According to North Carolina’s public records law, N.C.G.S. 132, the people of North Carolina have a right to inspection of public records. N.C.G.S. 132-1(b) states, “Therefore, it is the policy of this State that the people may obtain copies of their public records and public information free or at minimal cost unless otherwise specifically provided…
In February 2014, it was reported that Governor Pat McCrory’s North Carolina Government Efficiency and Reform initiative will begin in earnest this year. McCrory is not the first Governor to undertake a formal and thorough review of management and spending in government agencies. Within the first two weeks of taking office in 1973, Governor James…
Frayda Bluestein of the UNC School of Government published a useful blog post on comments, e-mails, and messages received from citizens and whether or not they may be confidential. Like many questions about confidentiality and public records, the short answer is “it depends.” But Frayda does a great job here of sorting that out.
We are pleased to announce our workshop schedule for Western North Carolina: April 16, 2014 / 1-4pm / Lincolnton / 514 S. Academy St. Lincolnton, NC 28092 May 14, 2014 / 1-4pm / Bakersville / 11 North Mitchell Ave. Bakersville, NC 28705 May 21, 2014 / 1-4pm / Matthews / 232 Matthews Station St. Matthews,…
Governor McCrory has declared the week of March 16-22 as Sunshine Week, an entire week dedicated to openness and transparency in government. As government officials and employees, we do not own the records in our offices. The people are the owners, and we are the custodians. This means that the people have the right to…
Typically our job as archivists involves maintaining and providing access to those records deemed permanent and transferred to the State Archives. But, as usual, there are exceptions to every rule. Recently I received a Petition and Order of Expunction which requires that “any and all entries relating to the petitioner’s charge or conviction shall be…
The State Archives of North Carolina is currently in the process of making many of our paper and legacy finding aids available online. It is with great pleasure that I announce that some of our Governors’ Records finding aids are now available on the State Archives web site. Currently, finding aids for the administrations of…
Recently the North Carolina Court of Appeals (NCCOA) filed a decision in the matter of Lexis Nexis Risk Data Management Inc. v. North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts ruling that an entire database maintained by the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) is a public record as defined in G.S. 132. For a very brief background…
Six fibredex boxes of Perquimans County Poor House Records from 1843-1893 have been transferred to the State Archive. During this time period, the Board of County Commissioners had the responsibility of the care of the unfortunate until 1917, when it was assumed by the State Board of Charities and Public Welfare. The Poor House Records…
Preparing records to be transferred to the State Records Center is an important task. Files need to be found, organized, and placed in boxes. The boxes need labels. Box lists need to be created. The boxes need to be sent off to the SRC, where they will be shelved and stored. Here’s what to do…
Search Google for the phrase “records management” and you get 2.7 million hits. This post filters those results and highlights three hits with essential reading for state and local government records managers. The Municipal Clerks Education Foundation, the International Institute of Municipal Clerks, and the National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators publish a…
Some years ago, several archivists joked that the selection of records was comparable to a grab bag: simply toss in administrative and legal needs, add a bit of historical significance along with some ambiguous “characteristics of records,” shake vigorously, and voilà! The archivist is left with a perfect sense of the value of records. Thankfully,…
One of the most common things that records management analysts work with state and local governments on is developing and adopting policies for electronic records. As more and more agencies complete their work electronically (whether through creating digital records using word-processing software, digital cameras, or other born-digital methods, or through scanning existing paper records), it…
I hope everyone enjoyed the recent warm weather, as it looks like North Carolina is in store for another arctic blast. Forecast for the mountain counties are calling for below freezing temperatures for up to 96 continuous hours this week. As the last cold spell reminded us, these bitter cold temperatures can cause real havoc…
