MMC Public Records & Archival Management 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which archival principle holds that records created by an organization should be kept together and not mixed with records of another organization?
- Provenance (Correct answer)
- Original order
- Appraisal
- Arrangement
Correct answer: Provenance
The principle of provenance (respect des fonds) requires that records be kept according to their source and not intermingled with records from other creators.
Question 2: A municipal clerk is preparing a records inventory. Which data element is LEAST essential to include in the inventory?
- Record series title
- Physical location of records
- Name of the employee who created each record (Correct answer)
- Approximate date range of the records
Correct answer: Name of the employee who created each record
While record series title, location, and date range are essential inventory elements, identifying the individual creator of each record is not typically required.
Question 3: Which type of municipal record is most likely to be classified as a permanent record?
- Routine correspondence about office supplies
- Meeting minutes of the city council (Correct answer)
- Vendor invoices under $500
- Employee time sheets
Correct answer: Meeting minutes of the city council
City council meeting minutes document official governmental actions and are typically classified as permanent records.
Question 4: The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) at the federal level requires agencies to respond to requests within how many business days?
- 5 business days
- 10 business days
- 20 business days (Correct answer)
- 30 business days
Correct answer: 20 business days
The federal FOIA requires agencies to respond to requests within 20 business days, though many states have different timelines for state/local records.
Question 5: What is 'born-digital' content in records management?
- Records that were scanned from paper originals
- Records created in digital format that never existed in physical form (Correct answer)
- Records stored on optical discs
- Records with digital signatures applied
Correct answer: Records created in digital format that never existed in physical form
Born-digital records are those created electronically from their inception and never existed as physical documents.
Question 6: A city clerk must maintain election records. Under most state laws, how long must precinct-level voting records typically be retained?
- 6 months after certification
- 2 years
- 22 months (to comply with federal law) (Correct answer)
- Permanently
Correct answer: 22 months (to comply with federal law)
Federal law (52 U.S.C. § 20701) requires election records to be retained for 22 months after a federal election, and most states align with or exceed this requirement.
Question 7: Which concept describes the ongoing management of records from creation through final disposition?
- Records appraisal
- Records lifecycle management (Correct answer)
- Document versioning
- Information governance audit
Correct answer: Records lifecycle management
Records lifecycle management encompasses all stages from creation, active use, inactive storage, to final disposition (destruction or archival).
MMC Public Records & Archival Management 3
Which archival principle holds that records created by an organization should be kept together and not mixed with records of another organization?