Procedures and Guidelines-Archivist

The Iowa State University Library, Department of Special Collections, serves as the archives for the North Central Branch. To ensure proper preservation of future historical records and to expedite this process, the following guidelines are suggested.

Guidelines for Materials to be Preserved:

Correspondence - Certain kinds of correspondence should be kept permanently, whereas others may be disposed on a regular basis.

Types of correspondence to be preserved:

Administrative correspondence received

Agenda and minutes of meetings

Printed committee reports and other materials of legal, administrative, or historical value pertaining to the policy, procedure, or function of the branch.

Types of materials which need not be retained:

Letters and memos of transmittal that add nothing to the content of the item transmitted

Acknowledgments

Requests for information and publications after the request has been filled

Reservations and confirmations, itineraries

Requests to be added to mailing lists after the addition has been made

Invitations to and announcements of meetings.

Chair or President - The President should submit all materials as described under correspondence as well as any additional materials such as lists of branch officers and committee members, and Executive Committee reports and actions.

Secretary-Treasurer - The Secretary-Treasurer should submit all materials as described under correspondence as well as a complete summary of financial matters and activities of the branch.

Committees - Minutes, reports, and other records of all committees, whether standing or ad hoc, should be retained permanently. Records of the ad hoc committee should be deposited with Archivist-Historian at the termination of committee activity while standing committees should submit material annually.

Photographs and Other Media - All photographs having historical significance (i.e., award recipients, officers, members, etc.) should be identified by place, time, and persons. Copies or originals should be submitted to the Archivist-Historian on an annual basis. Included in the collection should be any newspaper or magazine articles or proclamations associated with branch activities and/or projects.

In summary, fundamentally any file or record which can help explain or document the work of the North Central Branch should be considered for deposit. If there is a question about a particular item, whether to save or not to save, err on the conservative side and keep it rather than discarding it.

The Branch Archivist and Historian (Duties)

The Branch Archivist shall be appointed by the President for a five-year term of office and will be the branch representative on the National ESA Committee for Archives. The Branch Archivist shall encourage collection and preservation of historical documents and memorabilia of entomology; stimulate an appreciation for the history of entomology; encourage scholarly studies contributing to a better understanding of the historical role of entomology in American society; and advise the President on solicitation and publication of obituaries of entomologists.

In addition to the above mentioned duties, the Branch Archivist shall maintain interaction between the North Central Branch and the Iowa State University Archivist. After historical materials have been received from past presidents, secretary-treasurers, committee chairs, etc. the following duties should be performed:

1. Sort, remove duplication, and arrange (refer to outline sent to Iowa State University in March 1986) materials for proper storage.
2. Whenever materials are sent to the Iowa State Archives, send a similar listing to the current Branch President. This will allow for a continuous documentation of transferred items.