RECORDS MANAGEMENT HIGHLIGHTS DURING THE YEAR

The Records Management Division provides guidance and assistance
to State and local government agencies in developing a continuing economical
and efficient paper work management program as well as a microfilming service.

Analysts advise agencies on records creation and their maintenance
while in current use and develop schedules for the retention and disposition
of their records. During 1972, sixty four (64) schedules controlling 226
record series were established bringing the total number of schedules
established since the inception of the program in 1953 to 998 and the record
series governed by these schedules to 6,465. As record systems change, the
schedules must be updated if they are to continue to be meaningful.

Under the authority contained in these schedules, 14, 351 cu. ft.
of records were disposed of during this report period. Approximately 10,700
sq. ft. of floor space and 1,784 filing cabinets would have been required to
retain these records.

Three records centers for storing and servicing the State's
noncurrent records are administered by the Division, one each in Annapolis,
Baltimore and Waterloo. The centers are actually an extension of the indi-
vidual agency's record keeping systems, providing low cost storage for records
not yet eligible for disposal nor sufficiently active to be retained in
expensive office space and filing equipment. The Waterloo Center, with a
storage capacity of 22,272 cu. ft., became available in June 1972 and records
and shelving formerly housed in the old Annapolis Armory were transferred
there. Together, the three centers can house approximately 45,000 cu. ft. of
records and presently contain about 33,000 cu. ft. During, 1972, 6,926
cu. ft. of records were transferred to the centers in addition to the 6,000
cu. ft. transferred to Waterloo from the Annapolis Armory and 3,515 requests
for records or information from the records in the centers were provided.

The Division provides a central microfilming service, offering
both computer-output and conventional source document microfilming for the
use of State agencies. The source document microfilm program is primarily
funded by the Division, while the computer-output microfilm (COM) service is
operated on a service bureau basis with each user agency charged for the
services provided.

During 1972, the use of COM by State agencies increased rapidly
in volume, from 2,662,907 images converted from magnetic tape to film in 1971,
to 4,283,504 in 1972. There also was a corresponding increase in the number
of rolls of film duplicated, from 6,268 to 9,729. Because of the economic
advantages of COM to the data processor, as well as the user, there is every
indication that the Division will be supporting large volume, high access
information systems in ever increasing numbers in the future.

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