SELECTED RECORDS MANAGEMENT GUIDES AND STANDARDS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP72-00450R000100330023-0
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 4, 1998
• Sequence Number: 23
• Publication Date: November 1, 1966
• Content Type: MISC

Approved For Release 2007/10/23: CIA-RDP72-00450R000100330023-0
November 1966
SELECTED RECORDS MANAGEMENT GUIDES AND STANDARDS
1. COST TO KEEP AND SERVICE 1 CUBIC FOOT (ONE HALF OF A LEGAL SIZE SAFE
FILE DRAWER) OF RECORDS IN OFFICE SPACE FOR ONE YEAR
(See Records Administration For Details)
2. COST TO KEEP AND SERVICE 1 CUBIC FOOT OF RECORDS IN AGENCY RECORDS
CENTER FOR ONE YEAR
(See Records Administration For Details)
3. TRANSFER RECORDS TO THE RECORDS CENTER WHEN THE REFERENCE RATE IS
NO MORE THAN ONCE PER FILE DRAWER PER MONTH.
(National Archives and Records Service)
4. NUMBER OF PIECES OF PAPER PER CUBIC FOOT (ONE HALF OF A LEGAL SIZE
SAFE DRAWER)
(National Records Management Council; Harvard Business Review)
55.98
1.88
2,000
5. AVERAGE WHITE COLLAR WORKER CREATES 2,000 PIECES OF PAPER (ONE CUBIC
FOOT OF RECORDS) PER YEAR,
(National Records Management Council)
6. COST TO CREATE ONE CUBIC FOOT OF RECORDS $2,090.75
(See Records Administration For Details)
61.23
7. THE OVERALL AVERAGE COST OF A MISFILED PAPER IS $
(Records Controls, Inc., Management Consultants; National
Records Management Council)
8. ESTIMATED NUMBER OF MISFILES AVERAGES FROM 1% TO 5% AND 1% IS CONSIDERED
NORMAL.
(Records Controls, Inc.)
9. COST TO MICROFILM ONE CUBIC FOOT OF RECORDS $ 30.00
ENTER SPACE FOR 71
THE SAME RECORDS CAN BE KEPT IN RECORDS C
$ 29.82
YEARS FOR
(See Records Administration For Details)
10. THE COST OF PROCESSING AND FILING FORMS IS MORE THAN 20 TIMES THE
COST OF PRINTING FORMS.
(See National Records Management Council 1957)
Approved For Release 2007/10/23: CIA-RDP72-00450R000100330023-0
 Approved For Release 2007/10/23: CIA-RDP72-0045OR000100330023-0
SELECTED RECORDS MANAGEMENT GUIDES AND STANDARDS (Cont'd)
11. AVERAGE NUMBER OF 3 x 5 CARDS PER INCH
12. A FILE GUIDE CARD SHOULD BE USED FOR APPROXIMATELY EVERY 5-10 NAME
FOLDERS; THIS DECREASES FILING AND FINDING TIME APPROXIMATELY 10%.
13. A GUIDE CARD SHOULD BE USED FOR APPROXIMATELY EVERY 25 CARDS
( 3 x 5; 4x6; 5 x 8).
14. NUMBER OF TABULATING CARDS PER CUBIC FOOT
15.. NUMBER OF 3 x 5 CARDS PER CUBIC FOOT
16.
17.
18.
.10,000
12,000
NUMBER OF 4 x 6 CARDS PER CUBIC FOOT
6,000
NUMBER OF 5 x 8 CARDS PER CUBIC FOOT
FLOOR SPACE REQUIRED FOR FILING CABINETS:
4,800
A. LEGAL SIZE - 8 SQ. FT.
B. LETTER SIZE - 6 SQ. FT.
(Includes Working Space and Aisles)
19. FILE CABINETS SHOULD BE ARRANGED IN FACING ROWS WITH A DESIRED AISLE
OF 32 FEET; IN NO INSTANCE SHOULD WIDTH OF AISLE BE LESS THAN 3 FEET.
20. SHELF FILING, IN GENERAL, HAS THE FOLLOWING ADVANTAGES OVER FILING IN
CONVENTIONAL FILING CABINETS AND SAFES:
A. IT REQUIRES ABOUT 50% LESS SPACE.
B. IT IS ABOUT 50% CHEAPER.
C. REFERENCE RATES (FILING AND FINDING) ARE ABOUT 30% FASTER.
21. SEVEN LETTERS OF THE ALPHABET (B; C; G; H; M; S; W;) COMPRISE 53% OF
A NORMAL NAME FILE.
22. FILE-NOTHING BEFORE SOMETHING:
BROWN, A Through Z
BROWNS, A Through Z
23. MOST RECORDS OVER 4 YEARS OLD WILL BE REFERRED TO LESS THAN FOUR TIMES
PER MONTH.
(National Archives and Records Service, G.S.A.)
24. AT LEAST ONE HALF OF AN AGENCY'S RECORDS CAN BE MOVED FROM HIGH COST
(OFFICE) SPACE TO LESS COSTLY (RECORDS CENTER) SPACE.
(National Archives and Records Service, G.S.A.)
Approved For Release 2007/10/23: CIA-RDP72-0045OR000100330023-0
 Approved For Release 2007/10/23: CIA-RDP72-0045OR000100330023-0
SELECTED RECORDS MANAGEMENT GUIDES AND STANDARDS (Cont'd)
25. FILES SHOULD BE CUT OFF PERIODICALLY SO AS TO MAKE THEIR RETIREMENT
OR DISPOSAL AS EASY AS POSSIBLE.
(NARS, G.S.A.)
26. STANDARDS FOR FILING OPERATIONS
A. SORTING MANUALLY FOR ALPHABETICAL FILING - 200 PER HOUR
B. SORTING MANUALLY FOR NUMERICAL FILING - 250 PER HOUR
C. FILING MANUALLY FOR ALPHABETICAL FILES (CARDS) - 150 PER HOUR
D. FILING MANUALLY FOR NUMERICAL FILE (CARDS) - 200 PER HOUR
E. WRITING OUT CHARGE CARDS FOR REQUESTS - 80 PER HOUR
F. FILE REFERENCE- ALPHABETIC (NAME) - 60 PER HOUR
G. FILE REFERENCE - ALPHABETIC (SUBJECT) - 40 PER HOUR
H. FILE REFERENCE - NUMERIC - 40 PER HOUR
I. SORTING ENVELOPES BY CITIES AND TOWNS - 2000 PER HOUR
27.
LOOSE FILING, PLACING DOCUMENTS IN FILE FOLDERS UNFASTENED, RESULTS IN
FROM 25% TO 50% INCREASE IN FILING EFFICIENCY.
28.
IT COSTS $2.00 TO PRODUCE THE AVERAGE DICTATED LETTER, THE SAME LETTER
CAN BE PRODUCED FOR FIFTEEN CENTS BY USING A FORM LETTER.
(National Records Management Council)
29.
COST TO FILE A PIECE OF PAPER IS FOUR CENTS.
30.
COST OF GOVERNMENT OFFICE SPACE IS $3.85 PER SQ. FT.
(House Report 2197 - How to Cut Paper Work - Oct. 6,
1966)
31.
ONE TYPED ENVELOPE REPLACED BY WINDOW ENVELOPE SAVES TWO CENTS.
Approved For Release 2007/10/23: CIA-RDP72-0045OR000100330023-0