November, 2006
This plan was developed after more than ten months of information gathering and study by ARM staff. A summary of the information gathering and links to copies of surveys, reports, and other documentation is available at: http://www.state.sc.us/scdah/planInsummary.pdf.
The first part of this plan contains a list of the Archives and Records Management Division’s strategic issues. This is followed by Division planned activities and objectives arranged by state fiscal year through June, 2011.
1) Inadequate Funding This is of special concern in the areas of competitive salaries and proper staff compensation as well as for equipment and other resources to carry on assigned responsibilities.2) Insufficient Staff for Core Archives and Records Management Activities The loss of eighteen staff members through budget cuts has severely affected all program areas.
3) Non-ARM Demands on Already Limited Staff and Other Resources Internal and external demands on ARM staff for otherwise worthy but non-government records-related projects and activities are impacting our ability to properly attend to basic, ongoing, responsibilities.4) Running Out of Stack Space We will not be able to accept new accessions within four years unless significant actions are taken.
5) Researchers Expect Access to More Records Online and Longer Reference Room Hours The combination of demands for increased online as well as on-site access presents us with an unprecedented challenge.
6) Extensive Series of State and Local Government Records to be Processed for Research We have a major backlog of records that must be processed to make them accessible both onsite and online to researchers.
7) Historical Records in State Agencies and Local Governments, in Paper and in Electronic/Digital Formats, are At Risk We know what is out there in need of our attention, but we do not have the staff and other resources to save and make them all available for research.8) Transitioning to an Electronic Records Archive At the same time that we struggle to deal with backlogs of traditional paper records in our stacks and in state and local government, we are trying to cope with an avalanche of government records in electronic/digital form. Unlike paper records, we cannot defer action as electronic/digital records are easily lost to archival care unless addressed early in their life cycle.
9) Lack of Physical and Intellectual Control Over the Security Microfilm Collection The more than a quarter million microfilm rolls in the stacks constitute and irreplaceable source for researchers, but the collection lacks an adequate access system and quality control, jeopardizing its long term management and preservation.
This plan lists the major activities for ARM to undertake over the next several years. Most of these activities presume related and supporting actions for their realization. In some cases these related actions will have to be undertaken over many months or even a year or more prior to completion of the activity/project. Some of the activities will require new/reallocation of staff and other resources for their accomplishment.