l PREFACE
Inventories are basic archival finding aids which
establish intellectual control over a record group and
acquaint the public with a record group's content. The
Division of Archives and Records Management defines a
record group to be the records of a single major unit
of government.
The Division prepares two types of records
inventories. Inventories of records of agencies still
in existence are called preliminary inventories, since
they will be updated periodically. The second type,
known simply as inventories, describes closed record
groups. A record group is considered closed when the
agency of origin no longer exists and no new records are
being created. The inventories are compiled only after
it has been determined that the records are as complete
as possible, and have been properly arranged and accur
. rately described. The inventory of the Work Projects
Administration in Kentucky is of the second type.
Each inventory contains an introduction which out-
’ lines the history and function of the agency that created
the records. Also indicated is the physical history of -
the records themselves. Records of the record group
which are in other repositories are usually not described,
but their locations are noted in the introduction. Those
repositories consulted which do not have records belonging
to the record group are also identified.
Within the record group records are arranged and
described by subgroups and series. The series are
arranged under the subgroup constituting the records'
office of origin. A series description will provide the
record's title, inclusive dates, quantity, arrangement,
relationships to other series, and description of signifi-
cant subject content. Sub-series are occasionally used
to further differentiate similar or related records.
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