Do bookmark the online records management page. It provides information about screening, packing, transferring, and retrieving records. When in doubt about anything, please call the GMMA: (301) 431-5451.
Do use your department's records schedule to file and pack records by records series. Different types of records have different retention periods, so filing by series makes future work related to processing records with permanent retentions or disposing of records with temporary retentions clearer and easier. In the absence of a records schedule, please contact the GMMA for assistance. IMPORTANT: Records without series and retention designations will be returned.
Do think of your department's function(s) as a way of identifying and organizing records.
Do make note of your department's vital records. What records do you need to do your job if fire or water, for example, make your office or building off limits?
Do appraise as you pack. Keep as permanent any memo, publication, policy statement, etc., that your department created. Discard materials received from other departments after their administrative need has ended. Duplicates can usually be discarded -- it is less expensive in the long run to make a photocopy on demand. Originals, or record copies, will be available from the office of origin. Understand what active records, non-current records, and semi-current records are. When in doubt about the value of any records, contact the GMMA.
Do determine copyright for published materials and photographs "done for hire." The AFL-CIO does not necessarily hold copyright on every piece of published material or photograph.
Do understand what an artificial collection is and that it is often not considered permanent.
Do fill out Records Transfer Inventory (RTI) forms as completely as possible. IMPORTANT: Keep on file the RTI forms that GMMA staff return to you. You will need to refer to them in order to request records back from storage.
Do remember that no records from your department that are scheduled for destruction can be destroyed until the department head signs the authorization on the RTI form.
Do be aware that records you create now in electronic format may be obsolete and therefore irretrievable twenty years from now. Generally, print permanent records. When in doubt, contact the GMMA.
Don't create orphans! Every box or item must have a parent (department) and a life history (where it was created and information about its existence). This especially includes three-dimensional items such as framed artwork, textiles, and books. Do not send an item to storage solely because "it needs to go somewhere" or "it cost so much to acquire."
Don't mix series for any reason other than that there is a significant amount of unused space in a box. See the Packing Records section of the Records Management Manual for more information.
