Bertillon cards are underutilized resources, often regarded as the remnants of an antiquated nineteenth century police identification system. Through the application of computer search techniques, data manipulation, and outreach, not only can institutions provide their patrons access to this unique information, these collections can in turn help…

The story of the archival program in Wisconsin is presented in the first of these two papers. The Wisconsin archival program is rated as one of the finest in the country. It is not without problems, however, for there are too many unorganized collections and there is need for more work on county records. Budgets, staffs, buildings, and equipment…

Between November 1, 1979, and April 30, 1981, the Wisconsin Survey of Machine-Readable Public Records was carried out to identify the technical, intellectual, and administrative problems associated with a records management and archival program for machine-readable records. The survey identified machine-readable records in several state agencies;…

The Wisconsin Machine-Readable Records Project was conducted by the State Historical Society of Wisconsin between August 1981 and July 1983 as a follow-up to the Wisconsin Survey of Machine-Readable Public Records. Both projects assessed the impact of computer technology on record keeping by state government agencies and addressed the implications…

This document serves as the final report to the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) of the work of the Midwest State Archives Guide Project. The project involved the state archives in Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin, and was expected to contribute to a projected national guide project database, though when…

This document comprises four reports related to the Midwest State Archives Guide Project. The first report, "Producing In-House Finding Aids and Administrative Reports: An Expanded Data Base Design," details an expanded SPINDEX database design that could be used to produce a variety of administrative reports. Specific examples are given…

A 1990 survey of 68 records management operations in Wisconsin indicates current practices regarding records retention schedules, retention audits, use of computers, record destruction practices, and the effects of federal legislation on records management operations. The 1990 survey results are compared to similar surveys in the 1970s and 1980s.…