¹ The procedure described in this article grew out of a very definite and urgent need of a communication carrier for an adequate and satisfactory program of record retention and preservation and was formulated under circumstances which permitted ample opportunity for improvement through actual experience. To focus attention fully on the problems confronted, the methods and procedures are described somewhat minutely.

² The word “records,” as used herein, denotes any paper on which appears written information, of whatever nature, concerning or relating to the activities of a business enterprise. The term is not limited to the formal departmental documents, books, accounts, and memoranda.

³ The retention of certain records for specified periods of time is mandatory under the regulations of certain of the federal commissions, the Treasury Department, and State regulatory commissions. Various trade associations have issued recommendations covering retention periods, and an interest in the problem may be noted in sales catalogs of manufacturers of steel filing equipment.

⁴ See The Preservation of Business Records, by Hower, Ralph M., Bulletin of the Business Historical Society, vol. xi, nos. 3–4Google Scholar. An explanatory note to the first edition states, “This issue of the Bulletin has been prepared in an effort to assist business firms, libraries, historical societies, and any others who may be interested in the preservation of archival material relating to business enterprise.” While this issue, as well as subsequent editions of this pamphlet, emphasizes the problems and points out the importance of the preservation of records, it does not present the minutiae necessary for the development of a standardized procedure.

⁵ Several circumstances accentuated this emphasis. The primary motivating influence was the decision of the United States Supreme Court concerning the definition of the cost of property for accounting purposes. American Telephone & Telegraph Company v. U. S. et al., 229 U. S. 232 (1936).

⁶ See Summary Report of National Bureau of Standards Research on Preservation of Records, by Kimberly, A. E. and Scribner, B. W..Google ScholarNational Bureau of Standards, Miscellaneous Publication M 154, U. S. Dept. of Commerce, Washington, 1937.Google Scholar Also, Annual Reports of the Archivist of the United States, Washington, D. C.

⁷ Short articles have since been noted in the Office Economist and in certain issues of the Office Management Bulletin of the American Management Association.

⁸ One company had acquired the property and franchises of 18 immediate predecessors. These predecessors had acquired previously the property and franchises of some 31 constituent companies, which had acquired theretofore 27 operating properties and franchises. These properties were located in 366 communities. An affiliated company had also acquired approximately 75 component entities or physical properties serving 268 communities.

⁹ This principle was not followed entirely, because the building in which the vault is located provides space for a small but entirely enclosed vault adjoining the main vault in which standard steel shelving is utilized for housing uniform machine-accounting media.

¹⁰ The principal vermin found among records are silver-fish, book-lice, termites, and cockroaches. See leaflets Nos. 144 and 149, U. S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, 1939, and Bur. of Standards, Misc. Pub. M 154.

¹¹ Mildew is a term used to designate any one of a variety of vegetable organisms which propagate by means of spores always present in the air. The organisms may remain dormant for long periods and grow slowly at low temperatures and rapidly at optimum temperatures (varying with the species), and they are killed at high temperatures. The different species subsist on several kinds of food, many on glue and starch, at least one on pure cellulose found in cloth and paper. All species of mildew require an abundance of water. Its growth creates an unsightly appearance but is not likely to do great harm unless unchecked for a considerable time. (Nat Bur. of Standards, Misc. Pub. M 154.)

¹² Microfilming, as a solution to the storage problem, is now being considered by the regulatory commissions. See Proceedings of National Association of Railroad and Utilities Commissioners, 1941, p. 217.

¹³ The fireproof vault is equipped with upright steel cabinets and enclosed cupboards arranged in sections for identification purposes. Each section is identified by a letter and each drawer is numbered. The cabinets are arranged to provide aisles of sufficient width for easy access to the drawers. In certain sections the drawers are equipped with one or two metal vertical dividers to provide upright and compact filing of vouchers and canceled checks. One section comprises enclosed cupboards with steel shelves (each identified by a letter) in which are stored permanently bound minute books, maps, and the like, all of varying size. For the more confidential records certain cabinets are equipped with paracentric locks. Drop-cord lights hang from the ceiling at equal distances apart so as not to interfere with access to the top drawers of the cabinets. Standard metal doors open outward to provide means of convenient exit in an emergency.

¹⁴ Federal Communications Commission, Rules Governing the Destruction of Records of Telecommunication Carriers Effective September 6, 1938, Govt. Ptg. Off., Washington, 1939.

¹⁵ Satisfactory results may be obtained by feeding soaked or damaged papers through a rotary-type electric ironer applying uniform heat and pressure, which simultaneously dries the paper, removes all wrinkles, and. restores the legibility of any faded writing.

¹⁶ To obtain uniformity in the preparation of labels, specific instructions require that the standard subject list be followed implicitly and that the arrangement and starting point of each line be uniform on the face of the label. The main subject is typed (in capital letters) on the first line, the subdivision indented two spaces on the second line, and the company name centered on the lower portion of the label. Straight-edge folders are used for unbound records and the label is pasted on the extreme right edge of the back flap of the folder. For bound records the labels are pasted flat on the front cover of each volume.

¹⁷ The forms (size 3″ × 5″), conveniently used for this purpose, are termed machine-accounting media.

¹⁸ The disordered condition of records of operating properties subsequently acquired has proved the usefulness of these small listing forms. The forms permit unlimited sorting and rearrangement in the identification, description, and classification of unfamiliar records.

¹⁹ The uniformity in the storage of machine-accounting media is a result of considerable experimentation. Because of minute size and danger of misplacement or loss, as well as for future analyses, a systematized method of permanently filing and storing these units became necessary. Summary tickets of the same size, of more substantial weight, record classification totals and summaries. Both units and tickets are used in accumulating and recording operating, financial, statistical, and accounting information of diverse characteristics. Six manual functions are performed to standardize arrangement of the accounting media for retention: first, orderly arrangement; second, filing within classified groups; third, packeting; fourth, punching; fifth, binding; and sixth, storing. A packet is 4 inches thick for each classified group, which obviates the possibility of uneconomical filing and preserves the continuity of the media. The packets are reinforced at the front and back by a card of similar size, and on the front card the contents are described. Holes are drilled in the packets at specified points on the upper right margin of the units and red tape (about ¼″ wide), commonly known as lawyers' tape, drawn through the holes to bind the packet securely. The tape is tied at the back of the packet in an ordinary bow knot, which is of sufficient length to allow one to untie and examine the contents without disturbing the filing arrangement. After the bow is tied, both ends of the tape are bound together with a standard corrugated tip (the kind used commercially for shoelaces). Heavy cardboard boxes were selected, of an exact width, to permit placement and arrangement of the packets of units in the boxes without bending the edges and yet with the exact degree of compactness. The boxes are not only economical but, because of size, afford easy handling. Separators of red pressboard of the same height as the inside of the storage box are used to segregate each group of units. These separators are scored, folded, and reinforced on one side with blue duck canvas to strengthen the edge of the separator at the fold. To prevent wear and tear on the edges of the units and to obviate danger to the hands of a searcher, the separators are securely fastened to the inside of the box with nickel eyelets, thereby providing permanently the required segregation in separate compartments. Within the box the classified groups are separated by guides. If the volume of several groups is small, more than one group may be included in one box, provided that all relate to; the same calendar year. There is no variation in the standard description of contents which must be shown on both the guides and the storage boxes, and the final arrangement remains the same year by year.

²⁰ Written instructions provide for uniform preparation of index cards. The subject title, in capital letters, begins at approximately the second space from the left edge of the card and one-third inch from the top edge of the card. The storage-cabinet-section identification letter must appear in the upper right corner of the card on the same line as the main subject title. The subdivision of the subject title appears in lower case below the main subject indented two spaces. If a subheading carries over more than one line, it is indented two spaces so that the eye will quickly recognize it as part of the subheading. If a date or an identification number is to be included, it is placed directly beneath the subdivision or in a position that will not be troublesome in rapid alphabetizing. On the next line, directly beneath the section-identification letter, is shown the number of the drawer in which the record is stored. If the records are stored in cupboards, the shelf location (identified by letter) is shown on the next line directly below the number of the specific cupboard. On the next line must appear the abbreviation of the name of the company.

²¹ A standard steel cabinet, equipped with triple-compartment drawers and a paracentric lock, is used to house the card index. Each compartment has a follower block which maintains the cards in upright position. As an additional safeguard, the cards and guides have a guard hole through which the rod of the compartment passes to hold all cards securely in the drawer, thereby preventing careless removal of cards with the attendant danger of misplacement.