National Archives Administration

National Archives Administration (N.A.A) has been established since November of 2001 that also has laid a legitimate foundation of records managements, which has contributed to the field of public records significantly and harvested accomplishments greatly. The establishment of the National Archives Administration opened an epoch-making chapter in the history of our archives management system. Article 1 of the "Archives Act" stipulates from the very beginning that the objectives of this legislation are to perfect government agencies' abilities in maintaining archives, to improve transparency and application of archives, and to realize the function of archives. Therefore, in the future, we will strive toward improving working team organization, updating new management skills, smoothing coordination among divisions and offices, and establishing a policy-making partnership with other departments in the government to complete the establishment of a sound archives management system. In addition, we will utilize the latest technologies to improve the distribution of archives information and to accelerate the training of personnel with professional archive management skills to improve customer satisfaction and continue increasing the value of the archives. It is our mission to establish a customer-oriented, computerized, secure, standardized and educational archives management system.

History

Archives management is one of the most important administrative tasks of the modern government. Many advanced countries have established comprehensive national archives systems and form specialized agencies responsible for the management of archives. To strengthen government archives management system, ensure public access to the archival records and fully utilize the archives, the President promulgated the Archives Law on Dec 15 1999 which established the legal foundation for archives management policies. The law states that all archives are to be managed by the central archives authority-in-charge designated by the Executive Yuan. The Research, Development and Evaluation Commission of the Executive Yuan created the preparatory office of the National Archives Administration on March 1 2000 to undertake the task of building a mechanism of archives management in organizational, institutional and legal aspects. The National Archives Administration was established on Nov 23 2001. Former Premier Chang of the Executive Yuan and Minister of the Research, Development and Evaluation Commission, Lin Chia-Cheng hosted the inaugural ceremony together. Dr. Chen Su-Po was the first Director General of the Administration. This opens a new chapter in the country's archives management operation.

Organization

The organization of the National Archives Administration consists of five divisions (corporate planning, archives acquisition, archives preservation, archives service, and archives information) and 3 offices (the secretariat, human resources, and accounting). Apart from the above-mentioned 5 divisions and 3 offices, a National Archives Administration Committee was founded for the purposes of determining, categorizing, and preserving archives, as well as reviewing other deliberative issues, and to act as a consultant for the policies of managing and applying archives. This committee consists of representatives from the government, society, academics and political parties. The mission of this committee is to:

* Determine, categorize, and decide retention periods for archives, as well as to review other deliberative issues.
* Act as a consultant for the policies of managing and applying archives.

Duties and Responsibilities

The National Archives Administration is the central archives authority-in-charge and is responsible for the following:
* Planning and enacting archives management policies, regulations and management systems.
* Supervising, evaluating and coordinating the management and application of records.
* Assembling and publishing records catalogs.
* Scrutinizing and approving the plans and catalogs for disposing of archives.
* Determining, categorizing, and deciding retention periods for archives, as well as reviewing other deliberative issues.
* Collecting, transferring, arranging and preserving the archives of the National Archives Administration and other archives, as well as planning and operation of related facilities.
* Accepting donations of, being entrusted to keep, and purchasing of documents owned by individuals or organizations.
* Planning and operating the National Archives Administration applications.
* Planning and coordinating the establishment of the National Archives Administration management information system.
* Researching, publishing, developing and exchanging information for archives management and application, and cooperating internationally and training personnel with archives-management skills.
* Other issues related to archives management.

Customer Service

The National Archives Administration has set up the National Archives Reading and Information Center and Customer Service Center to better serve our customers.

Public can apply for the use of national archives at the National Archives Reading and Information Center. The Center also collects relevant books and publications on archives management within and outside the country for public to browse through. The public can check out the national archives catalogs at the [http://near.archives.gov.tw National Electronic Archives Retrieve] Website (NEAR) and submit their applications via the Internet, fax or mail or visit the center to browse, transcribe or copy national archives. The business hour is from 09:00 to 17:00, Monday through Friday. Customer Service Phone: [phone]. Fax: [phone]

The Customer Service Center is responsible for agency archives management. The Center also provides public inquiry service on archives applications and accept public plead cases. The business hour is from09:00 to 12:00 and 13:30 to 17:00, Monday through Friday. Inquiry Phone: [phone]. Fax: [phone]. E-mail: [e-mail]

Future Challenges

Government agency archives management and application system of Taiwan has entered a new era since the promulgation of the Archives Law. The National Archives Administration will strive to apply the " [http://www.archives.gov.tw/UserFiles/File/File/strategic_plan_2011.pdf Path to 2011 - Strategic Plan] " on its current operations and form strategic partnerships with different agencies. The Administration will also utilizes new technology, promotes every task actively, execute archives management policies and regulations, introduce new ideas, improve the professional knowledge and service attitude of archives management officers to achieve a customer-centered, informative, safe, academic archives management system. In this way, the National Archives Administration will be able to increase government knowledge management efficiency, enhance archives preservation, ensure the security of national archives and provides comprehensive archives services to the customers.

Publications

* Archives Quarterly
* Annual Report

Related legislation

* Archives Act [http://www.archives.gov.tw/english/Publish.aspx?cnid=406]
* The Enforcement Rules of the Archives Act
* The Implementation Regulations for Archives Stored on Microfilm
* The Implementation Regulations for Archives on Electronic Storage
* The Regulations for Transfer of National Archives
* The Retention Period and Destruction Regulations for Agency Records
* The Reward Regulations for the Donation of Precious Documents by an Individual or Legal Entity
* The Management Regulations for Classified Archives
* The Fee Standards to View, Copy or Duplicate Archives

External links

* National Archives Administration [http://www.archives.gov.tw/english]
* National Palace Museum [http://www.npm.gov.tw/en/home.htm]
* National Central Library [http://www.ncl.edu.tw/mp.asp?mp=5]