Transfer Procedures for Government Records
Disclaimer: The summaries and interpretations provided on this page are unofficial and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by the Canada School of Public Service (CSPS).
Summary
- Natasha Dubois and Martha Sellens wrote new transfer procedures for physical and analog government records, while Brian Clarke completed procedures for digital records
- Library and Archives Canada has made significant changes to transfer procedures over recent years, including creating an online transfer request form in 2019 and publishing the Operational Standard for Digital Archival Records Metadata in 2023
- Transfer procedures for both physical and digital records were thoroughly revised in 2023-24, updating requirements that had not been changed since 2014
- The inventory template was modified in 2022 and the online transfer request form was upgraded in summer 2024 to align with new procedures
- Further modifications to the digital transfer application form are expected in 2025-26 to better accommodate digital transfer requests
- The presentation covers three scenarios: physical and analog records in storage rooms, physical storage media for digital records, and digital records managed in Electronic Document and Records Management Systems
- Implementing good information management practices when creating records saves time and energy during the disposal process
- When dealing with unknown records in storage rooms, institutions must first determine what the records are before making transfer decisions
- Essential information needed includes who created the records, what type of records they are, and when they were created
- Institutions must confirm they no longer need the records and that the records meet retention requirements before proposing transfer
- LAC archivists use disposition authorizations and application guides to identify which records have archival value
- Required transfer information falls into two categories: intellectual management of records and physical management of records
- Security classification information and public accessibility status are crucial pieces of information that must be provided
- Physical management requirements include details about container quantities, sizes, and preservation needs
- The inventory is the most important supporting documentation as it explains what records are contained in which specific containers
Actionable Advice
- Start by reading through the application guides provided by LAC for your institution to determine archival value
- Contact your assigned LAC archivist if anything about archival value determination is unclear
- Begin with basic information gathering using who, what, and when questions, being as specific as possible
- Check boxes and labels on the outside of containers for identifying information
- Look up acronyms found on records to determine their meaning, but provide acronyms to LAC even if you cannot decode them
- Sample files from individual boxes to determine date ranges when exact dates are unknown
- Provide estimated date ranges with explanations of how you reached those conclusions
- Ensure your institution no longer needs the records and that retention requirements have been met
- Verify there are no legal restraints like litigation holds or regulatory requirements preventing transfer
- Check for any Treasury Board or other government policies that might prevent transfer
- Use the transfer web form and inventory template available on LAC's website
- Provide security classification information for all records being transferred
- Indicate whether records have already been made available to the public
- Identify any records where copyright is not held by the crown or items with high monetary value
- Follow LAC's packaging, packing, and labelling requirements found in Appendix C of the transfer procedures
- Request training from LAC on packaging requirements if needed
- Create detailed inventories that specify which files or items are in which containers
- Update inventory information and container numbers as you discover new materials during packing