EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Records Management A Committee Responsibility Committee records document the Senate's role in formulating legislation, performing oversight, reviewing nominations and treaties, and conducting investigations. Because these records are the property of the Senate under Senate rule and statute, committee members and staff will want to establish office regulations and procedures that ensure the preservation of historically valuable material. To achieve this goal, each committee and subcommittee office should establish sound records management practices and require conscientious implementation on the part of all staff. Effective records management leads to the creation of well-defined office files, timely and systematic removal of transitory records, and the designation and control of permanently valuable material. It both enriches a committee's total information resources and determines the overall level of office efficiency. In fact, given the increased volume of records acquired by committees and the fragility and transitory nature of electronic documentation, astute records management is essential to a well-run office. Getting Started An Office Policy Ideally, committee staff should establish an office policy at the beginning of each Congress, before subsequent activities limit the opportunity for careful records preservation planning. But it is never untimely to initiate records management, and offices without regulations should consider devising a policy and implementing a program immediately. If this task is left to the end of a Congress, staff will find themselves overwhelmed by its magnitude and the quality of final documentation will assuredly suffer. An office policy should remind staff of Senate Standing Rules (XI and XXVI(10)) governing ownership and disposition of committee records, emphasize the importance of records management, authorize implementation of specified records maintenance routines, and set forth guidelines for staff who wish to make either electrostatic or microform copies of their files to take with them when they leave committee employment. A solid records management program requires early identification of permanently valuable files so that they may be filed separately from transitory material. In the case of electronic records, administrative controls must be implemented to guarantee the preservation of permanently valuable information stored on magnetic media. Guidelines for identifying valuable files are provided in the following chapters. Individual assistance is available from the Senate Historical Office and the Senate Archivist who also assists with all aspects of records disposition and transfers of material to the National Archives. Management of Automated Records Automated records represent an increasingly important part of the materials created and maintained by committee offices. Because such records are stored in a form that is easy to modify and update, they are sometimes mistakenly considered to have temporary or transitory informational value. On the contrary, certain information stored on these systems will have permanent value for the office and for future research. It is the responsibility of the staff to identify this information and ensure that it is systematically retained. Consultation with the Senate Archivist is recommended. Every office using automated systems should compile written guidelines that specify: instructions for compiling an inventory of automated files and information a list of subject (index) terms to be used for indexing documents ☐ documentation to be saved with each automated record disposition statement for each information file guidelines for deleting and reusing magnetic media physical maintenance requirements Office automation poses unique information retention problems which require careful records management planning. Staff who recognize and accept this responsibility are fulfilling the requirements outlined by Senate rules regarding preservation of committee records. By so doing, they are contributing in a unique and lasting way to the Senate's documentary heritage. |