Task Force on Guidelines for Congressional Papers Repositories, 2006-2007

Charge: to pursue grant funding for the writing and publication of guidelines on the acquisition, administration, processing, preservation, and access to the papers of members of the United States Congress to be made available to 1) repositories already housing congressional collections so they may evaluate their own practices and procedures, and 2) repositories considering acquisition of congressional collections so they may better understand the institutional commitments such acquisitions require.

The Guidelines for Managing Congressional Papers grant proposal was submitted by the CPR task force through SAA to the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). The proposal consists of the following narrative, project summary, and supporting documents. The announcement made by Jeff Thomas, Chair of the Congressional Papers Roundtable from 2006-2007, is here also. 

Members: Jeff Thomas, Chair (Ohio State University), Jean B. Bischoff (University of Kansas), Alan H. Haeberle, (Office of Senator Orrin Hatch), L. Rebecca Johnson Melvin (University of Delaware), Linda A. Whitaker (Arizona Historical Foundation), Kate Cruikshank (Indiana University)

The first grant project and conference to address issues and offer recommendations regarding records management in offices of Members of Congress, as well as subsequent maintenance, preservation and access of Members' papers given to repositories, was sponsored by the Dirksen Congressional Center and the NHPRC in 1985. The report documenting this project and conference is available here.