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Regulations

The following rules and regulations are presented for information purposes only. The only legally binding copy of these rules and regulations is that published in the Maryland Register and codified in COMAR and should be obtained from the Secretary of State's Division of State Documents (DSD).

Title 14
INDEPENDENT AGENCIES
Subtitle 18 STATE ARCHIVES

Chapter 03 Local Archives

Authority: State Government Article, ��9-1007 and 10-632, Annotated Code of Maryland

.01 Establishment.

    To establish a local archives as the repository for the permanently valuable records of the executive and legislative branches of a county or municipal government, the county or municipal government shall submit a request in writing to the State Archivist. The request shall consist of a proposal that meets the standards and requirements set by this chapter and shall be approved in writing by the State Archivist before implementation.

.02 Collection Policy.

      A. A local archives may collect the records of a:

        (1) County executive's office and its departments;

        (2) County council and its departments;

        (3) Board of county commissioners;

        (4) County administrative offices; and

        (5) Municipal government offices.

      B. The State Archives is the official repository for permanent records of the following agencies, whose records may not be deposited in a local archives:

        (1) Circuit courts, clerks of the circuit courts, and their predecessor agencies;

        (2) Registers of wills, orphans courts, and their predecessor agencies;

        (3) District courts and their predecessor agencies;

        (4) State agencies and their predecessor agencies, including but not limited to those:

          (a) That have county or other local offices, and

          (b) Whose functions were administered by county or other local agencies before the formation of the State agency, such as the State Department of Assessments and Taxation, State Administrative Board of Election Laws, and Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

.03 Records Retention and Disposal.

    A local archives shall follow the requirements of COMAR 14.18.02 governing records retention and disposition schedules, except in reference to the provisions regarding the Records Management Division of the Department of General Services.

.04 Archival Qualifications.

    The minimum qualifications for the archivist or archivists responsible for managing the daily operations of a local archives shall include graduation from an accredited:

      A. Four-year college or university, preferably with a degree in history, archival science, library science, or related field and 3 years of full-time, or its equivalent, professional archival experience; or

      B. College or university with a Master's degree in history, archival science, library science, or related field and 2 years of full-time, or its equivalent, profesional archival experience.

.05 Public Access to Records.

      A. A local archives shall provide the public with access to government records in accordance with State Government Article, ��10-611 - 10-628, Annotated Code of Maryland.

      B. To facilitate access, a local archives shall provide a guide to its record holdings or be developing a guide. A copy of all published or unpublished finding aids shall be deposited with the State Archives.

.06 Copying of Records.

      A. Whenever permanent records are microformed or recorded on an equivalent medium, a local archives shall:

        (1) Meet standards of permanence and durability acceptable to the State Archives; and

        (2) Deposit the master security microforms with the State Archives.

      B. The State Archives may require that:

        (1) Records of historical importance be microformed or copied on an equivalent medium at the expense of a local archives; and

        (2) Master security microforms be deposited with the State Archives.

.07 Preservation and Security of Records.

      A. Records in the form of loose papers shall be stored in acid-neutral folders and acid-neutral boxes.

      B. Records shall be handled so as to prevent physical damage to them.

      C. Temperature in the records storage area shall be maintained at 65�F, plus or minus 5�F, at all times.

      D. Relative humidity in the record storage area shall be maintained at 55 percent, plus or minus 5 percent, at all times.

      E. The records storage area shall have the following fire detection and fire extinguishing devices:

        (1) Smoke detector;

        (2) Heat detector;

        (3) Manual fire extinguishers; and

        (4) Sprinklers or halon system as approved by the State Fire Marshal for use in an archival facility.

      F. To protect against theft, vandalism, and physical misuse of records, a local archives shall have a 24-hour security system and adequate research room security, including researcher identification and supervision of researchers by an archivist when records are being used.

.08 Transfer of Records to the State Archives.

    A local archives may transfer permanent records to the State Archives. If a local archives ceases operation, the permanent records shall be offered to the State Archives.

Administrative History

Effective date: July 12, 1987 (14:14 Md. R. 1574)


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