| City Archives New Orleans Public Library |
| Information for City
Agencies on Transferring Records to the City Archives Louisiana Division/ City Archives
The Louisiana Division/ City
Archives & Special Collections serves as the official repository
for the records of the New Orleans city government (See Home Rule Charter
of the City of New Orleans, 94:36-41).
The City Archives is charged with
preserving, organizing, and providing equitable access to the materials
transferred to the City Archives' collection. This includes records of the
creation of the city's government, of past mayoral and city council
administrations, and will eventually include records from current and
future administrations.
Please contact the Louisiana Division/ City Archives to arrange a
meeting to discuss your agency's records and retention obligations. You can also review An Introduction to Records Management for the City of New Orleans
developed by the City Archives. This document is meant to provide an
overview of Records Management principles and provide guidance for
agencies regarding records retention and disposal processes. To learn more about Records Management, please see the Additional Information listed below.
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| Additional Information
Records Management
While the City Archives cares for the city's permanent records of historic
value, a Records Management Program provides instruction regarding all of
an organization's records, including those of temporary value that will
eventually be destroyed. Records Management is a specialized discipline
that oversees the treatment of records created, received, stored, and used
by an organization. It gives agencies control over their own records by
identifying what records need to be kept (and for how long), what records
should be retained permanently, and what records can be disposed of in
compliance with federal and state regulations.
Records Management provides the foundation for a successful archives by
promoting the seamless transfer of records from originating agency to the
archives, ensuring that valuable materials are not lost or discarded.
Because the City of New Orleans does not have a Records Management Program
at this time, it falls to the individual agency to work with both the City
Archives and State Archives regarding the management and disposal of their
own records.
The City Archives can provide support to city agencies in
developing policies that promote responsible retention, preservation, and
destruction of city records. City Agencies must obtain approval from both the
City Archives and the State Archives prior to disposing of any records,
as outlined in
R.S.44:411.
Louisiana State Archives
The Louisiana State Archives functions as the repository for the
government records for all Louisiana municipalities excluding New Orleans.
The City Archives works cooperatively with the State Archives to manage
City of New Orleans records, but it is the State Archives that has ultimate
approval authority on retention schedules and disposal requests. The State
Archives has developed many useful Records
Management Documents and Policy
Forms that can be accessed on their website. If you are interested in
additional Records
Management Trainings, the State Archives also provides several
throughout the year.
Public Records Law
The Louisiana State Public Records Law (R.S.44) gives direction for the preservation,
retention, and disposal of public records. This will provide helpful information when drafting your agency's records retention scehdule.
Back to City
Archives & Special Collections created 3/6/2014, revised
2019 |
