My experience with using both subject and chronological goes back to the
days of paper-only records.  In those days offices that I was assigned to
used both, especially for outgoing correspondence.

The problem with subject-based filing was that assigning "subjects" was open
to interpretation.  Three different people may have three or more different
ideas of an appropriate "subject" to assign.  We'd use the chrono file when
we couldn't find something filed where we thought it should be but we had an
idea of when it was filed.

Gary Vocks
Records Management Officer
Southern Illinois University
School of Medicine
Springfield, Illinois  USA

----- Original Message -----
From: "Leslie Knoblauch" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, November 09, 2005 8:25 AM
Subject: University RM Question


> Hello,
> I am the first Records Manager at a small private college. I have been
> conducting preliminary records surveys of the top administrative
> offices. In my interviews/surveys the office staff has told me that they
> want to cut down on the duplication of records stemming from them using
> a chron file to hold correspondence and then also adding copies of this
> same correspondence to the much larger and more heavily used subject
> file. They have let me know that they do not find chron files easy to
> use, especially for new staff, and are looking at phasing them out. My
> initial thought was that they should do away with the chron file and
> stick to using their subject files but the university archives
> disagrees. What would you recommend in this situation? Should I
> recommend that office staff continue to use two systems, one that they
> find very difficult to use efficiently so that the archives can document
> the history of their office more thoroughly or should I support the
> offices transition away from chron files?
>
> Any advice would be appreciated,
> LK
>
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> Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance
>

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