Spring
        Cleaning  -
         In the Fall
                                               As the end of the year approaches, there are
                                            many file maintenance activities that can be
                                            accomplished which will result in an improved
                                            filing system for your office. Briefly stated, these
                                            activities are:

                                               * Breaking files
                                               * Starting files
                                               * Retiring files

                                            Paying attention to these activities at the end of
                                            the year frees up valuable office space and
                                            equipment, and simplifies records retirement.

   *  Breaking  Files - Break  or close files.

   Close or "cut off" files at the end of the year as instructed in the records disposition schedules.
Pull any documents which need to be kept for the next year and place a cross reference sheet with
information on where the document has been moved into the closed file.

   *  Starting Files  -  Start new folders.

   Prepare new folders for the next year. Place the documents held from the closed files into the new
folders. Update file guides or tabs, if needed.

       Retiring Files  -  Retire files to inactive storage.

   Move your closed files to an area designated for inactive files. If files are to be retained in the office
for additional time, you can designate a particular set of file drawers or shelves for the "inactive files."

   If they are to be transferred to either an inactive records storage facility or a Federal Records
Center, box them up and prepare the transfer paperwork.
For more information you may want to
consult the following sources:

Records Management Manual.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office
of Information Resources Management, 1984.
Updated in 1986 and 1987.

Files Operations. National Archives and
Records Services, 1981.

Using the Federal Records Center: A Guide for
Headquarters Staff.  U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Information Management and Services
Division, 1991.
                                             A Reminder...

                                                This is also a good time to review your
                                             technical reference material and to discard
                                             obsolete or superseded items. And don't
                                             forget about non-paper records - electronic,
                                             maps and drawings, etc. All records,
                                             regardless of format, are covered by the
                                             Agency's disposition schedules and need
                                             to be attended to along with their paper
                                             companions.
National Records Management Program, Information Access Branch
Office of Information Resources Management, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
                                                                           October 1992
                                                                       EPA-220-F-92-015

                                                                   Printed on Recycled Paper

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