Records Management Advice
Basics of Records Management
Purpose: Provide guidance to state government agencies on forms required to transfer or request material from the Maine State Archives and/or the State Records Center. The forms listed below have been updated and are requested for use. Please discard any forms dated prior to 2017.
Transmittal of Records and Transmittal of Records Continuation Sheet. These forms should be typed and completed on your computer screen after downloading. They require the signature of a Records Officer or RO Assistant unless being submitted by e-mail from a State address.
Packing List. This form should be completed listing each file in the box (as many pages as necessary) and must be enclosed (not taped to the cover) in any box packed for transfer to the Maine State Archives and/or the State Records Center. The agency should also keep a copy for its own records.
Request for Reference Service. This form is used when an agency is requesting files that are still under Records Center retention status.
Both the Maine State Archives and the State Records Center serve the roles of storing records and providing reference services.
State Records Center: (Located in BABLO Building, behind Maine State Lottery in Hallowell)
- Serves as an off-site storage facility for state agency records that remain under the legal custody of those agencies
- Houses only those records that are subject to records retention schedules and have not yet reached the end of their retention period
- Stores records based on agency retention schedules for administrative, fiscal or legal purposes, which are then destroyed (according to schedule)
- Only allows the agency of origin to access the records
- Delivers records back to the agency of origin upon request
- Assigns each box of records a unique bar-code number for inventory control, tracking and reference
State Archives: (Located in Cultural Building, next to the Maine State Museum in Augusta)
- Only stores records that have historical value
- Only accepts records that have completed their retention period and are considered permanent
- Has legal custody of the material transferred to the State Archives when it is received
- Allows record access to anyone, under the terms of the Freedom of Access Act
- Does not allow records to leave the building
- Catalogs its holdings by subject, content and origin
Additional advice regarding the management of public records is available online.
"The right record, to the right person, at the right time, at the lowest possible cost"