Archives Committee

SEEKING A NEW CHAIR

The Archivist is appointed by the President and serves a term of one year.  The Archivist may appoint additional members as needed.

1.      Charge.

  • The Archivist collects and makes available NOCALL historical information and materials.  The Archives committee assists members and other committees in compiling, verifying and researching NOCALL information.

2.      Duties.

  • The Archivist serves the Associations, collects and organizes NOCALL documents and publications, maintains and makes available the archival collection, and performs historical research as requested.

3.      Calendar.

  • Prepares budget request.

  • Orders AALL Convention tapes if requested by the Board.

  • Receives copies of the Executive Board minutes and Business meeting minutes, the newsletter, the Membership directory, and Institute and Workshop handouts, and other NOCALL publications as the Board requires.

4.      Housing of Archives.

  •  The Archives are housed at the Robert Crown Law Library, Stanford University.

Guidelines

Purpose

The purpose of the archives is to provide for the retention of materials of historical and/or vital interest according to the criteria set forth herein.

Description

The archives should contain only materials of general historical importance. This includes records which document the life span of NOCALL, its organization and development, its functions, and its activities.

The archives should include, therefore: non-current relevant correspondence, correspondence of Chapter officers; items concerning policy or of a controversial nature; all publications, including every issue of the newsletter; all reports and all minutes; closed account books; all chapter awards with accompanying documentation; all compiled rosters of officers and members; bylaws; photographs; and procedures manuals.

Correspondence, for archival purposes, shall not include items of transitory interest such as thank you notes, arrangements for non-institute business meetings, etc. Drafts of memos, working papers and revisions need not be kept unless it would be difficult to trace the steps leading to a major decision without them.

Organization of Archives

The archives will be organized into major categories and subcategories, as follows:

  • NOCALL (Materials pertaining to the chapter as a whole)
    • Bylaws (Including all revisions and amendments)
    • History (Materials pertaining to establishment and early growth of Chapter)
    • Membership Lists of Chapter Members
    • Memorials and Awards (Special recognition to chapter or its members)
    • Minutes of Business Meetings
    • Obituaries
    • Photographs
    • Procedures Manual, Chapter and Association
    • Publicity (Clippings, pictures, etc., about Chapter or its members)
  • Officers
    • Executive Board – Minutes and Reports
    • Roster of Officers and Committee Members
    • President (Annual report and other materials of permanent importance, including correspondence not found elsewhere)
    • Secretary (Materials of permanent importance, including correspondence not found elsewhere; minutes are filed elsewhere)
    • Treasurer (A copy of the yearly budget and annual statement, and other materials of permanent interest not found elsewhere. Bank statements, cancelled checks, receipted bills, etc. should be held five years and not sent to permanent archives)
    • Other Officers
  • Associated Organizations (Reports, correspondence from liaisons with other organizations; e.g., CLA, ALA, SLA, etc.).
  • Committees/Chapter Groups (Arranged alphabetically by name of Committee or Chapter Group)
  • Projects (Program materials, reports and correspondence on institutes,  workshops, joint conferences, and association-wide meetings, etc. arranged by date and program title; e.g., October 17-19, 1985 microcomputers and Law Library Administrative Applications, NOCALL/WESTPAC Joint Meeting)
  • Publications (Archival files should contain one copy of the actual publication.  Correspondence pertaining to a publication should be filed in the folder of the committee or position responsible for the publication.)
    • Newsletter
    • Membership Brochure
    • Membership Directory
    • Others (e.g. Union lists, etc.)

Filing of Archives

Archives materials should be filed in acid-free archival folders and labeled with the general category, subcategory, and, if necessary, a chronological division.  For example:

NOCALL: Business Meetings Minutes 1980-1985 OFFICERS: President – Annual Report to AALL COMMITTEE: Archives Committee 1985 PUBLICATIONS: Newsletters 1980-1985.

Within each folder the material should be filed chronologically, with the most current material in front.

Retention Schedules 

NOCALL records are either permanent, or temporary with a two to six year retention. Attachment I shows the recommended retention policy.

Housing of Archives 

Stanford University Law Library is the permanent location for the NOCALL archives. Attachment II is the agreement for the storage of the archives at Stanford University.

Archivist

The archives will be maintained by an appointed member or members.  The responsibilities include collecting, selecting, weeding, arranging and filing the archival material.

Outgoing officers and committee chairpersons may wish to receive files intact from their predecessors. Following timely review, they should pass the material on to the archivist for weeding and filing. Before adding material to the permanent file, the archivist will do a thorough weeding.

Archivist’s Quick Reference File or Notebook 

It is recommended that the Archivist maintain a quick reference card file or loose-leaf notebook to be used to respond to the most frequently asked questions. The following items should be included for ready reference:

  • Officers: List of elected officers and committee chairpersons and members for the last 10 years.
  • Programs: List of institutes and workshops (program titles) and speaker’s names.
  • History: Date of establishment, place of first meeting and other outstanding events, e.g. visit by Association officer.
  • Special Publications: Title and date of publication.

Attachment I 
Chapter Records Retention Policy

NOCALL

Record

Retention Policy

Bylaws

Permanent
History Permanent
Membership Lists of Chapter Members Permanent
Memorials and Awards Permanent
Minutes of Business Meetings Permanent
Obituaries Permanent
Photographs Permanent
Procedure Manuals (NOCALL  & AALL) Current Edition
Publicity Permanent

Officers

Record

Retention Policy
Executive Board Permanent
Roster of Officers and Committee Members Permanent
President
     Annual Report to the Association Permanent
     Correspondence
          To/from Chapter members 3 years plus current*
          To/from Association 3 years plus current*
          To/from others 3 years plus current*
Treasurer
     Annual Report to the Association Permanent
     Bank, Financial, Accounting  records 5 years plus current**
     Quarterly reports 5 years plus current
     Miscellaneous 1 year plus current*
Other Officers
     Reports 5 years plus current
     Correspondence 1 year plus current*

Committes/Chapter Groups

Record

Retention Policy
Special Reports to Executive Board 5 years plus current
Correspondence 3 years plus current*
Annual Reports Permanent

Projects – Includes joint conferences, workshops, association-wide meetings, etc.

Record

Retention Policy
Program Materials (including registrants, vendors, brochures, etc.) Permanent

Reports

5 years plus current
Correspondence (including contracts) Project duration plus 1 year*

Publications

Record

Retention Policy
Newsletter (1 copy) Permanent
Membership Brochure Permanent
Membership Directory Permanent
Union List Permanent

* Unless contains policy statements or other matters of lasting importance. If so, keep pertinent item permanently.
** Treasurer should retain five years and not send to permanent archives.

Attachment II (PDF file of agreement between Stanford University and NOCALL regarding archives storage).