Corporate Records Management Branch

How To Use the ARCS

PART 1 - The Administrative Records Classification System (ARCS)
1.1		General Introduction
1.2		What is ARCS
1.3		The Organization of ARCS
PART 2 - How to Read a Primary
2.1		Primary Number and Title
2.2		Scope Note
2.3		Cross References
2.4		Records Retention and Disposition Schedule
2.4.1		Active Retention Period Column
2.4.2		Semi-Active Retention Period Column
2.4.3		Final Disposition Column
2.5		Office of Primary Responsibility (OPR)
2.6		Secondary Number and Title
2.6.1		Reserved Secondaries
2.6.2		Secondaries -02 to -19 (subject secondaries)
2.6.3		Case File Secondaries (-20 and higher)
2.6.4		Coded Series
2.7		Key of Terms
2.7.1		Terms Used in the Active and Semi-Active Disposition Columns
2.7.2		Terms Used in the Final Disposition Column
2.7.3		Other Terms
2.8		Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Flags
2.9		Explanatory notes
2.9.1		Qualifiers
2.9.2		Other Notes
2.10		Physical Format Designations
2.11		Vital Records Flags
*PART 3 - ARCS* and An Effective Records Management System**
3.1		The Purpose of ARCS
3.2		Records and Recorded Information
3.3		An Effective Records Management System
3.4		The Classification System
3.4.1		Staff Responsibilities and Procedures
3.4.2		Classifying Records
3.4.2 a)		Alphabetic Subject Index
3.4.2 b)		Broad Subject Approach
3.5		The File List
3.6		Other Finding Aids
3.7		The Scheduling System
3.8		Filing and Maintenance Procedures
3.8.1		File Maintenance
3.8.2		File Circulation
3.9		Boxing and Transfer Instructions
3.9.1		Accession Numbers
3.9.1 a)		One-time Accession Numbers
3.9.1 b)		Ongoing Accession Numbers (OANs)
3.9.2		Transfer of Records to Off-site Storage
3.10		Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy
3.11		Electronic records
3.12		Implementation of ARCS
3.13		Advisory Services
3.14		Amendment and Update of ARCS