FJAG
Army.ca Legend
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Just read an article in last fall's "The Quadrant" in the "Aiming Point" column that basically states that when our guns are decommissioned their gun history books are destroyed.
In my role with a DND information management project I did extensive work with records management and the Defence Subject Classification and Disposition System. Basically the government's (ie Library and Archives Canada) records management system requires the retention of all corporate records unless specific authority is given to destroy those records. For DND that comes in the DSCDS which classifies various types of records and then provides specific instructions as to how each one is to be treated.
I've looked at the DSCDS to determine if there is a specific category for gun history books and (not unusually) can't find a clear category although the 11000 block seems the most logical - 11015 and 11025 relate to "Equipment and Supplies Guns ..." in their various calibres and which include(e.g. at 11025) "Records pertaining to guns over 150 mm through 200 mm including cataloguing and identification, tests and testing, technical information, reports, drawings and specifications, manufacturing, production, procurement, supply and demand, modifications, maintenance, repair and disposal, etc."
In my view that's broad enough to include gun history books.
The DSCDS mandates that these records are to be maintained by DND for "5 years routine, 20 years disposal and sale" and then transferred to Library and Archives Canada (where they are maintained in perpetuity)
I found that very few people in DND either understood or obeyed the DSCDS and am wondering if this is the case here.
I find it shocking that we would destroy something as historically significant as gun history books.
Have any of you ever come across the issue of retaining or destroying gun history books and if so what authorities were being used?
In my role with a DND information management project I did extensive work with records management and the Defence Subject Classification and Disposition System. Basically the government's (ie Library and Archives Canada) records management system requires the retention of all corporate records unless specific authority is given to destroy those records. For DND that comes in the DSCDS which classifies various types of records and then provides specific instructions as to how each one is to be treated.
I've looked at the DSCDS to determine if there is a specific category for gun history books and (not unusually) can't find a clear category although the 11000 block seems the most logical - 11015 and 11025 relate to "Equipment and Supplies Guns ..." in their various calibres and which include(e.g. at 11025) "Records pertaining to guns over 150 mm through 200 mm including cataloguing and identification, tests and testing, technical information, reports, drawings and specifications, manufacturing, production, procurement, supply and demand, modifications, maintenance, repair and disposal, etc."
In my view that's broad enough to include gun history books.
The DSCDS mandates that these records are to be maintained by DND for "5 years routine, 20 years disposal and sale" and then transferred to Library and Archives Canada (where they are maintained in perpetuity)
I found that very few people in DND either understood or obeyed the DSCDS and am wondering if this is the case here.
I find it shocking that we would destroy something as historically significant as gun history books.
Have any of you ever come across the issue of retaining or destroying gun history books and if so what authorities were being used?