DOE O 1324.7A, Departmental History Program

c J I i l 1 f 'j ~ l "" 0 0 J 3-26-92 THIS PAGE MUST BE KEPT WITH DOE 1324.7A, DEPARTMENTAL HISTORY PROGRAM. POE 1324.7A, DEPARTMENTAL HISTORY PROGRAM REVISED POE 1324.7. TO REFLECT ORGANIZATIONAL TITLE AND ROUTING SYMBQL EDITORIAL CHANGES REQUIRED BY SEN-6D-91. NO SUBSTANTIVE CHANGES HAVE BEEN MADE. DUE TO THE NUMBER OF PAGES AFFECTED BY THE REVISIONS, THE ORDER HAS BEEN ISSUED AS A REVISION. J • ,. U.S. Departmen~ Energy Washington, D.C. ORDER DOE 1324.7A 3-26-92 SUBJECT': DEPARTMENTAL HISTORY PROGRAM I. PURPOSE. To describe the Department of Energy (DOE) history program, and to establish policy and objectives for the preservation of historical records and the institutional memory of the Department and its predecessor agencies. 2. CANCELLATION. DOE 1324.7, DEPARTMENTAL HISTORY PROGRAM, of 10-21-88. 3. SCOPE. This Order applies to all Departmental Elements, and contractors performing work for the Department as provided by law and/or contract and as implemented by the appropriate contracting officer. 4. REFERENCES. a. Department of Energy Organization Act, Section 652, which authorizes the Secretary of Energy to accept gifts of real and personal property for purposes of aiding or facilitation the work of the Department. b. DOE 1324.2A, RECORDS DISPOSITION, of 9-13-88, which describes the Chief Historian's responsibilities for maintaining the Department's historical records; assigns responsibilities and authorities; and prescribes policies, procedures, standards, and guidelines for the orderly disposition of records of DOE and its contractors. c. DOE 1324.3, FILES MANAGEMENT, of 3-2-81, which provides guidance in filing DOE records. d. DOE 1324.4, MICROGRAPHICS MANAGEMENT, of 11-2-83, which establishes policy and procedures for using, developing, implementing, and operating efficient and cost effective applications of micrographics technology in DOE, and which identifies the requirements for obtaining approval to destroy original records and substitute microfilmed records for them. e. General Services Administration Bulletin, Federal Property Management Regulation (FPMR) 8-106, "Disposition of Personal Papers and Official Records," of 10-30-80, which summarizes requirements of Federal law and related regulations regarding the disposition of personal papers and official records. f. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Management Handbook of 1987, "Disposition of Federal Records," which discusses effective archival and records disposition programs. g. DISTRIBUTION: HQ 1324.1A, RECORDS MANAGEMENT, of 6-8-87, which describes the Chief Historian's responsibilities for identifying and preserving records of historical value. INITIATED BY: All Departmental Elements Office of the Executive Secretariat f I f ! ! I ~ 2 h. DOE 1324.7A 3-26-92 Title 44, United States Code (U.S.C.), Section 3301, which defines official records. i. Society for History in the Federal Government, "Principles and Standards for Federal Historical Programs," of 12-12-84, which establishes professional standard and ethics for history programs in the Federal Government. j. "National Archives and Records: Laws and Authorities and Their Implication," of 10-19-87, a report on NARA responsibilities for Federal records and related documentation. 5. BACKGROUND

a. The history office was established by the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), "AEC History Program," AEC 972, of 7-30-57, and AEC, Meeting No. 1275, of 4-3-57. Subsequently, the history office was transferred to the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) by AEC, "Disposition of the Commission's Official Files," policy session item SECY-S-75-33, of 12-24-74. The AEC, "Minutes of Limited Attendance Session 75-24," of 12-30-74, transferred custody of the Commission's Official Files to the ERDA Chief Historian. b. In 1977 the History Division transferred to the Office of the Executive Secretariat, Office of Administration and Human Resource ~ Management, U.S. DOE. The records of the ERDA Administrator's Mail ~ Facility and the Federal Energy Administration's Executive Communication records were placed in the custody of the DOE Chief Historian (AD-35). DOE 1324.2A, RECORDS DISPOSITION, established the Chief Historian's role in Department-wide records management and disposition. 6. DEFINITIONS. a. Historical Documents are those official non-current records of permanent value which have been determined by the Chief Historian to be essential to the DOE History Program in order to prepare the Department's official history and/or to maintain adequate institu­ tional memory. The historical value of official non-current records is determined by the Chief Historian in accordance with DOE 1324.2A, RECORDS DISPOSITION. b. History Projects comprise all activities involving research, writing, editing, interviewing, transcribing, describing, cataloguing, pre­ serving, collecting, or exhibiting matters of historical interest to the Department. These include, but are not limited to, books, mono­ graphs, pamphlets, articles, charts, posters, chapters, descriptions, introductions, interviews, and other writings which are primarily historical in nature, and activities involving historic preservation and cultural resource management. These do not include historical introductions to reports, testimony, legal briefing, program descriptions, or other documents where the historical component J DOE 1324.7A 3-26-92 c. d. e. 0 0 provides incidental background information and/or have not significant implication for policy direction. Institutional Memory is the recollection of past policies, programs, organizations, personnel, and related information concerning the Department or its predecessor agencies and laboratories, their program offices, and activities. 3 Official Records as defined in 44 U.S.C. Section 3301, include all books, papers, maps, photographs, machine-readable material, or other documentary materials, regardless of physical form or characteris­ tics, made or received by DOE under Federal law or in connection with the transaction of public business and preserved as evidence of the Department's organizations, functions, policies, decisions, procedures, operations, or other activities, or because of the informational value of the data they contain. Oral History is the record or transcript of an interview with a Departmental official, former official, government employee, contractor, or other person conducted in conjunction with a history project. Such records or transcripts, and all pertaining literary rights, are presented as gifts to the Department in accordance with Section 652 of the Department of Energy Organization Act, or to NARA in accordance with 44 U.S.C.

7. POLICY AND OBJECTIVES. It is Departmental policy to establish a history program to write the official history of the Department and its predecessor agencies, create and maintain the Department's historical archives, and provide institutional memory for the Department, its laboratories, and contractors. The objectives of the history program are to record the Department's official history and to create and maintain a historical archives useful for decision-makers who must evaluate current and proposed policies within a framework of Departmental precedent. As requested, the History Division prepares special policy-related studies and provides the Office of the Secretary and Secretarial Officers essential historical information. While maintaining the history program, the Department adheres to the "Principles and Standards for Federal Historical Programs," as described by the society for History in the Federal Government. 8. RESPONSIBiliTIES AND AUTHORITIES. a. The Director of Administration and Human Resource Management (AD-1) through the Director of the Executive Secretariat (AD-30). Prescribes and manages the Departmental history program. b. Chief Historian CAD-35}. (1) Writes histories of major DOE policies and programs, including the history of predecessor agencies. f I t l ? K ' 1 4 DOE 1324.7A 3-26-92 (2) Provide institutional memory for the Office of the Secretary J' and Secretarial Officers. (3) Prepares pamphlets, monographs, articles, chronologies, bibliographies, and special studies of importance to the Department. (4) Provides professional liaison for purposes of administering the history program between the Department, NARA, other Government history offices, and professional and academic groups. (5) Determines the historical value of non-current records. (6) Authorizes all history and archival projects conducted by the Departmental Elements and contractors, and approves all work products. (7) Accepts, on behalf of the Secretary, gifts of oral history tapes and transcripts, personal papers, and other historical artifacts and materials when such gifts facilitate the mission of the Department and the objectives of the history program. (8) (9) Coordinates on requests for National Archives approval of permanent records and their disposal after they are microfilmed. Maintains DOE historical archives and energy history collection, and reviews DOE Form 1324.10 to identify records of historical importance. Such records may be transferred to the custody of the Chief Historian at Headquarters or may be maintained in special collections in field offices or elsewhere as part of the DOE historical archives. c. Heads of Departmental Elements. (1) Assure that file custodians develop and maintain systems which facilitate the identification and preservation of records of historical value. Those records created in the field having historical value should be identified on a DOE Form 1324.10, "Records Inventory and Disposition Schedule." This completed for should be forwarded to the DOE Chief Historian for review and further disposition instructions. (2) Assure that files are routinely retired according to the provisions outlined in DOE 1324.2A and HQ 1324.1A. J ,. DOE 1324.7A 3-26-92 (3) (4) 0 0 5 {and 6) As necessary, consult with the Departmental Records Officer (AD-241.2) in distinguishing official records from personal papers, and coordinate with the Chief Historian to determine the historical value of records. Coordinate all history and archival projects, including contracted projects, with the Chief Historian for authorization and approval. BY ORDER OF THE SECRETARY OF ENERGY: @ JOHN J. NETTLES, JR. Director of Administration and Human Resource Management J