Is your local government conducting a basement cleanup project, carrying out its annual destruction activities, or sorting through electronic files? Did you know that you must request authorization from the Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH) each time you plan to destroy local government records? We have provided step-by-step instructions below to guide you … Continue reading Local Government Records Destruction 101
Records Disposition Authority: Roadmap for Records Retention
Do you ever wonder why some records are kept for just a couple of years, while other records are kept for decades or even forever? Do you know where to find how long different types must be maintained? Let’s discuss a document that serves as a roadmap for state and local government records retention: the … Continue reading Records Disposition Authority: Roadmap for Records Retention
Preserving Historic Ledgers and Books
Guest Contributor: Keri Hallford, Collections Archivist, Alabama Department of Archives and History Are you considering wrapping books in your agency’s collection? Keeping bound records was once an easy and reliable way to reference important information quickly. In the digital age, however, this method is becoming outmoded, and books often fall into disrepair. As bound records … Continue reading Preserving Historic Ledgers and Books
Meet the Staff Feature: Sophie Law
For the Record’s “Meet the Staff” feature is an opportunity for our archivists to connect directly with the community which we serve. Name: Sophie G.H. Law Title: Records Management & Appraisal Archivist Specialties: Records Disposition Authority (RDA) revision, local government records retention / destruction How did you end up working at the Alabama Department of … Continue reading Meet the Staff Feature: Sophie Law
You Don’t Need to Keep It All: Start Decluttering Your Email
To the phrase “You don’t need to keep it all,” I often receive this common response: “I would need to hire an assistant full-time just to manage my email.” While storage may be relatively cheap, think about how long it takes your search engine to find an email among twenty thousand messages. The value of … Continue reading You Don’t Need to Keep It All: Start Decluttering Your Email
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