ARCHIVES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00163R000100020004-2
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 23, 2002
• Sequence Number: 4
• Content Type: REPORT

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ARCHIVES
As defined by the Civil Service Commission for the Archiv
of the United States, Archives are "(1) those bodies of non-current
permanently valuable records-that form useful evidence of the or-
ganization, functions, policyE,decisions, procedures, operations
or other activities of Federal Agencor very important Federal
Officials, or (2) those records that must, or should, be preserved
for their informational content ......Archival records document of-
ficial actions and serve as sources for official reference in the
prosecution of the affairs of Government by providing a record of
past actions. The information contained in Archives is essential
to historians, political scientists, economists, sociologists, or
other scholars engaged in study in various aspects of our society."
Professional archival work involves the following broad, but
not''mutually exclusive, functions:
(4) Documentary publication, historical editing,
and exhibit of archival materials,
(1) Appraisal and disposition
(2) Arrangement and description
(3) Preservation and rehabilitation
I (5) Reference service
.A sampling of these functions are described below to further
clarify the professional distinctions between Archivists and Records
Management Officers:
(1) Records appraisal and disposition involves the analysis
and evaluation of inactive records to determine their con-
tinuing value and to provide advice or make decisions about
their destruction or permanent retention. Archivists employ
a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the history,
organization, and operations of the Agency; the legislative
authorities, and responsibilities of the Agency as these re-
late to the development and retention of records; the organi-
zational, functional and records relationships of the Agency
to other Agencys and activities in the intelligence community
and federal government at large; and:."the needs of the scholarly
community.
Approved For Release 2002/06/05 : CIA-RDP75-00163R000100020004-2
Approved For Release 2002/06/05: CIA-RDP75-00163R00010002 cif T7 'r I-141
 Approved For Release 2002/06/05 : CIA-RDP75-00163R000100020004-2
(2) Archivists engaged in records arrangement study the
origins, the organizational and functional history and
administrative procedures of the producing units. They
analyze the records to decide the arrangement that will
best reveal their character and significance; protect
their integrity as historical evidence of organization
and function; and facilitate their location, description,
and use.
(3) Preservation involves safeguarding the archival
material from deterioration or impairment of their
value through alteration. It considers the condition
of the records; the nature of their evidential or
informational value; the extent of their use; and the
cost of repair and rehabilitation.
(4) Archivists involved in publication work carefully
study the documents to be published to resolve questions
of origin and authenticity. They employ a thorough
knowledge of the substance of the documents and persons,
circumstances, or events to which the documents relate.
Approved For Release 2002/06/05 : CIA-RDP75-00163R000100020004-2