2.9 Explanatory Notes
Explanatory notes are used in ARCS to provide information
critical to understanding the records, to explain office procedures and
practice, and to summarize provisions governing the creation, processing,
accessing, and disposition of documents. They essentially function as
scope and content notes for specific secondaries. The two types of
explanatory notes are qualifiers and other notes.
2.9.1 Qualifiers
Qualifiers provide information that will help users know what to expect
when they actually view the files covered by a secondary. They are
provided directly under the relevant secondary title, indented and placed in
curved brackets. They are presented below in the order in which they
appear below a secondary:
- "Includes" qualifier: this lists types or forms of records covered
by the secondary. If there is no includes qualifier, see the "Includes
…" sentence in the scope note for this information. In the sample
primary, the visits by unidentified extraterrestrials secondary (-04) "includes
reference materials relating to visits and visitors as yet unconfirmed and
unidentified."
- "Arrange" qualifier: this gives the method of arrangement. In the
sample primary, the extraterrestrial registrant case files secondary (-20)
instructs records creators to "arrange by registration number."
- Physical format designations: see 2.10 for an explanation of this
qualifier.
2.9.2 Other Notes
Other notes provide information to assist with applying schedules to the
records; they also assist with comprehending the nature of the records and
providing access to them. They are presented below in the order in which
they may appear below a secondary.
| OPR = |
This note provides the name of the office of primary
responsibility if it is different from the primary default OPR. See
discussion of OPR in section 2.5. |
| SO = |
This note explains when a file designated SO should be
closed. See discussion of SO in section
2.7.1. |
| ##Y = |
This note gives reasons for active and/or semi-active
retention periods which are longer than seven years. In the sample
primary, there is a "303y =" note under secondary -20. |
| NA = |
This note explains why the usual active, semi-active,
or final disposition designation does not apply, usually because records have
been reclassified or transferred to another agency. See discussion of NA
in section
2.7.1. |
| SR/FR/DE = |
These notes explain why records are being selectively
or fully retained, or (if not self-evident) why they are being destroyed.
See discussion of these notes in section
2.7.2. |
| FOI: |
This note explains issues of confidentiality relating
to the records. See discussion of the FOI note in section
2.8. |
| NOTE: |
This note provides any other useful information related
to the scope of the secondary, such as history of the records, volume of the
records, filing procedures, whether there is an ongoing accession number, or
location of copies. In the sample primary, secondary -20 has a note
specifying that when the files go offsite, they will be stored "under ongoing
RCS accession number 99-9111." For discussion of ongoing accession numbers, see
section 3.9.1(b). |
