50 NINETEENTH ANNUAL REPORT

RECORDS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM

As reported in the Eighteenth Annual Report, Records Engineering,
Inc. made a complete survey of State of Maryland records during fiscal year
1953. The survey covered ninety different State and county agencies and
was presented in thirty-five separate reports. As a direct result of the sur-
vey, the General Assembly enacted legislation in March 1953, which provided
for a State Records Management Program to be administered by the Hall of
Records Commission (Chapter 436, Acts of 1953).

On July 1, 1953, the Records Management Division was established
within the Hall of Records to carry out the Records Management Program.
A letter was sent to all State agencies pointing out the urgent need for im-
mediate attention to records administration in the State and expressing the
desire to render every assistance possible to the agencies in solving their
records problems. A copy of the law establishing the State Records Program
was attached.

The development of forms and methods for the preparation, submission
and approval of records retention schedules was undertaken at the beginning
of the program. Proposed forms were drafted and tested in several agencies,
and it was decided that schedules should be prepared by Records Management
Division personnel and submitted to the appropriate agency for acceptance.
Procedures were established for routing the completed schedules from the
agencies to the Archivist and the Board of Public Works for official approval.

The certificate form for reporting the disposal of records was revised to
include data on disposal authority and method of destruction. A follow-up
plan was adopted based on a master control card for each major record item
scheduled, which will make it possible to determine the degree of compliance.

The Division initiated a series of visits to State agencies to acquaint
them with the general program and enlist their cooperation in making it
a success. Follow-up visits were made as soon as possible thereafter to
assist the agencies in their immediate records problems and the preparation
of retention schedules.

Excellent cooperation was received from the agencies on all phases of
our work, but the small size of the staff made it impossible to visit all
agencies during the first year. Agencies to be visited were selected, there-
fore, on the basis of paper accumulations or immediate need for assistance.
As the program moved forward, many agencies not yet contacted requested
by telephone or letter that the Division help in solving critical records prob-
lems and such requests were given immediate attention.