Escaping the Dust and Rust

Cataloguing Records for 30 Year Release

Captain Claire Mortimer

Military Archives

Outline of Presentation Military Archives: An introduction Roles of Military Archives

Legislation

Stages of Release

Group Activity

Q & A

MILITARY ARCHIVES: An introduction

The ‘National Archives Act 1986

1990: section 14 – the place of deposit for the records of the Department of Defence, the Defence Forces and the Army Pensions Board

Cathal Brugha Barracks

2011 – Dedicated website: www.militaryarchives.ie

Flickr

Twitter @dfarchives

The role of the Military Archives today

Mission: to acquire, preserve and make available material

Close relationship with the NAI

Accountability and transparency

Our services: Internal queries and external queries Records management

FOI requests

Legal queries

Military culture and heritage

(commemorative events, DF

publications)

Academic research

Genealogy research

Media groups

Public lectures and talks

National Archives Act 1986

Transfer of records by end of year in which the become more than 30 years old

Regulation 5(1) states that records due for transfer in accordance with the provisions of the Act must be transferred to the National Archives not later than the end of the year in which they become more than 30 years old. That is to say, records becoming 30 years old in a given year are eligible for transfer to the National Archives by 31 December of that year

Stages of Release

Identifying records

Transfer and Reviewing Process

Cataloguing

Housing and labelling

Release

Identifying Records for Release Databases - Accuracy

Check – Time consuming

Transfer and Reviewing Process

Transferred quarterly to Office of the creator for review and recommendations

Abstraction/Retention/Disposal

Reviewed by OIC Military Archives

Final approval and authorisation from Director of Intelligence

Recommendation

Cataloguing

Performa from NAI

Military Archives version

Finding Aid version

Group Activity Using the distributed files and electronic performa,

review, catalogue and make recommendations as to whether the files should be released/withheld/disposed. In the case of withholding/disposal you must state your reason as one of the following;

A. Would be contrary to public interest

B. Would or might constitute a breach of statutory duty, or a breach of good faith on the ground that they contain information supplied in confidence

C. Would or might cause distress or danger to living persons on the ground that they contain information about individuals, or would or might be likely to lead to an action for damages for defamation.

Where the file/part of a file is to be withheld or disposed list it under the relevant column.

Where part of the file is to be released, state ‘Partial Release’ and list what is to be withheld/disposed

Thank You