SUMMARY OF PANEL REPORTS FROM THE 1971 CONFERENCE OF RECORDS MANAGEMENT OFFICERS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP74-00390R000300200001-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 7, 2002
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: December 1, 1971
• Content Type: SUMMARY

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SUMMARY OF PANEL REPORTS
from the 1971
CONFERENCE OF RECORDS MANAGEMENT OFFICERS
A. CONFERENCE BACKGROUND
1. The Fifth Annual Conferenof A enc Records Management
Officers was held on Thursday and
Friday, 2-3 December WOO- ay, tra ning-oriented
meetings concentrate on special records problems. They provide
an opportunity for component Records Managers and office adminis-
trative personnel to gather, away from their offices, to learn
about new developments and techniques, to exchange experiences of
common interest, and to strengthen the esprit de corps necessary
for the development of the Records Program and its personnel.
2. This year the Conference responsibility and participation
were distributed more widely among the component Records Officers.
The first four Conferences were created, developed, and implemented
by the Agency Central Records Staff. Although speakers were
selected from each Directorate the Agenda and emphasis of the theme
were selected by the Agency Records Administration Officer based
upon his understanding of the prevailing records problems. This
year the Records Management Board was requested to establish a
Committee to develop the Agenda and select Panel leaders. The.
Central Records Staff provided coordination, supervision, and
implementation. A sense of participation motivated general
enthusiasm and dedication which were reflected in the excellent
Agenda, serious work of the Panels, their positive contributions,
and the favorable comments in the final critiques. Attached as
TABS A thru H are the full reports received from Panels A thru H,
while TAB I is the list of Panel Chairmen, TAB J is a copy of the
Agenda, and TAB K is a summary of the critiques.
B. PANEL OPERATIONS
1. This year the Conference again used a format which proved
successful for us in 1968 when conferring on microfilming problems
related to records systems. The Conferees were organized into
eight panels of 10 to 12 members. They were required to study two
related problems and to submit their Panel proposals on the con-
ference floor.
2. In order to obtain the ideas and support of all component
Records Management officers, all Panels worked on the same two
questions of concern Agencywide and requiring positive action during
this Fiscal Year:
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a. How to keep the net annual growth of each Directorate's
Volume at the Records Center below 1,000 cubic feet
per year?
b. How to develop Records Retention Plans and identify
"Offices of Record" in each Directorate?
3. The Panels met two or three times before the conference,
conferred with Directorate and Agency Records Staffs, researched
the related statistics and procedures, and at the Conference had
four hours of meetings in which to develop their conclusions.
Each Panel reported to the full Conference and to the CIA Records
Management Board which is to take action on the proposals. After
the Conference each Panel submitted a written report to the Board
Chairman. The keynote speaker, the Assistant Deputy Director for
Support, requested a report on the Conference and Panel recommenda-
tions.
C. SUMMARY OF PANEL REPORTS:
1. In the written reports of the eight Panels there is some
duplication of specific conclusions but different priorities often
supported the rationale leading to their final recommendations.
2. Overall the Panel reports may be consolidated and
summarized into three major problem areas (a. Retention Plans,
b. 1,000-foot limit, and c. Program General) with two sub-problem areas
in each as follows:
a. Completion of Retention Plans for Permanent Records:
(1) New Control Schedules versus Plans versus Directories.
One Panel recommended updating and expanding Records
Control Schedules to incorporate the Offices of Record
for both temporary and permanent records while other
Panels favored an initial effort to identify the more
valuable permanent records in a separate Retention
Plan while still another Panel suggested issuing a
Directory of Offices of Record. (The majority
favored preparing Retention Plans and the Agency
Records Administration Officer is having them prepared as
the first priority action to meet the requirement
set forth on 1 July 1971 in the Executive Director-
Comptroller's memorandum to the DDS requesting action
to identify the Offices of Record for Agency files.)
(2) Formalize the System for Completion of the Plans.
There is a general consensus that a complete and
current Records Control Schedule is essential for
improved records management as well as the logical
start for a Retention Plan. The Panels proposed this
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procedure for developing them:
(a) Management to announce a formal requirement
for the Plans.
(b) Conduct files inventories and describe their
volume and location in each component.
(c) Analyze the inventory and regulations to
determine the component responsibility and
its related files.
(d) Coordinate within the Directorate to establish
specific components as "Offices of Record"
for certain files.
(e) The Directorate Records Management Officers will
coordinate with other Directorate and Agency
Records Officers to resolve duplicate Offices of
Record for certain files.
(f) Component Records Officers will implement Retention
Plans approved by the Agency Records Administration
Officer. The RMOs will change scheduled records
retention periods in accordance with approved Plans
and retire records or dispose of unofficial
holdings.
(g) RMOs will begin identifying Offices of Record
for temporary records.
(h) Review and up-date Plans periodically.
(At the Conference instructions were distributed.
Since the Conference two forms for the Plans have been
designed and issued. Component and Directorate Records
Officers report having met and are working on their
local Plans.)
b. Controlling the Storage Net Growth Limit of 1,000 feet.
(1)Improve Records Schedules and Critical Control of
Space Use.
Generally, the Panels agreed that the Records Control
Schedules are the most effective tool for controlling
records disposal. They strongly recommend tightening
and up dating them as well as preparing new schedules
to better control Supplemental Distribution material
and emergency Vital Records stored in the Records
Center. Immediate disposal of all extra copies was
urged with issue of xerox copies to meet supplemental
requests. Similarly it was proposed that a management
policy statement should be issued on the Agency emergency
mission to permit a new critical review of component
Vital Records collections. The Panels also proposed
establishing an interim storage area in the headquarters
for short term records. The Panels urged more thorough
screening before retiring records and to require
certification of such action. They requested a
continuous accounting system to ensure that net space
savings were held "in escrow" to a Directorate's credit
for future use, if necessary. (The accounting system
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does exist. As of 1 July 1971 the Directorates began
the Limited Storage Policy with the following cubic
feet of records in the Records Center: DCI 2,148;
DDI 20,873; DDP 24,169; DDS 21,837; DDS&T 4,127
Archives 17,367; for an overall total of 90,523.
Component totals as of that date are available at the
Center.)
Expand Records Officer Involvement in Management Practices.
The Panels urged more Records Officer control of Records
Creation via Forms, Reports, and Correspondence Management.
They also proposed that at the time of creation or printing
all documents and publications should be marked "Record
Copy" or "non-record copy". Also the disposal date and
Office of Record should be indicated on reports and
publications. They stressed the need for full-time,
trained Records Managers and for educating administrators
as well as clerical personnel on Records Management
procedures and benefits. More outspoken Management support
of the Records Program is considered essential. Microfilming
possibilities should be explored and used where retention
periods and costs justify. Use microforms for publication
distribution. More files should be moved from safes to
shelves. File equipment controls were advised. Volume
limits for records in headquarters offices should be
established. Special attention was focused on recovering
for reissue the freed equipment in offices where microfilming
is completed or a functional transfer or reorganization
takes place. They reported that Records Management is an
integral part of good management practices and is separate
where good management fails. Too often records management
is dealing with after-the-fact situations.
c. General Records Program Improvements
(1) Management is Responsible to set Program Policy and
Investment.
Even the briefest scanning of each Panel report finds
repeated stress on the need for an official statement
by Top Management concerning its Records Management
Policy and the degree of investment it desires in each
Directorate for the Records Program. Top Management
understands the need for records control but it must
convey this urgency to Office Heads to have them include
the allocation of resources for Records Management in
their offices and plans. The Panels emphasized that
Records are a full-time management problem not a step
child of registry operations. Records Officers must
be afforded time to survey records systems and to
teach personnel working directly with records how to
take corrective action.
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(2) Expand Records Program Requirements
The Panel reports include several general recommendations
for the overall Records Program. They propose that
systems analysis training be part of the Records
Officer's skills. They ask for a Spring Conference on
records problems, more meetings, and equal opportunities
for external training. They ask elimination of Records
Officer disparities among Directorates. As usual several
recommend a Career Development Program for Records
Officers "like Personnel, Logistics, Security, etc."
It was proposed that Directorate Records Management
Officers should report directly to the Agency Records
Administration Officer and be evaluated and have their
Fitness Reports prepared by him. More records manage-
ment training is suggested for clerical, secretarial, and
supervisory personnel.
D. FOLLOW-UP ACTION:
Copies of the Panel reports were furnished to the members of
the CIA Records Management Board. This report and possible follow-up
action on the Panel proposals were considered at the Board's
25 January 1972 meeting. Some proposals, such as the Headquarters
interim storage area and a Records Career Service have been explored
in the past and will be reconsidered at this time. The Panel proposals
will be studied by the Board members to determine what action is
required at the Component, Directorate, and Agency levels. These will
be identified and corrective action taken by the Records Officers or
where appropriate formal requests developed by the Board and submitted
to the officials concerned. The Agency Records Administration Officer
will coordinate the follow-up a
CIA Records Administration Officer
Attachments:
TABS A thru K
as stated above.
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