PROPOSED AGENCY PRESERVATION PROGRAM

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88G00186R001001300010-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 13
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 8, 2010
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: July 22, 1985
• Content Type: MEMO

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TO: (Officer designation, room number, and
building)
,Director of n ormation Services
1206 Ames Building
ROUTING AND RECORD SHEET
Proposed Agency, Preservation Program
NO. ols 85-393
1 :~t?~ wry,
STATKw
STATL
11 EO/DDA
OFFICER'S
INITIALS
COMMENTS (Number each comment to show from whom
to whom. Draw o line across column after each comment.)
Harry.
The money needed
this program is being
covered. Between the,resi.-
due of the money you pro,;;tr
VA ucu
special needs (FOIA/PA, "r.HRP
Ames/ISC, TSCADS),and our.
to devote this year"andcan
$8,000 during the:-nextpt
fiscal years.
As everything appears
on track, we don't need to
meet on this subject unless
you so desire.
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2 2 JUL 1985
MEMORANDUM FOR: Deputy Director for Administration
Director of Information Services, DDA
SUBJECT: Proposed Agency Preservation Program
1. The attached paper, prepared by the Information
Resources Management Division, recommends implementing a formal
Agency preservation program at the Agency Archives and Record
Center (AARC). The paper was prepared at my request and is
intended to provide you with more details than we could provide
on this subject at the quarterly review on 4 June 1985. I
believe it will answer any other questions that you may have had.
2. The paper identifies a number of areas that have been
of concern for some time. You and I have discussed the space
and environmental problems at the AARC in the past and as you
know, we are taking steps to alleviate them. Equally important
is the need to devote the resources necessary to comply fully
with the laws and regulations governing the preservation of our
permanent records and to provide the full range of support
needed for the Historical Review Program. A number of
preservation options have been considered and the paper
recommends a practical approach. It would include the use of
current staff and some current year funds to begin the program
until budgeting can be accomplished for FY-1988.
3. We feel strongly about the need to provide the highest
possible degree of protection to these important records and
would like to meet with you for a discussion of our proposal at
your convenience.
STAT
STAT
Administrative - Internal 11cr nnly
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DDA/OIS/IRMD/IMB
dcw (18 july 1985)
Distribution:
Original -
Addressee
2 -
DDA
2 -
OIS
1 -
IRMD
2 -
IMB
STAT
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AGENCY PRESERVATION PROGRAM
FOR
PERMANENT RECORDS
INFORMATION RESOURCES MANAGEMENT DIVISION
OFFICE OF INFORMATION SERVICES
DIRECTORATE OF ADMINISTRATION
AAmi n i cH r ~4 : T...L .~ l
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The purpose of this paper is to discuss the need for a formal
Agency preservation programl, to consider various'preservation
options, to describe the proposed program, and to identify funding
requirements for the program.
1. The Agency Archives and Records Center (AARC) was
established in 1951. Since then, it has operated in a number of
locations each possessing disparate construction and undesirable
environmental conditions. The present site, which opened in 1955,
filled quickly and an annex was added in 1958. It is by far our
best building to date but while bearing resemblance to an archival
facility, it has some environmental problems.
2. There has never been a formal preservation program at the
AARC, although there have been some ad-hoc projects to protect
permanent records. For example, on one occasion a microfiche
collection was reinspected, but no follow-up tests were ever
conducted. Likewise, a motion picture collection was rewound to
avoid core setting, but this practice was not continued. There
were also efforts to use acid-free products to replace paper
storage containers, microfiche envelopes, microfiche storage
boxes, and microfiche separators, but these efforts were not
completed. In addition, the National Photographic Interpretation
Center (NPIC) has its film inspected periodically by contractors
to determine if there has been any deterioration in its condition.
3. The AARC staff is concerned about the long-term condition
of materials charged to their care, yet they currently exercise
little control over the building conditions or the type of
materials that are used by the Agency for storing permanent
records deposited at the AARC. Implementing a preservation
program at the AARC would be an important step toward improving
the condition of the permanent records of the Agency until such
time that they are declassified and released to the National
Archives and Records Administration (NARA) under the Historical
Review Program. In cases where documents are reviewed and not
released to NARA, care and preservation become even more important
because these records could be held for as long as 100 years.
'For the purpose of this paper, preservation is defined as those
procedures used to protect permanent Agency records from damage,
deterioration, or destruction in order that they remain in good
condition for use by Agency employees and eventually by historians
and the general public after the records have been transferred to
the National Archives and Records Administration.
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4. As permanent records accumulate, storage space and the
enlargement of the Records Center become critical. There is an
FY 1987 initiative for the base year in the amount of
$388 thousand, which represents additional shelving and an A&E
Study. In the out year of FY 1988 there is $3.4 million for
construction of an annex to the Records Center to deal with the
space problem. This addition should increase the AARC's capacity
sufficiently to take us into the next century. Without this
relief, the AARC might have to discontinue accepting materials for
storage somewhere around 1988. As yet, no special features have
been included in our request to assure optimal conditions for the
long-term storage of permanent records. These will be identified
in the next few months and be the subject of another paper.
1. There are several pressing reasons why the Agency must
now take steps to expand our preservation efforts. There are
Federal laws that require us to maintain and preserve our records
until they are transferred to the National Archives, there is a
need to focus on improving storage and environmental conditions at
the AARC, and a requirement'to provide full support to the
Agency's Historical Review Program.
2. The Federal Records Act of 1950 and the Federal Property
Management Regulations (FPMR) require federal agencies to
cooperate with NARA in assuring the maintenance and security of
records of continuing value. This requirement means providing
proper maintenance of records deemed appropriate for permanent
preservation.
3. Although most agencies transfer records to the National
Archives when the records are 20 to 30 years old, the Agency
retains custody of its permanent records for a much longer
period. Under the DCI's charge to protect intelligence sources
and methods, records are retained until they no longer require
protection in the interest of national security. For records that
contain information on intelligence sources or methods, the
transfer may not take place for 100 years or more. Consequently,
the Agency must bear the responsibility for the preservation of
these records until they can be transferred.
4. Several deficiencies exist in the present environmental
and storage conditions at AARC. Some of these were documented
recently in a study commissioned by NPIC on the condition of
NPIC's film which is stored at AARC. The Bridgehead Film
Evaluation and Test Service, which conducted the study, reported
numerous problems associated with the films' original processing
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and packaging as well as some deficiencies in the storage
conditions and environment at AARC. Some of the problems cited
were:
a. Incorrect processing of early film.
b. The use of improper film splicing materials.
c. Use of film storage containers and inserts
that cause film deterioration.
d. Less than ideal temperature/humidity conditions
in the file storage area.
e. Air recirculation and filtering system.
f. The location of an incinerator upwind of facility.
Most of the original processing and packaging problems can be
eliminated or greatly reduced by the kind of maintenance
procedures that will be proposed for a preservation program later
in this paper. However, correction of the environmental and
storage conditions will require a large expenditure of funds that
have not yet been budgeted. We will address these questions
further once the deficiencies have been documented more completely.
5. Finally, the concern for preservation is further
illustrated in the report of some outside consultants to the
Director of Central Intelligence on establishing an Historical
Review Program. Noting that security considerations require the
Agency to retain custody of documents longer than most agencies,
the consultants suggested that special precautions may be
necessary to guard against undue deterioration of records. They
offered the cautionary recommendation, not based on observed
shortcomings, that "...the DCI satisfy himself that the
preservation needs of the CIA are being met." OIS has not yet
been questioned about its efforts to preserve these records; it
would be prudent to take steps to provide the protection required
before Congress or other groups raise questions about our
program. Unless we do so, we will be sorely embarrassed if and
when we are questioned.
D. PRESERVATION OPTIONS
1. When considering the future course of the Agency's
preservation effort, there are several options that can be
exercised. We can continue the ad hoc approach that we have taken
for many years; we can use an emerging technology like optical
disk storage or an existing process like microfilm to convert more
materials to a more stable storage medium; or we can develop a
systematic program for maintaining our permanent records
collections at AARC. Each of these options will be discussed in
the succeeding paragraphs.
Ar1mi ni ctr:afi vo T- H.-,r.,- I T1,.,. ' - 1
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2. While any preservation effort will be helpful, to
continue business as usual, performing preservation maintenance on
an ad hoc basis, will in effect contribute to the continued
deterioration and eventual loss of the Agency's permanent
records. The sporadic attempts at preservation in the past have
done little to improve the overall condition of records stored at
the Center. Moreover, there is no assurance with an ad hoc
program that preservation is being performed in relation to
archival needs. In our opinion, this is not a valid option since
this type of approach lacks consistency and follow-through.
3. As for the second option, the AARC contains a variety of
information media which could be converted to microforms. The
AARC's permanent record holdings consist of 34,500 cubic feet
(69,000,000 pages) of paper records that have not had any
preservation maintenance or have only been partially maintained.
The conversion of some of these collections to indexed microforms
is a preservation method that would ensure their long-term
viability, as well as help to recover a significant amount of
storage space at the Center (assuming the original document is
destroyed after filming). Moreover, silver microfilm (like paper)
is a legally acceptable archival storage so a mass conversion
effort would cause no problems with NARA. The drawback is that a
microfilming effort of this magnitude would be prohibitively
costly and time-consuming. For example, if only 20,000 cubic feet
(40,000,000 pages) were microfilmed (but not indexed) it would
take one camera operator, using existing planetary camera
equipment, about 48 years (40 million pages : 400 pages/hour =
100,000 hours or 48 years) to complete the project. The cost of
such an effort would be about $12 million.'
4. Another form of preservation and miniaturization that
could be used is the optical disk. Like microfilming, conversion
of the AARC permanent collection to optical disk media would be an
expensive and time-consuming effort. The time and labor costs to
convert the 20,000 cubic feet to optical disk would be comparable
to those for microfilming. In addition, equipment to do the job
would have to be acquired. The equipment needed would cost an
estimated $15-20 million, resulting in a total cost of between $27
and 32 million for the conversion effort.2 There is also a
serious question as to whether we would be permitted to destroy
the original documents since NARA has not yet accepted the optical
disk as a legally acceptable archival medium for records.
'Based on NARA projected average cost of about $.30 per page,
which includes preparation, camera work, processing, and
verification.
2Includes cost of jukeboxes for disk storage which most likely
would not be needed for archival storage where use rate should be
very low. Some lower cost storage equipment would be sought.
A Am i n i c H r n 4- i 17~ 1 4 1 r1....,_ ~-1_
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5.
It
is possible that at some point in the future it may
become
cost
effective to convert some collection of permanent
records
to
another medium such as microform or optical disk, but.
for now
we
believe that neither of these approaches is a viable
option.
6. When considering the options available to us today, the
most practical approach to preservation is what we have termed
preventive records maintenance. This approach would include the
improvement of environmental conditions and the use of acid-free
products for storing permanent records at the Center. Maintenance
would involve gradually replacing all the current file folders and
boxes housing permanent records at AARC with acid-free ones, and
setting up a procedure as part of the accessioning process to
ensure that all future deposits are made in acid-free containers.
It would also include testing records to determine any evidence of
deterioration and undertaking some limited restoration efforts.
This preventive maintenance option could be implemented with a
minimal increase in AARC personnel and could be accomplished in
less than ten years at an estimated cost of $500,000.
E. THE PROPOSED AGENCY PRESERVATION PROGRAM
1. The goal of our preservation program would be to preserve
the documentary heritage of the Central Intelligence Agency and
its predecessor organizations until the Agency's permanent records
can be declassified and sent to the National Archives.
2. If approved, we would start the program almost
immediately. (Details on the major preservation activities
envisioned are shown at Tab A.) Working in conjunction with the
Historical Review Program (HRP), we would begin by maintaining
records of the Strategic Services Unit and the Central
Intelligence Group that are not declassified during the historical
review and are retained by the Agency. As those records are
returned, we would place them in acid-free boxes and folders
before they are re-deposited in the Center. We would not perform
any maintenance on records declassified in the HRP because NARA
would assume that responsibility. At the same time, we would be
helping to prevent future maintenance problems by ensuring that
all new deposits of permanent records are housed in acid-free
containers. Initially, Records Center personnel would perform the
maintenance on deposits by substituting acid-free containers for
the ones used by components. Later, we would provide these
containers to components to place future deposits in.
3. Periodic inspection of records for signs of deterioration
would also be integral to this program. Microform copies of
original documents that have been destroyed would be periodically
reinspected for evidence of degradation. If any degradation were
found, corrective action would be taken. Similarly, simple tests
would be performed on paper records to determine their condition.
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For those that show signs of deterioration, new copies would be
made. Similarly, if we encountered stencil, mimeograph,
Thermofax, or Verifax documents during processing of permanent
records, these materials would be recopied. We would, of course,
use a more stable plain-paper electrostatic reproduction process.
4. None of this preservation maintenance can be achieved
without some expenditure in terms of equipment, supplies,
manpower, renovations, and possibly new construction at AARC. To
the maximum extent, we will do as much as we can with what we
have. We intend to start this program gradually and progress as
fast as is economically possible. Cost estimates and a timetable
to complete this effort are discussed later in paragraphs 2 and 3
under the section titled "Preservation Maintenance Schedule and
Costs."
5. To implement our proposea program, we would make it as
painless as possible for Agency components. This approach would
mean that OIS personnel would do the inspection and preservation
work for them. Before we undertake these maintenance activities,
the custodial offices would have to give permission for their
records to be tested and to concur with the kind of service that
is performed on them. In some cases, there may be security
considerations (e.g., DDO materials) that would preclude some
materials from being included in the program. If so, the
component responsible for these records would be asked to perform
the necessary maintenance in compliance with the procedures and
practices that are implemented at the AARC. Guidance and
materials would have to be provided to these components to ensure
that the program would be executed in a uniform manner throughout
the Agency.
6. To start the program, we should identify funds and order
the equipment and supplies needed to begin the inspection and
maintenance of microforms and paper records. A minimum investment
is needed to get the program underway and to operate through
FY 1987. (A breakdown of these costs is shown in the Section
titled "Recommendation".) We need to begin to budget for
additional monies in FY-1988 to continue the program. We would
also need to develop procedures to carry out the program as well
as a system to manage, control, and report on progress. IRMD has
already begun preservation training for personnel in the Archives
Section, AARC, and we are working with the Printing and
Photography Division, OL, to take an initial look at some of the
microfilm.
F. PRESERVATION MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE AND COSTS
1. The proposed preservation program will involve the
inspection and maintenance of a large number of records at the
AARC. It will require a considerable investment in people, time,
and money, if we hope to complete the maintenance of the entire
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permanent record collection within a reasonable period of time.
As indicated previously, there are approximately 41,000 cubic feet
of permanent records at the AARC including 6,500 cubic feet of
film in cold storage. For the sake of discussion, we will assume
that the entire 34,500 cubic feet outside of cold storage is
paper. On this basis, a breakdown of the permanent records in
AARC would be as follows:
Cold Storage
?Microforms
198
?70mm negatives
402
?Briefing board negatives
76
?Motion picture film
580
?NPIC film
5,000
?Empty
244
Total Cold Storage 6,500
Open Stacks
?Paper 34,5001
Total Open Stacks 34,500
Total Permanent Records 41,000
NOTE: The permanent record collection has increased an average
of 3,350 cubic feet per year over the last five years.
2. To proceed with the preservation program using current
AARC personnel will allow a limited number of man-hours to be
diverted to this effort. The Chief of AARC has estimated that
only 25 percent of the time of the two employees in the Archive
Section (1,040 hours per year) could be devoted to preservation
activities. He cannot be certain, however, that they can be
assigned these duties on a daily basis. Assuming the availability
of these two officers for four hours a day, it would take them
more than 20 years to complete just one inspection of microforms
and to maintain (replace existing materials with acid-free boxes
and folders) the 20,000 cubic feet of unmaintained paper records.
This level of commitment does not allow time to recopy materials,
lIncludes some non-textual materials such as photographic still
pictures, negatives, motion picture film, magnetic tape,
microforms, some of the NPIC film, and sound recordings.
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to maintain new accessions, or to replace the old file folders of
the 14,500 cubic feet of partially maintained paper files. This
minimum effort would cost an estimated $505,000 over a 20 year
period.
3. If the Agency is to carry out a preservation maintenance
effort in a reasonable time frame, additional resources will be
needed. OIS has requested approval for one additional full-time
staff position for the AARC in FY-1986. If approved, this
individual would be devoted full-time to the preservation effort,
bringing the total time available to preservation to 3,120 hours
per year. This additional resource would enable us to complete
the effort described in paragraph 2 above in about seven years and
would allow the reinspection of the microform collection once
every two years as required by the FPMRs. The estimated total
cost of this effort would be about $515,150. It would not include
time to recopy materials, to maintain new accessionsl, or to
replace acid-free file folders in the partially maintained
collection. Additional resources would have to be made available,
either from existing AARC personnel or new ceiling, to carry out
these other activities.
We recommend that a formal Agency preservation program be
initiated immediately using the records maintenance approach
discussed above. As stated earlier, funds should be identified
from existing resources to get the program under way and to
continue operating through FY 1987. To sustain the effort beyond
that time, we should formally request funds for the program in the
FY-1988 budget and in subsequent budgets. Below are estimates of
the resources needed to operate a full program until FY-1988 when
regular budget appropriations could become available.
FY Personnel Equip/Material Costs
1985 (Aug - Sept) .5 $10,420
1986 1.5 33,768
1987 1.5 37,888
TOTAL $82,076
1The above estimates also do not include time or costs for the
additional maintenance resulting from the annual growth of 3,350
cubic feet of permanent records. These costs are not included
because OIS will eventually implement a policy requiring new
accessions deposited at AARC to be housed in approved archival
containers. Projected increases in permanent microform deposits
will not be significant enough to require additional AARC staff
for reinspection.
T A-4r n4-r,H Th4---. -.l T7.... firl
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MAJOR PRESERVATION ACTIVITIES
A. As envisioned in the program, preservation of microforms
would require that they be inspected on a systematic basis. The
FPMR's require reinspection of microforms every two years during
the scheduled life of a collection, using a one percent random
sampling. Categories of inspection would include: materials that
have not been previously inspected, some that have been previously
inspected, and a specified control group. AARC personnel would
inspect for microscopic blemishes, physical defects, resolution,
and density. Test results and certification of environmental
conditions would be recorded, a copy retained, and the original
forwarded to NARA. At the time of inspection, PH tests would be
conducted on the cardboard storage containers, and those with an
unacceptable acid content would be replaced with acid-free
products.
B. Testing and preservation treatment of paper documents at
AARC would follow less stringent procedures. Conservation of
paper materials is a young and developing art, for which NARA has
not yet provided specific guidelines. Consequently, our program
for these records would consist primarily of testing for the acid
content of the paper. This test is a simple non-lab type
procedure which can be easily implemented by AARC personnel.
Actual preservation treatment of paper does not appear practical
on a large scale given the special skills and time required to
carry it out. NARA estimates that, depending on the condition of
a document, chemical treatment can cost from $3.90 to $30 per
page. As an example of the tremendous cost that could be
incurred, to chemically treat 20,000 cubic feet (40,000,000 pages)
of our permanent records at the minimum cost ($3.90 per page)
projected by NARA, would amount to $144,000,000. It may be
desirable for some laboratory preservation treatment on
particularly significant Agency records to be accomplished through
arrangements outside AARC. If any records at the AARC warrant
this type of laboratory preservation, treatment would be done
selectively by the office of Technical Service.
C. A major element of the proposed program would be the
replacement of existing storage containers with acid-free ones.
During previous ad hoc preservation efforts, the storage
containers for about 14,500 cubic feet of permanent paper records
were replaced with acid-free archive boxes. The file folders
inside the boxes were not replaced, however. One of the first
tasks of a preservation program would be to identify and replace
the 20,000 remaining acidic storage containers storing permanent
records, and the estimated 400,000 file folders in these
containers. The preservation would also involve servicing the
documents contained in these folders, to include such things as
the selective electrostatic copying mentioned earlier, the
vertical filing of documents, and the correction of improperly
folded materials. The time required to maintain a cubic foot box
of permanent holdings in this manner is about one hour at an
estimated cost of $24.40.
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