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Government Records, Good For You? Maybe Bad For You?
Government records are a useful resource to researchers. Homestead records, school district records, and local government records provide helpful information for genealogists and local history projects.
Government records are primary sources. They include unpublished documentation in any format, typically maintained in organized filing or other recordkeeping systems in government offices.
Public records are just that--public. There are few, if any, restrictions on the release of this information. Public records such as voter registration, county assessor, county recorder and business licenses are especially valuable finding tools.
Ask the agency if it allows address information to be confidential in certain situations. Public records are just that--public. There are few, if any, restrictions on the release of this information.
Public use records may be either general operational records or personal info banks. For general public use records, the following info is provided: - Title: the full title of the public use records.
Records less than 30 years old are not available for public access and if present on a file issued to the reading room they will be sealed inside a mask. The mask will be on top of the file because most files run chronologically from bottom to top.
Temporary information such as telephone messages, routing slips, open envelopes, etc., are usually considered transitory records and as such may be discarded.
This may be only a fairly short time or at the other end of the scale, their continuing value may be such that they will be transferred to the custody of the Archives Office to be preserved for on-going use by the government and the public.
State workers get the same warning. But unlike workers at private companies, their business, by law, is open to public scrutiny. State law requires that the destruction of records shall occur only through the operation of an approved retention schedule.
States also regulate access to government records and personal information. Consequently, records that are public in one state might be restricted in another.
Local government archival records are among the best sources for documenting that history. It would be helpful for DAH, working in concert with the local government community, to develop a plan for documenting local government.
In short, local records are a public trust, an essential informational resource for local government and its citizens, and an important cultural asset.
Access to electronic records is dependent on the constantly changing and evolving computer technology. Unlike paper records that can survive for hundreds of years unless measures are taken to destroy them, electronic records do not persist unless deliberate steps are taken to preserve them.
Access to these holdings is the right of all Americans. From the Charters of Freedom, to the census records that enumerate the population of our country, to the records of Congress and Presidential administrations, our holdings are so vast and diverse that the value and amount of information available is not always readily apparent to the public.
Application may be made under the Freedom of Information Act to view "restricted" materials. These applications will be processed by the department which transferred the materials (department of origin) to the Provincial Archives.
Application may be made under the Freedom of Information Act to view "restricted" materials. These applications will be processed by the department which transferred the materials (department of origin) to the Provincial Archives.
About the Author A must visit is the Jim Woodall Government Records Website, Lots of Good Info there for you.
Go there now== http://www.Government-Records.jwoodl.com
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