EQUAL OPPORTUNITY DIRECTIVE NUMBER 2000-07

TO:         Bureau and Office Equal Opportunity Officers

From:      E. Melodee Stith, Director
                Office for Equal Opportunity

Subject:   System for Continuous Archiving of Files

This Directive is to establish procedures for the archiving of discrimination complaint files on a regular and recurring basis. The Office for Equal Opportunity (OFO) has approximately 9,500 files that are currently housed in an Aisle Saver System located on the first floor of the Main Interior Building (MIB). The filing space is limited and cannot accommodate any additional files due to safety and weight issues. The OEO has custodial responsibility for all official records for formal complaints of discrimination within the Department of the Interior; therefore at the conclusion of the adminstrative processing of cases, Bureaus are to transmit official complaint records to OEO. In some instances, the Bureaus have records in their possession which are not transmitted until they are closed and ready to be archived. In order to avoid OEO being inundated with files, we have established, effective, immediately, the following process for the archiving of closed Bureau cases:
 

The Bureau Equal Opportunity Offices will purchase the Archive Boxes. Their estimated price is $52.00-$55.00, for 25 in a bundle. Provided as an attachment is information on ordering Archive Boxes from the General Services Administration (GSA).

The Bureaus would also box, number and prepare the inventory list for the files to be archived on the appropriate forms (Which are attached).

The Records Manager will come onsite to the Bureau and check the inventory lists for the contents of each archive box.

The Records Manager will then approve the inventory lists on site.

After approval, the Bureau will then send 4 hard copies of the inventory lists and a 3 and 1/2 inch floppy with the inventoried lists in Corel WordPerfect 8.0 or Microsoft Word 7.0. to the Records Manager.

Upon receipt of the inventory lists the Records Manager will retain one copy for her records and submit the additional 3 copies to the Department Of Interior Records Officeralong with the form requesting the accession number and the date for records to be transported to the Washington Records Center.

The Records Officer will then give the Records Manager the accession number and a date for the records to be transported to the Washington Records Center.

The Records Manager will then inform the Bureau of the accession number and the date the records are to be transported to the Office for Equal Opportunity. The records will then be sent by the Bureau to the Office for Equal Opportunity within three days of the date given to them to be transported to the Records Center.

Upon arrival of the files to be archived from the Bureau, the Records Manager will store them until the date for them to be transported to the records center.

The Records Manager along with the Records Officer will insure that the records are transported on the scheduled day to the Washington Records Center.

We recommended you work closely with the Records Manager in order to ensure that the archiving of files is accomplished as smoothly as possible.

Attachments

Distribution:     Bureau and other Equal Opportunity Offices

Inquiries:         Judy Gillison- Colbert, Records Manager,
                       Office for Equal Opportunity 202-208-3856

Expires:         When Superseded