Appraisal, Reappraisal, and Deaccessioning

Abstract

The State Archives of Michigan conducted an extensive backlog reappraisal project to identify government records in its custody that did not possess archival value. During the course of the project, over 13,000 boxes were reappraised. The State Archives determined that 58 percent of those boxes did not contain archival records. The State Archives also determined that over 3,600 boxes were not authorized for transfer to the repository and never should have been accessioned. As a result of this project, appraisal and accessioning practices were streamlined to ensure that better decisions are made before records reach archival custody.