Archiving is an important issue for hydrologists and computer scientists throughout the WRD. Archiving policy for administrative records that concern such items as personnel and financial records and correspondence exist and are policies that have been determined by the USGS. Policy for data and records that are vital and mission-specific to the WRD is the responsibility of the WRD to develop. A review of the guidance, policy and current issues on record management is in the attachment. Unlike other WRD records, the mission-specific data of the WRD does not lose its value with age. However, confusion exists among WRD personnel on which mission-specific data needs to be archived because the WRD guidance on the disposition of records is old and does not explicitly address electronic files in the current computing environment. This confusion has lead to some non-uniformity in what data is being archived at the Districts in the WRD.
The WRD needs a single reference document that identifies what types of mission-specific data and records need to be archived and addressed by record management plans. Electronic files containing mission-specific data should be explicitly addressed in the document. The technical offices, Office of Surface Water, Office of Water Quality, and the Office of Ground Water and the NAWQA program office are familiar with many mission-specific records and have developed policy on which material needs to be archived or maintained permanently and on how long other nonpermanent materials should be maintained. However, the task of developing the proposed reference document could be delegated by the Office of Information to a subcommittee chartered by CPAC. CPAC's unique blend of membership, that includes computer specialists, administrative officers, and hydrologists provides the needed range of views to deal with this problem effectively. Development of this document would need to be coordinated with the Records Liaison Officer within the Office of Information.
The Data and Record Archiving Committee is tasked by the Office of Information and CPAC to 1) identify and document what types and categories of WRD mission-specific data and records need to be archived and addressed by record management plans in the Division and 2) recommend a policy statement that can be issued throughout the WRD in regards to the archiving of mission-specific data and records.
Because mission-specific data and records are created and managed by different disciplines and offices in the WRD, the committee will contain a broad representation of WRD technical personnel. Committee membership is drawn from CPAC, the discipline offices,NRP, OI and NWIS. The committee chairman will ensure that the committee findings and report are transmitted to the WRD Records Liaison Officer. Committee members will be responsible for recommending what types and categories of WRD mission specific data and records need to be archived for their organizational unit. A list of committee members follows:
Implicit in the workplan is the willingness for committee members to devote hours outside of meetings to discuss proposed policy with interested and affected parties in the WRD. 4 meetings at 4-8 week intervals - 1 day each meeting
Review of existing policy on data records and archiving:
The division record liaison officer is responsible for carrying out the operational aspects of the USGS records management program within their respective division. Policy for administrative records that concern such items as personnel and financial records and correspondence exist and are policies that have been determined by the USGS. Policy for data and records that are mission-specific to the WRD must be approved by the parent organization and the NARA but is the responsibility of the WRD to develop.
Guidance and policy on the management and disposition of records is distributed among several documents. The Survey Manual, SM 432.1 and SM 431.9 (U.S. Geological Survey, 1991a and 1988, respectively available at http://www.usgs.gov:8888/ops/index.html), supplemented by Survey Manual Handbook 432-1-H(U.S. Geological Survey, 1990a), prescribes how records shall be managed. Dispositon of hydrologic and related data is described in the document, "Water Resources Divison Mission-Specific Records Disposition Schedule, October 1990" and is available at http://www.usgs.gov:8888/ops/IRM/index.html. Additionally, the technical discipline offices in the WRD have issued guidance on hydrologic data management in "Policy Recommendations for Management and Retention of Hydrologic Data of the USGS"(U.S. Geological Survey Open-file report 92-56 and cited by WRD memorandum no. 92.059), OGW Technical Memorandum no. 93.01 (aquifer-tests), and OGW Technical Memorandum no. 93.01 (ground-water flow and transport model archiving) and NAWQA has guidelines on the archiving and record management for NAWQA projects (csdokokl.cr.usgs.gov/nawqa/train/arch/report.html). The Office of Surface Water is currently finalizing a memorandum that updates the guidance issued in ofr 92-56. Additionally, each WRD District Office has a records management plan that implements the NARA, USGS, and WRD guidelines. Most records and documents used in the WRD are addressed in these documents. Electronic files are not specifically addressed in the record disposition schedule but many are indirectly addressed because of analogous paper files listed in the schedule. However, the distributed nature of the guidance documents on record mangement and the lack of formal training in records management has resulted in some nonuniform handling of records and confusion.
The National Archives and Records Administration issued a report in Feb 1998 documenting a review of records management in the USGS that contains several recommendations. One recommendation is that "Records liaisons and coordinators should work with program managers to identify record series to be proposed for resheduling. This process should include series that should be retained for shorter or longer periods of time such as Gaging Station Case Files(RDS 1400, items 36 a-n). Also the report stated that while the WATSTORE system is scheduled as permanent record to be transfered to NARA, "USGS scientific data,..., does not lose value or become obsolete... Therefore, it is unlikely that the data will ever become unnecessary for research and consequently, eligigle for transfer to NARA. As an alternative to these disposition instructions, WRD should consider periodically transferring copies of the WATSTORE data files to NARA." The review also found several unscheduled electronic record systems: NAWDEX (National Water Data Exchange), SWRA (Selected Water-Resources Abstract Database), MWDI(Master Water Data Index), NEWSWUDS(New Site Specific Water Use Data System) that should be added to the disposition schedule. The division record liaison officer is responsible for ensuring that the WRD is addressing the issues raised by the NARA report and will be asking for guidance to update the WRD record disposition schedule for mission specific data from the technical program personnel in the future.
Last Modified: Tuesday, May 25, 1999 02:44:20 PM Eastern Daylight Time