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Our Services

The New York State Archives is ready to help you manage your records effectively throughout their lifecycle from creation to destruction or preservation.  If you have any questions, want to schedule a site visit, or need to know where to begin, please contact us. 
 
Image. Staff assessing canal reservoir maps

The State Archives bills state agencies for records management services and for storage of records at the State Records Center. This is authorized by Section 57.05(11) of the Arts and Cultural Affairs Law and 8 NYCRR Part 188. Annually, the Archives sends out invoices to state agencies.

Workshops, Training and Publications 

If you need help getting started or are looking for practical strategies for managing your program, we offer the following: 
 
  • Workshops for agency records management officers and other staff. Please visit the Archives workshops page to see what sessions are being offered this season. 
  • Customized, onsite training. To request customized training close to you, email the Training Administration Unit at archtrain@nysed.gov. 
  • Publications and topical guides providing in-depth material on various records management topics.

Records Retention Scheduling and Appraisal 

A retention and disposition schedule is a plan of action that indicates the period of time you should retain your records. The State Archives' services include:
 
  • Developing records retention and disposition schedules in partnership with New York's state agencies and local governments
  • Providing online access to the State General Schedule and local government records schedules
  • Conducting appraisals of state agency and local government records to determine which have enduring research and historical value. These appraisal decisions are reflected in the retention schedules

Grants 

For local governments and non-government repositories, we offer grants and awards to support, promote and recognize sound archival and records management practices, as well as to encourage creative and valuable uses of archival records. The following grant programs support records management and archives-related projects: 
 

Inactive Records Storage 

The State Records Center is an inactive records storage site that offers secure low-cost storage, retrieval, and destruction services to New York State agencies.
 
For more information about the Records Center, or to download transfer forms, please visit the New York State Records Center page or contact the State Records Center at records@nysed.gov. 
 

State Wastepaper Recycling Contract

The State Archives, through the State Records Center, administers the State Wastepaper contract. This contract offers free and confidential paper records destruction for state agencies and local governments. Through this contract state agencies and local governments can use the services of a designated paper recycler for secure and environmentally acceptable disposal and recycling of bulk quantities of obsolete paper records.

For more information on using the contract contact the State Records Center, records@nysed.gov

Archival Records Transfer 

Local governments are responsible for preserving their permanent records; state agencies must transfer the legal ownership and custody of their archival records to the State Archives when they are no longer needed onsite. 
 
 To learn more about transferring state agency records which have been scheduled as archival to the State Archives, please do the following: 
 
 
To learn more about transferring records elsewhere legally, email us at recmgmt@nysed.gov or call us at (518) 474-6926. 

Managing Records During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic state agencies and local governments continued to provide essential services during the COVID-19 pandemic, often in new and innovative ways. To assist state agencies and local governments in meeting their records management responsibilities we developed a set of guidelines for managing records during the pandemic and for documenting the government COVID-19 response.