alabama Department of Corrections, 2002 Annual Report

Social issues

Some state agencies advocate for specific groups of people living in Alabama. The Alabama Indian Affairs Commission (AIAC) and the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs (ADVA), for example, provide meaningful programs and assistance to Native Americans and veterans, respectively, and promote their rights in the state.

Alabama Indian Affairs Commission, 2017 Annual Report

Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs, Fall 2006 Newsletter

Economics and community

State agencies such as the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA) and the Alabama Department of Revenue (ADOR) promote economic development and oversee financial assets in the state.

Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, 2002 Annual Report

Education

The Alabama Commission on Higher Education (ACHE) is one of several state agencies that coordinate and/or oversee the state’s educational institutions and student population.

Alabama Commission on Higher Education, 2009 Annual Report

Transportation

State agencies such as the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) maintain routes of travel and provide safe transportation systems in the state.

Alabama Department of Transportation, Summer 2018 Newsletter

Ready to start researching? Access these electronic state publications and more in the ADAH Electronic Collections.

This initiative was supported in part by a National Historic Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) grant to the Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH) and the Office of the Governor.