International Council of Archives

My name is Sharon Mennis and I want to wish you all a big hello from beautiful Brisbane. I am currently working as a Principal Appraisal Archivist within the Government Recordkeeping Unit at Queensland State Archives (QSA).

.

With a passion for both government and history, which I majored in as part of my undergraduate studies, I find working with Queensland public authorities as an appraisal archivist both fascinating and interesting. Previously I have worked in a number of Queensland public sector agencies and it was while working in a government registry office that I gained a Graduate Diploma in Library and Information Studies from the Queensland University of Technology. After graduating I came to work at QSA which at that time had a staff training and rotation program. From this I gained a solid understanding of public access and accessioning before finding my niche as an appraisal archivist.

QSA is responsible for administering the Public Records Act 2002 which was enacted to ensure that Queensland’s public records are made, kept, managed and preserved in a useable form for the benefit of present and future generations. Additionally, to help public authorities meet their recordkeeping obligations as set out in the Public Records Act 2002, QSA has provided further guidance through Information Standard 40: Recordkeeping and Information Standard 31: Retention and disposal of public records.

Appraisal staff from the Government Recordkeeping Unit at Queensland State Archives: (Back row from left: Ingrid MacDonald, Sharon Mennis and Ruth Dickson; Front row from left: Ken Toogood, Louise Cadell, Alisa Howlett and Ken Scott).

Under Queensland’s Public Records Act 2002, the disposal of public records must be authorised by the State Archivist. As part of my current role, I am responsible for the development and review of retention and disposal schedules, which is the method by which disposal permission is usually given. While I miss working closely with the archival collection, I find it very rewarding that the work I am doing in identifying permanent records will help grow the archives of the future.

The other side of my role is to assist public authorities to comply with best practice recordkeeping. This is done through a number of ways including presenting at forums, providing advice on specific issues and through the publication of guidelines. Currently, I am leading the development of a strategic disposal framework which will assist Queensland public authorities to meet their legal obligations under the Public Records Act 2002 and Information Standard 31: Retention and Disposal of Public Records. This framework will consolidate existing QSA key policy and advice tools relating to disposal management as well as include a new suite of tools to assist in the development of retention and disposal schedules.

Now is also a very exciting time to be working as an archivist. The recordkeeping world is becoming increasingly dynamic and since commencing at QSA I have participated in the shift away from retrospectively appraising record listings to our ever evolving understanding of functional appraisal and how this should be undertaken. Government services are increasingly being delivered electronically and the challenge for the future is to adapt our understanding, processes and terminology to fit with the new environment.

I am passionate about archives and I am even more excited about the ICA Congress coming to Brisbane in August 2012. I’m looking forward to meeting my colleagues from other jurisdictions and hearing about your thoughts and experiences with appraisal. Brisbane is in a beautiful part of the world and I can’t wait to welcome you to this wonderful city.

Sharon Mennis
Principal Appraisal Archivist, Government Recordkeeping, Queensland State Archives.