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WORKS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION
1734 New York Avenue, N. W.
Washington, D. C.
8231
•^iestern
FEB 15 1937
.I'SRAPl
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M i-4
THE MANUAL OE THE SURVEY OP FEDERAL ARCHIVES
PHILIP M. HAMER, NATIONAL DIRECTOR
THE SURVEY OP FEDERAL ARCHIVES
THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES
February, 1936
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
I. GENERAL INFORMATION
a. Character and Purpose 1
V Definition cf Archives 1
c. Organization 3
II. FUNCTIONS OF THE NATIONAL
OFFICE (Part I) 3
III. FUNCTIONS OF THE REGIONAL
DIRECTORS (Part II}
IV. FUNCTIONS OF'THE PROJECT
SUPERINTENDENTS (Part III) 7
V. FUNCTIONS OF THE LOCAL
FIELD WORKERS (Part IV) 10
VI . FORMS AND INSTRUCTIONS
FOR THEIR USE (Part V) 12
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SURVEY OF FEDERAL ARCHIVES
I. GENERAL INFORMATION
Character and Purpose: The Act creating the National Archivefe (P.
No. 432, 73d Congress, Approved June 19, 1934) empowers the Archivist
of the United States "to inspect personally or "by deputy the records
of any agency of the United States Government whatsoever and whereso¬
ever located." Under this authorization the National Archives is com¬
pleting a survey of Federal archives located in the District of Columbia.
Many archives of the Federal Government, however, are located in cities
and towns of the forty-eight states. In order to make a survey of.
these archieves a nation-wide project (flPA Sponsored Federal Project
No. 4), with ITEk as the official sponsor and The National Archives as
cooperating sponsor, has been established. This project is named "The
Survey of Archives of the Federal Government outside of the District of
Columbia," or, by brief title, "The Survey of Federal Archives."
Like other WPA projects, one purpose of this Survey is to pro¬
vide useful work for many of the unemployed of the United States-—his¬
torians, political scientists, economists, Lawyers, librarians, teachers,
statisticians, and others. For the cooperating sponsor, The National
Archives, its purpose is to provide information of value to that insti¬
tution, to other agencies of the United States Government, and to students.
It will seek to ascertain the exact location, the volume, and the condi¬
tions of storage of Federal archives; to identify them as regards their
contents; and to furnish other information which may be of assistance in
the formulation of recommendations designed to insure their safe preserv¬
ation and to facilitate their use by officials and students.
Definition of Archives: Everyone associated with the Survey of Federal
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2.
Archives should understand clearly what is meant hy "Federal archives*"
By this term is meant, in general, the unpublished records of any agency
of the Federal Government of the United States, executive, legislative,
or judicial, which were made in connection with the performance by that
agency of its functions. It includes, also, any other record which has
come into the possession of that agency. This Survey is not concerned
with the published proceedings, reports, etc., of the Government, except
as indicated in Part III, Section 7, of this manual. It should be under¬
stood in this connection, however, that any printed material which is a
part of an archival serial is to be included in the report upon that serial.
Such printed materials occasionally will be in the form of enclosures,
or separate exhibits with the archival serial.
*
The Survey is not concerned with the archives of states, counties,
municipalities, private institutions, individuals, or families, except in¬
sofar as they are now in the possession of an agency of the Federal Govern¬
ment. Among the Federal archives with which it is concerned are manuscript
records (including typewritten ones, of course) such as correspondence,
memoranda, reports, schedules, questionnaires, dockets, forms which have
been filled in in the transaction of business, index cards, information
and tabulation cards of various kinds, etc. It includes punch cards,
manuscript maps (including printed maps upon which manuscript notations
have been made or which are enclosures in archival serials), photographs,
photographic plates, motion picture films, and sound recordings. The
Survey includes, also, mimeographed and other near-print records, such
as circulars, press releases, bulletins, etc., when the original manuscript
for them has not been preserved.
By "archives" is meant the records described in the preceding para-
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graph without regard to their age- The records of a transaction which
were made yesterday are as much archives as those which were made a hundred
or a thousand years ago.
Organization; The project is under the direction of a National Direc¬
tor with offices in the Archives Building in Washington. Within regions
which he will designate, local survey projects are to be organized and di¬
rected by Regional Direotors. Survey work is to be done by Local Field
Workers under the supervision of Project Superintendents. The duties of the
National Director, the Regional Supervisors, the Project Superintendents,
and the Local Field Workers are set forth in the following four parts of
this manual, each of which is divided into sections, and, in some cases,
sub-section. In making reference to any point in this manual, indicate
the part, the section, and. the item within the section.
Part I. THE FUNCTIONS OF THE NATIONAL OFFICE
The duties of the National Director are as follows:
Section 1, To designate the areas which shall be used as regions for The
Survey of Federal Archives.
Section 2, To recommend for appointment Regional Directors and Assistant
Regional Directors.
Section 3. To approve plans formulated by the Regional Directors for
the conduct of the Survey within their respective regions.
Section 4. To supervise the work of the Regional Directors in the ex¬
ecution of these plans.
Section 5, To recommend the authorization to the states of funds for
the conduct of the Survey therein.
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4.
Section 6. To prepare the final reports on the work of the Survey.
(NOTE: All mail addressed to the National Director should "be
sent to him in care of The National Archives, Washington, D.C.)
PART II. THE FUNCTIONS OF THE REGIONAL DIRECTORS
Within each designated region, the work of the Survey will
he under the supervision of a Regional Director. He shall have the
help of an Assistant Regional Director when the National Director thinks
it advisable. The Regional Director shall act as the official representa¬
tive of the cooperating sponsor. Authority so to act shall be granted
him by a letter of authorization, a copy of which shall be forwarded by
the Director of Professional and Service Projects to the State Administra¬
tors of the Works Progress Administration, whose states are included
within his region.
The duties of each Regional Director are as follows:
Section 1. To establish headquarters for his region. Usually it will be
advisable to do this in a city in which is located the office of a State
Works Progress Administrator or one in which there is a considerable body
of Federal archives. Attempts should be made to secure the use of office
space and equipment from an interested local institution, such as a
library, an historical society, a college or university, or a governmental
agency. Where this cannot be done, arrangements should be made to rent
office space and equipment. This, however, will involve delay and the
expenditure of money which otherwise could be used for the payment of
workers and should be avoided where possible.
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Section 2. To prepare preliminary plane for the conduct of the Survey
within his region.
Item (l). At the time of his appointment the Regional Director
will receive from the national office all available
WPA Literature pertaining to the method of setting
up local projects, to the classification of workers,
to the appointments and salaries of Projects Superin¬
tendents, to the method of securing the personnel
from relief rolls, to the payment of salaries and
other disbursements, etc. It is expected that the
Regional Director will familiarize himself thoroughly
with this literature. He should confer with the
nearest State Director of Women's and Professional
Projects regarding procedure to be followed in the
conduct of the Survey.
Item (2). As quickly as possible he shall assemble information
regarding the location of Federal archives within his
region. The National Director will send to him all
information that can readily be assembled in Washington
regarding the agencies of the Federal G-overnment within
his region. The Regional Director shall supplement this
with such information as he can secure from city and
telephone directories, from local officials of the
Government of the United States, and from other persons,
such as historians, archivists, librarians, etc., who
may be able to give assistance. It is important that
no depository of Federal archives be overlooked. Such
archives may be in buildings (in warehouses, basements,
attics, abandoned buildings, etc.) which are not now
occupied by offices of some agency of the Federal
Government.
Item (3). On the basis of this and other pertinent information,
the Regional Director shall prepare and submit to the
National Director plans for the conduct of the Sur¬
vey within his region. These should provide for (l)
the immediate organization of a local project unit
for the district in which regional headquarters of the
Survey have been established; (2) the organization
of project units for those districts in which it is
supposed that major concentrations of Federal archives
are located; (3) the organization of a project or
projects for the survey of relatively small and
scattered depositories. Plans developed by the Regional
Director must contain provision for the most careful
local supervision of the Survey, estimates of the man-
months required for each project unit, and estimates
of local and total costs. Where a project unit provides
for the survey of the archives of more than one Federal
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agency, the plans submitted by the Regional Director should
state the order in which it is proposed to survey them. It
is of the utmost importance that, if for any reason it is
impossible to complete the survey of all Federal archives,
certain definite units be completed. The smallest of these
units should be the archives of an agency (or possibly a
subdivision of it) in a particular locality. Under certain
circumstances the archives in a particular building, that is,
a warehouse used as a place of storage for unused archives,
should be considered as a unit to be surveyed completely be¬
fore proceeding to the survey of ether units.
Section 3. To prepare WPA Form 330, Request for Approval of Project Unit.
After the Regional Director has received from the National Director approval
of his plans, he shall prepare and submit to the State Works Progress Admin¬
istration WPA Form 330 in accordance with instructions to be found in Sup¬
plement No. 2 to WPA Bulletin #29 and in Appendix C to that supplement. One
copy of each form shall be sent to the National Director.
The Regional Director must make every effort to see to it that
funds procured for the Survey are expended efficiently so as to secure both
the maximum of employment for competent workers and the maximum of inform¬
ation desired by The National Archives.
Section 4» To nominate the Project Superintendents within his region,
as provided in Section 3 of Supplement No. 2 to WPA Bulletin #89. He shall
exercise particular care to secure for such positions persons who are well
qualified to instruct and supervise the -project workers. The National
Director reserves the right to nominate Project Superintendents in particu¬
lar instances. To each Project Superintendent the Regional Director shall
give a letter of introduction for presentation to the administrative head
of each local agency concerned.
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Section 5. To supervise the work of the Project Superintendents within his
region.
Item (l). He shall ptiovide the Project Superintendent with inform¬
ation regarding IPA Form 330 on which his local project
unit has been formulated and give other information
necessary for the efficient and successful conduct of
the Survey.
Item (2), He shall explain to the Project Superintendent his res¬
ponsibilities to the Cooperating Sponsor and to the
Official Sponsor defined in Supplement No. 2 to WPA
Bulletin #29, pages 2 and 3.
Item (3), He shall require from the Project Superintendent weekly
reports on the progress of work within his local project
unit.
Section P. To receive and approve completed forms from the local Project
Superintendents and to make such reports as may be required to the National
Director.
Part III. THE FUNCTIONS OF THE PROJECT SUP ERINTSNDENTS
The duties of a Project Superintendent are as follows;
Section 1. To acquaint himself with the organization and the objectives
of the Survey of Federal Archives and of his particular project.
Section 2. To establish local offices in which to give instructions and
make assignments to Field Workers; and in which to accumulate investory
forms and official papers incident to the Survey. Every effort should be
made to secure office space and equipment from an interested local insti¬
tution, such as a library, an historical society, a college or university,
or a governmental agency.
Section 3. To perform the administrative work required by the WPA as
explained in Supplement No. 2 to WPA Bulletin #29, page 3. In requisition¬
ing personnel he should make every possible effort to secure persons who
are qualified by intelligence, general education, and specialized training
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to do efficiently and correctly the work required of them.
Section 4. To organize and direct the work of local project units so as
to fulfill locally the purpose and intent of the Survey of Federal Archives.
Item (lL. He shall make arrangements with Federal official* or with
custodians for a survey of the Federal archives under their
custody. He will be given official authorization by the
Archivist of the United States to act as his deputy. He
will receive from the Regional Director letters of intro¬
duction to the highest ranking official of each agency in
his locality. These letters should explain briefly the
purpose and the authority of the Survey and request his
assistance and that of his subordinates in securing its
successful completion. It is important to emphasize that
information is desired on serials of Federal archives,
not on items within serials. In his relations with
officials and employees of any agency he should be, at
all times, tactful and courteous. If any difficulties
arise, he shall seek their amicable solution by referring
them to the administrative head of the agency or to
someone designated by the latter as his contact officer
for the agency concerned. If they cannot be settled in
this way, the circumstances shall be reported to his
Regional Director, and, if necessary, by him to the National
Director.
Item (2). He shall instruct the Local Field Workers in their duties.
This will involve an explanation of the objectives and
scope of the Survey and of the procedure to be followed
in making an inventory. Preliminary to actual survey
work, the Local Field Workers shall be gathered for a
conference in which any questions regarding the instruc¬
tions or forms shall be discussed in detail. Subsequently,
such other conferences shall be held as the Project Super¬
intendent thinks advisable. Local Field Workers shall
be encouraged to ask questions on procedure at these con¬
ferences. They should be required to define various terms
used in the instructions, such as Federal archives, serial,
agency of origin, agency of custody, classification systems,
index, inventory, "useless" papers, pockets, covers, linear
feet, filing cases, transfer cases, termites, silver-fish,
etc. It is extremely important that every Field Worker
have a correct understanding of the instructions and a clear
conception of what he is to do, and that he realizes the
value of what he is doing.
Item (3). He shall make assignments to Field Workers. If the Project-
Superintendent thinks advisable, field assignments shall
be made by pairs, two workers handling the same task, one
obtaining the data and the other making the record and the
forms. The efforts of the Field Workers shall be concen¬
trated on a few depositories rather than scattered over
many depositories at any particular time.
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Item (4). When not otherwise engaged in the performance of his
official duties, he shall o<=rsonally supervise the
workers in the depositories and shall be held res¬
ponsible to the Regional Director for their observance
of the regulation required of them in Part IV of this
manual. When the Field Workers are given their first
assignment they shall be accompanied by the Project
Superintendent to the depository, where they shall be
shown how to fill out the forms. He shall make a
particularly close check of the work of the Field
Workers during the first few weeks of the Survey. He
shall be courteous and considerate at all times, but he
must insist that the work be done and that it be done
with scrupulous accuracy and with every care that the
archives be not injured in any way. When it is necessary
for him to be absent from the room in which the workers
are making inventories, he shall appoint someone to exer¬
cise supervision of the group for the period of his absence.
Item (5)♦ He shall collect all completed WPA Forms 58SA, Reports on
Serials, from workers at the end of each day and exercise
great care that they be not lost. They shall be checked
for accuracy and legibility and shall be accumulated in
systematic order. If doubts arise as to the accuracy of
the entries, the information entered by the Field Worker
should be verified by checking it against the serial which
it purports to describe.
Item (6). If competent typists can be secured from the relief rolls,
typed copies of the WPA Form 58SA, Report on Serials, shall
be made in triplicate. At the end of each week the manu¬
script original and the first typed copy shall be sent to
the National Director and the first carbon to the Regional
Director. The second carbon shall be retained by the Proj¬
ect Superintendent. If competent typists cannot be secured,
upon the completion of the survey in any depositor^, the
forms which the workers have filled in shall be sent to the
National Director. Typed copies will then be made to his
office and the first carbon sent to the Regional Director.
Item (7)♦ He shall make weekly reports to his Regional Director on
the progress of his local nroject unit. These progress
reoorts shall contain information on the names and loca¬
tion of depositories surveyed, on the total linear feet of
archives surveyed, on the total number of man-days spent
by the Local Field-Workers in the survey, and on such
other matters as will keep the Regional Director fully
informed of the progress of the Survey in his locality.
They should constitute a detailed diary of the project.
They shall be made in triplicate; the original shall be
sent to the Regional Director, the first carbon to the
National Director, and the second carbon shall be retained
by the local supervisor.
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Section 5. To fill in WPA Forms 55SA, 5r<SA, and 57SA entitled "Report on
Agencies", "Report on Buildings," and "Report on Rooms," respectively, copies
of which, with instructions as to how they are to he filled out, are appended
to this manual. He may, of course, when he thinks it necessary, secure in¬
formation hy making use of some other person in whose competence he has
complete confidence. Such reports shall he forwarded to the Regional Director
and the Rational Director as are the WPA Forms 58SA, Reports on Serials.
(See Item 6 ahove).
Section P. To keep a file .of all communications received and copies of
all letters, reports, forms, etc. sent from his office. Upon completion
of the project the contents of this file shall he disposed of as required
hy the National Director.
Section 7. To send to the Regional Director lists of published volumes,
pamphlets, etc. which are old and rare. While the National Archives is
interested primarily in unprinted records, it wishes to secure information
regarding the existence of maps and publications of the Government of the
United States printed before 1365. The Project Superintendent should
compile such information, giving author, title, place and date of publica¬
tion, and send them as special reports, as provided in Pai t III, Section 4,
I tan (6) above. He may use Local Field Workers in securing this information.
Part IV, THE FUNCTIONS OF QHj■] LOCAL FIELD WOP-KSRS
The Local Field Workers shall have the following functions:
Section 1. They shall acquaint themselves with the procedure to be
followed in making an inventory or survey of Federal archives. A
knowledge of the proper procedure may be gained by studying the forms
on which the information regarding the archives is to be entered,
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together with the instructions set forth in this manual, and by attending
the conferences of Local Field Workers at which opportunities will he
presented to ask questions and to discuss problems which may have arisen.
Section 2, They shall enter the information that is desired about .Fed¬
eral archives on the blank WPA Forms 58SA, Reports on Serials, copies of
which will be provided by the Project Superintendent. A sample of the
form to be used is appended to this manual. It cannot be urged too
strongly that great care must be taken to be accurate in recording the
desired information on these forms.
Section 3. Local Field Workers must observe at all times the following
rules:
Rule (l). Do not write on archives, not even for the purpose
of numbering them.
Rule (2). Do not mutilate archives in any manner whatsoever.
Anyone mutilating or destroying them shall be sub¬
ject to immediate dismissal.
Rule ( 3) ♦ Do not remove archives from containers for inspec¬
tion purposes without the consent of the custodian.
Rule (4). Do not remove archives from the room in which you
find them unless the custodian so directs, and do
not, under any circumstances, remove them from the
building.
Rule (5), Do not rearrange archives.
Rule (6), Do not open containers which have been locked or sealed
without the consent of the custodian.
Rule (7). Do not copy or abstract any document. (Copies should
be made, however, of inventories and finding lists).
The content of an individual document is of no concern
to the field-worker.
Rule (8). Do not smoke in rooms where work is being conducted.
This rule is to be observed by workers even if it is
not imposed on clerks or custodians.
Rule (O). Cooperate in every way possible with the custodian of
archives.
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Bule (10). Submit your work to the inspection of the Project
Superintendent on request
Part V. FORMS .AND INSTRUCTIONS FOP. THE IF. USE
GEMEAL: For the purpose of securing information "by the Survey of
Federal .Archives four forms have "been developed. With instructions
for their use, they are included in this manual. Sufficient
numbers of them will be sent to each Local Superintendent for use
by him and the Field Workers. At a later time a special form for
use in surveying photographic plates, motion picture films, and
sound recordings will be distributed.
Reports for each city or town shall be numbered serially
as completed.
If no addenda sheets are attached to a report, the notation
in the upper right hand corner should read, "Sheet 1 of 1 sheets."
If there is one addenda sheet, the report should read, "Sheet 1
of 2 sheets;" and there should be written on the top of the
addenda sheet a notation identifying it as the second sheet of a
particular report on agencies, e.g., "Report on Agencies, Boston,
Mass., No. 6. Sheet 2 of 2 sheets." A. similar procedure should
be followed in identifying any additional addenda sheets, so that,
if they become separate from the particular report to which they
relate, they may be attached to it again.
It is of the utmost importance for the success of this
Survey that everyone connected with it have a correct understand-
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ing of the information desired on each form and that the forms he
filled in with scrupulous regard for accuracy. It is better to
have ten accurate reports than a hundred inaccurate ones.
Section 1. WPA FORM 55SA. REPORT ON AGENCIES.
As indicated by WPA Form 55SA, "Report on Agencies," one
purpose of the Survey is to ascertain the name and location of each
agency of the Government of the United States outside the District of
Columbia and to secure certain general information regarding its
archives which, together with information given on the other forms,
will make it possible to visualize the situation regarding all Federal
archives outside the District.
A copy of this form is to be filled out for each local agency
of a subdivision of a department or independent office in a
'particular community, but no attempt should be made to fill out
separate reports on subdivisions of local agencies. If any local
agencies have their own subdivisions, this will appear on the WPA
Form 58SA, Report on Serials. Where it can be done, charts showing the
organization of the local agency should be attached to the report
on it.
Mich of the information on this form can be obtained by
interviewing someone in the agency. Where information is not
available, state so.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE OF WPA FORM 55SA. REPORT ON AGENCIES
Item (l). Give the name of the Department (interior,
War, Treasury, etc.) or Independent Office
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(Veterans' Administration, Tariff Commission,
Interstate Commerce Commission, etc.) of which
this agency is a local "branch.
Item (2). Give the names of subdivisions of the Depart¬
ment or Independent Office of which this local
agency is a part, proceeding from the largest
to the smallest unit and ending with the name
of the local agency. This information can
sometimes be secured from organization charts.
It may also be secured by questioning govern¬
ment officials.
Item (3). Give date of establishment of the local agency
upon which the report is being made. If you
question the accuracy of the date given,
indicate your doubt by a question mark in
parenthesis after the date; for example, 1830 (?)•
If you can give only an approximate date,
indicate this fact by placing a "c". before the
date; for example, c.1830.
Item (4). The purpose of this question is to secure
information which may help relate particular
archival serials to others. Where the
information cannot readily be obtained, no
attempt should be made to undertake protracted
research in order to secure it.
Item (5). Number each building (l), (2), (3), etc., so
that it may clearly be seen that the agency
and its archives are housed locally in one,
two, or more buildings. If there are
buildings in which archives of the agency, but
none of its offices, are housed, be sure to
include them.
Inquire regarding buildings in which the agency
was formerly housed but which it does not
now occupy, and determine by a visit to such
buildings whether archives still are in them.
Item (7). Inquire carefully whether any archives have
been lost, destroyed by fire, flood, or
otherwise, or disposed of by custodians. If
possible, secure and append a list of such
archives.
Item (6).
Item (8). This information may be secured from officials,
from official reports, and possibly from local
newspapers.
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Item (9). This refers to papers which the agency
considers to he of no permanent value.
Item (lO). The purpose of this question is to
develop further information regarding
the location of archives of the agency
which are not now in its possession.
Determine whether any considerable
quantities of archives have been sent
to Washington, and, if so, whether or not
this is done periodically. If possible,
secure and append a list of such archives,
Item (ll). List persons, giving title and address,
and name also books, newspapers, etc.
Item (12). List persons, books, etc. mentioned by
those whom you interview, but do not
undertake any extended research for the
purpose of answering this question.
Item (13). Under this heading, or on additional
sheets, give additional or supplemental
information which you consider to be
pertinent.
8Ute_
City or
Tom
WORKS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION
SU17XT OP PBDBRAL AKCHIVBS
Report on Agencies
WPA Form 55SA
Report Ho_
Sheet
of Sheets
1. Department or Office,
2. Subdivisions
3. Date of its establishment
4. What administrative reorganizations has it undergone since its establishment?.
5. Name and location of buildings it now occupies.
6. Other buildings it has occupied and inclusive dates of occupancy thereof
7. Have any of its archives been lost or destroyed?
8. If so, give information as. to cause, date, and extent
9- What is its policy with regard to so called useless papers?.
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Section 2. WPA FORM 56SA, F.EPOP-T ON BUILDIIIGS.
The Project Superintendent shall locate every building in
which Federal archives are housed and make a report on each. The
purpose of this report is to furnish information regarding the
building as a whole, with particular attention to its suitability
as a safe depository of archives. Where possible he should attach
a picture or pictures of the building to his report on it.
11em (1), Give the name of the building, if it has one.
Example, Hurley-Wright Building.
Item (2). Give the location of the building by street number
and name. Example, 128 Cherry Street.
11em (3). Give the date bf the construction of the building.
Item (4). Indicate the materials from which the building
is mainly const meted, i.e., wood, brick, stone,
cement, steel, etc.
Item (5). Try to get ratings on fire hazards from the local
Underwriters Association, fire department, or
building inspector. If this is not possible, make
your own estimate and give the reasons therefor,
I tern {6). Secure this information, if possible, from the
and (7). local fire department.
Item (8). Among the precautions to be noted are the following:
prohibitions against smoking, use of metal shelv¬
ing and metal containers, clearing of desks of
loose papers at the end of the day, etc. Among
the protective devices to be noted are the follow¬
ing: automatic sprinkler systems, which release
water if the temperature rises above a certain
degree; water hose; and hand extinguishers of
various types.
Item (9). Enter any additional information you think
pertinent.
State
City or
Tom
WPA Torn 56SA
WORKS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION
SU1Y1Y or FIDIIAL ABCHIYI8
Report on Buildings
Report Ho_j_
Sheet
of
Sheets
1. Name of building
2. Location
3. Date of construction
4. Type of construction
5. What is the fire hazard?
6. Has the building ever been burned, or damaged in any other manner
7. If so, give dates and statement of the extent of damage
8. What precautions are taken against fire and what protective devices against fire
have been iirstailed?
9. Comments
Oate 193d Signed by_
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Section 3. WBA FORM 57SA. REPORT ON ROOMS;
In addition to the general report on each building, the
Project Superintendent shall make a report on each room in which
archives are located and inventoried. The information here supplied
should be descriptive of the room and not of any particular serial
in it. If possible, secure photographs showing conditions of storage
in rooms which are used primarily for the storage of archives and
not primarily as offices.
Item (1). Give the name of the buildings if it has
one. Examplei Federal Building.
Item (2). Give the street number and name. Example:
118 Cherry Street.
Item (3) . Give the room number or symbol. If no room
number or symbol exists, indicate the
location of the room in the building by
floor, basement, or attic. Example:
Basement, southwest corner.
Item (4). State whether the room is used primarily as
an office or as a storage room for archives.
If it is an attic room, basement room, corri¬
dor, or an out-of-the-way storage room, so
indicate.
Item (5). Check point 1 if no protective devices
against fire are to be found in the room.
Check point 2 if any of the following
inflammable materials are to be noted and
indicate in margin which: gasoline, paint,
furniture, wax or polish, cleaning fluids,
wood-alcohol, oily rags (which may result
in spontaneous combustion), films, loose
papers, etc.
Check point 3 if you find any of the following
fire hazards and indicate in margin which:
defective electric wiring such as uninsulated
wires, high power electric lamps which give
off an intense heat, high-power lines with
transformers, use of oil lamps or lanterns,
etc.
- 2C -
8231
Check point 4 if the archives are easily access¬
ible to others than custodians of records,
or if other opportunities for theft exist.
Check point 5 if the floors are subject to
overflow, if the roof is leaky, if window
panes are broken, if radiators give off steam,
etc.
Check point 6 if there are evidences of the
presence of rats or mice.
Check point 7 if there are evidences of vermin,
chief among which are silver-fish, book-lice
termites and cock-roaches. Silver-fish arc
glistening silver or pearly-gray insects, .about
a half inch in length, with three long tail¬
like appendages. As records are exposed to
light, their glistening bodies may be seen
gliding quickly out of sight. They prefer
hot, damp places and are apt to be troublesome
in libraries and storage rooms, particularly
in attics. They are particularly destructive
to the binding of books, from which they eat the
starch. Book-lice are diminutive insects,
seldom more than one-sixteenth of an inch long,
often much smaller. They are pale colored,
almost white when young, but as they grow older
are darkened somewhat by the food they have
eaten. They thrive best in closed rooms that
are warm and damp. They may be found scurrying
about in old, musty books or records. They eat
the starchy paste in book bindings and photographs.
Termites or white-ants are insects resembling the
true ants. They make foraging tunnels from the
surface of the ground through the structural
wood of foundations or through cracks in concrete
foundations. They will be found in basement
rooms, destroying the woodwork of the buildings
and articles stored on wooden shelving, such as
books and records.
Check point 8 if there is much dirt, soot, etc.
Check point 9 if the records are subjected to
excessive heat.
Check point 10 if the records are in a disorderly
condition and are subjected to careless handling.
Check point 11 if the re ords are exposed, to
direct sunlight.
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8231
Item (6). Describe other menaces or amplify the above if
necessary or helpful to an understanding of
conditions in the room.
Item (7). Check Point 1 if the room is inaccessible or
difficult of access, point 2 if the room is
crowded, point 3 if the room lacki? adequate
ventilation, point 4 if the room is not
adequately heated, point 5 if the room does not
contain adequate facilities for the use of the
archives, such as tables, lights, chairs, etc.
Item (8). Describe other impediments not listed or give
details on the above impediments.
Item (9). Dive here any additional information or mak© any
comments which will aid the reader to understand
conditions in the room with particular regard
to the safety of archives therein and impediments
to their use.
q.. Use of the room
WPA Form 57SA
fltate_
City or_
Tom
WORKS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION
SURVEY OF FEDERAL ARCHIVES
Report on Rooms
1. Name of building,
2. Address
3. Room Number,
Check the following menaces applicable to archives in this room:
(1) Lack of protective devices against fire
(2) Proximity of highly inflammable materials
(3) Other'fire hazards
(*) Lack of protection against theft
IS) Exposure to moisture
(6) Presence of rodents
(7) Presence of vermin
(8) Presence of dirt, soot. etc.
(9) Excessive heat, or sunlight
(10) Disorder) iness and careless handling
(11) Exposure to direct sunlight
6. Describe other menaces or give details of above menaces.
7. Check the following impediments to use of archives in this room:
(1) Inaccessible
121 Crowded
(3) Lack of adequate ventilation
U) Lack of heat
(5) Inadequate facilities for use of archives
8. Describe any other impediments or give necessary details on above
9. Comments
Signed by_
Approved by__
PROJECT SUPERINTENDENT
REGIONAL DIRECTOR
Date
-23-
8231
Section 4. WPA FORM 58SA..REPORT ON SERIALS.
The purpose of WPA Form 58SA, Report on Serials, is to se¬
cure an identification of the archives in a depository, and a separate
report should he made for each archival serial.
By serial is meant a group of records possessing common
qualities as regards contents (that is, relating to the same
activity or subject), qualities which permit them to be grouped
together in filing and described as a. whole in a few words. The
organization of groups of records for filing is important in
determining what is, or is not, a serial. If all of the records
of a particular agency, or a considerable proportion of them,.are
grouped together and filed as a major unit in one general file,
this general file is to be regarded as one serial. This general
file may include records of all kinds of activities, pertaining
to all kinds of subjects. Nevertheless, the fact that such
records are filed as a unit or under one system makes them one
serial. If there is no general file, however, and if records
are filed in small groups as separate units according to activity
or according to subject, each of these groups constitutes a serial.
Thus, correspondence will generally be filed together as a unit.
Certain other records, on the contrary, will generally be divided
into small units. There may be a group of ledger books, a group
of account books, a group of vouchers, a group of requisitions,
a group of pay rolls, a group of contracts, a group of personnel
records, etc. Each of these groups of records, when filed as a sepa¬
rate unit, constitutes a serial. Illustrations of serials follow.
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8231
General files, if organized under one system or filed as a unit,
should "be considered as one serial. These general files may
include correspondence, reports, memoranda, etc., on all
conceivable subjects emanating from various administrative
units of the governmental agency, but the fact that they are
filed under one system makes them one serial.
General correspondence, if organized under one system or filed as
a unit, constitutes one serial. This general correspondence
may be the consolidated correspondence of all the administra¬
tive units of the governmental agency, but the fact that it is
filed under one system makes it one serial. If, however, the
■i
correspondence of a certain administrative unit is organized
under a separate system, such correspondence constitutes a
separate serial; or, if the correspondence relating to a par¬
ticular subject is filed separately, such correspondence must
be regarded as a separate serial. Thus, also, if the letters
sent are organized and filed separately from the letters re¬
ceived, each of these groups constitutes a separate serial.
Reference files, if organized under one system and filed as a unit,
though referring to many subjects, constitutes one separate
serial. However, if a reference file pertaining to a par¬
ticular subject is maintained separately, such a file is to
be considered as one serial. In the same way, if a reference
file accumulated by a particular individual is kept separately,
such a file constitutes one serial.
Financial records, if organized under one system or filed as a
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8231
unit, also constitutes a serial. Thus, all the financial
records of a small governmental agencjfc-may be filed together.
In larger offices, however, account books, vouchers, requi¬
sitions, travel accounts, bills of lading, purchase orders,
pay rolls, invoices, contracts, etc., may be filed separately.
In such cases, each of these groups of records constitutes
a separate serial.
Research files, such as price data schedules, census schedules,
schedules for various studies, cost questionnaires,
reports, tabulations, etc., are generally filed by subject.
If filed separately, each group of such schedules, question¬
naires, reports, tabulations, etc. constitutes a separate
serial.
Personnel records may be filed as part of the general files, in
which case they do not constitute a separate serial. If,
however, they are filed separately, they are to be regarded
as a separate serial.
It should be understood clearly that the ouantity of
archives is of no significance in the determination of what
is, or is not, a serial. One serial may consist of a
thousand lineal feet of archives, and another may consist of
only one lineal foot of archives. The determining factor is
the fact that they are filed together as a unit, separated
physically from other archives.
8231
-26-
INSTRUCTIONS FOR FILLING- OUT WPA FORM 58SA,
REPORT" ON SERIALS
Items (l), (2) and (3). Fill in for room and building in which
the serial being reported upon is located.
Item (4). Give the name of the department or independent office
of the Federal Government, or of any other govern¬
ment, agency, individual, or organization, which
originated the records that are being surveyed.
Usually records in the possession of any particular
agency will be the records of the activities of that
agency. Infrequently, however, records of one agency
may be temporarily or permanently placed in the
custody of another agency. Thus, records originating
in the Department of War may be in the custody of
the Deportment of Agriculture. By "agency of origin"
is meant that agency whose activities resulted in
the archives that are being surveyed. If archives
originating in one agency are in the custody of
another, both the "agency of origin" and the "agency
of custody" should be indicated.
In noting the "agency of origin", name under the
first point of the form the executive department, or
the judicial organization or the independent agency.
The executive departments which may be the agencies
of origin are as follows: The departments of far,
State, Navy, Agriculture, Treasury, Commerce, Labor,
Post Office, Interior, or Justice. Of the independent
offices of the federal government, the following are
among those which will be the most common: Federal
Reserve Board, Federal Trade Commission, Veterans'
Administration, Reconstruction Finance Corporation, etc.,
etc.
If archives which did not originate with any agency
of the United States Government are in the possession
of its agencies, their source of origin should be
given under item (^). These may be archives originat¬
ing with the Confederate States, a foreign government,
a territorial, state, county, or municipal government,
a business corporation, a private institution, or an
individual. Where possible, secure information as to
how and when these came into the custody of the agency
which now has possession of them.
Item (5). Name the administrative subdivision of the department
or independent office of the Federal Government. Each
of these departments or offices is divided into
smaller units, and each of these again into smaller
units. Information is desired on these administrative
divisions and subdivisions. Thus, the Department of
8231
-27-
Agriculture is subdivided into the Office of Experiment
Stations, the Forest Service, the Food and Drug Admin¬
istration, the Bureau of Public Roads, and many other
bureaus and offices. Each of these bureaus, offices, or
administrations is again broken down into divisions, and
each division into sections. A typical entry might thus
read: (under item (4) ) Department of Agriculture, and
(under item (5) ) Forest Service, Eastern Region, Div¬
ision of Operation.
Items (6) and (7). If the agency which is now in possession of the
archival serial is the same as the agehcy of origin,
write in "same." If not, fill in the name of the de¬
partment or independent office, its major subdivision,
and the name of the local agency.
Item (8). Give the title of the archival serial. The labels
on filing cases, paper packages, or volumes will
frequently provide such information. If not, the
custodian will generally be able to provide in¬
formation on the various groups of records within a
room. Typical entries might read thus: General files
(if all the files, or a considerable proportion, are
grouped together and filed under one system); Reports
from Field Agents (or any other subject on which sep¬
arate files have been created, etc., etc. (Read again
the discussion of serials on pages 23 - 25).
Item (9). Give inclusive dates; that is, the date of the earliest
document and that of the latest. If certain portions
between these dates are missing, be sure to indicate
that fact and seek to ascertain why they are missing.
Item (10). Give additional information about the serial which
will help identify its contents. In some instances
the title of the serial will be a sufficient ident¬
ification of it. If it is not, the description should
be brief and concise but sufficiently full to give
one who has n^t seen the serial an understanding
of the general character of its contents. Information
is desired particularly on the type of archives; that
is, whether it consists of correspondence, reports,
tabulations, charts, maps, or of any other type. The
main heads of the subdivision into which the file is
divided should be listed here and where there exists
a plan of classification a copy of it should be se¬
cured and appended to this report.
Whenever possible, information should also be
provided on the relation of a particular serial
filed as a separate unit to another serial filed as
another unit. If this particular serial is not an
original, give information as to where the original
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8231
is located. For example, original copies of documents
may frequently be sent to the Washington office while
duplicates are retained by the local agency.
Information is to be secured on the contents
of archival serials, and not on the content of single
documents or items within a serial.
I
Item (11). Indicate whether the serial is referred to "freouently,"
"occasionally," "rarely," etc., and where possible
state more specifically its use; that is, "daily,"
"about once a year," "about once a month," "only once in
five years," etc.
Item (12). State whether use is for transaction of business or
for furnishing information to inquirers, historians,
genealogists, etc.
I tern (13). Describe the indexes to the serial. (An index is a
guide to the location of particular documents or to
information in these documents). Give its location
if it is in another room. State whether it is a card
index or a volume index, and give its dimensions
(that is, 3" x 5" cards) including its linear footage.
Indicate whether it covers only the serial in question
or other serials as well. Also take note of all in¬
ventories or check lists of archives. An inventory
is a list of serials or documents. It may cover a
number of serials. Copies of inventories should be
made and attached to the "Heport on Serials1:"
Item (14). Check in the squares the form in which the archives
are maintained: Part one refers to bound volumes;
part two to folders; -part three to envelopes; part
four to pockets, which are paper containers open at
the top, into which records may be inserted; part
five to covers, which are papers fitted over records
and fastened together by tying, by clips, or by
staples; part six to loose-leaf books or ring binders;
part seven to bundles .or paper wrapped packages; and
part eight to any other form.
Item (15). Give approximately the average size or dimensions
(that is, the length and width) of the forms indicated
above. For example, many folders are about 10" x 12"
or 10" x 15".
Item (16). Give the total linear feet of the archives in the
serial in question. Linear footage means the mea.sure-
ment of archives from too to bottom if they are placed
flat one on top of another. Do not remove them from
containers for meas\»rement. For example; one drawer
-29-
8231
Item (17).
Item (18).
Item (19).
Item '(20)
of a filing case, when full, contains about 2 linear
feet; a shelf may hold 4 or 6 linear feet of volumes. .
State the number and type of containers in the blanks
provided. Fart one refers to filing cases; that is,
filing cases holding 10" x 12" and 10" x 15" materials
filed vertically. The filing cases may have three,
four, or five drawers. Indicate the number of drawers
only, thus: filing cases, 20 drawers. Part two refers
to transfer cases; that is, cases holding 10" x 12"
materials and 10" x 15" materials filed vertically.
The cases may be made of cardboard, wood, or steel.
Ee.cn drawer is to be regarded as one case, regardless
of whether the cases are stacked one on top of another
and fastened together. Simply indicate the number of
cases, thus: 3, 12, or 6. Part three refers to folded
document holders. These containers will be used chiefly
for holding old documents (prior to 1900) or legal
documents. The documents are folded, generally into
4" x 9" size, and filed vertically. Part four refers
to card cabinets; that is, containers for filing 3" x 5",
4" x 6", 5" x 8", or other size cards. Part five refers
to shelves. Indicate whether the shelves are open or
enclosed, whether of wood or steel. Part six refers to
wooden boxc-s, on which dimensions are required; that
is, the number of inches in width, height, and length.
Part seven refers to paper or pasteboard boxes, on which
the dimensions are again required. Under part eight
describe any type of container not incruded above.
Check in the squares if evidences exist that the
serial is in the conditions indicated. If the serial
has been damaged by fire, make a check in the square
of part one; if damaged by water or moisture, in the
square of part two; if damaged by vermin, that is,
book lice, termites, white-ants, silver-fish, or
cock-roaches, make a check in the square of part three;
if damaged by rats or mice, make a check in the square
of part four; etc.
List the names of the individuals, with their titles,
who have supplied information, or who could supply
information about the archives. For example: John
Jones, Ohitf, Division of Operation, Eastern F.egion,
Forest Service.
Enter any additional information which it is believed
will be helpful in identifying, or helpful in under¬
standing the serial here reported upon. If the serial
appears to be of peculiar interest because .of its con¬
dition or content, this fact might be entered.
FPA Form 58SA
f
City or_
WORKS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION
SURVEY OP FEDERAL ARCHIVES
Report on Serials
Report No.
Sheet
of
Sheets
i. Name of building.
2. Address of building.
(1. Agency of origin
3. Roan Number,
5. Subdivision^
6. Agency of custody.
7. Subdivision
8. Title of serial.
(Give title of serial as entered on label or as Indicated by custodian)
9. Dates,
(Olve inclusive dates, and report any gaps that nay exist In the serial)
io. Additional description.
(Examine records carefully, noting method of organization and noting particularly
tne type,that is, whether correspondence, reports, tabulations, charts, maps, etc.)
li. What use is made of them?.
12. For what purpose?
13. Indexes and inventories __
(Describe all Indexes, and copy all Inventories, attaching copies to report)
14. Check in squares the form in which archives are maintained:
(1) Bound Volumes (5) Covers
(2) Folders (6) Loose-leaf books
(3) Envelopes (7) Bundles or paper packages
(R) Pockets (8) Other forms
15. Size 16. Volume
(Give dimensions of above) (Give total linear feet of archives)
17- Indicate the number and type of containers in the following blanks:
(1) Filing cases (2) Transfer cases
(3' Folded document holders (4) Card Cabinets
(5) Shelves (Give brief description)
(6) Wooden boxes (Oive site also)
(7) Paper or pasteboard boxes (Give size aiso)_
(8) Other types (Give brief description)
18. Check in squares evidences of
(1) Damaged by /ire
(2) Damaged by water
(3) Damaged by vermin
(а) Damaged by rodents
(5) Damaged by careless handling
(б) Damaged by faulty containers
following conditions of the archives:
(7) Paper brittle
(8) Papers dirty or sooty
(9) Papers torn
(10) Papers scattered
(11) Bindings broken
(12) Ink faded
(13) Other conditions
19. Persons contacted
(List individuals, with their titles, whc have supplied Information
or who could supply information about the archives)
20. Additional information
Signed by Approved by_
FIELD WORKER SUPER IRTE ROERT
Date_