Naval Surface Warfare Center Port Hueneme Division records head to National Archives

Photo By J.W. Marcum | PORT HUENEME, Calif.—Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division (NSWC PHD) Command Records Manager (left) and National Archives and Records Administration Records Management Consultant Susie Bielawski (right) organize documents for transfer to the National Archives, here, Feb. 14.  

PORT HUENEME, CA, UNITED STATES

02.17.2017

Story by J.W. Marcum 

Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division

PORT HUENEME, Calif.—Millions of naval records, engineering diagrams and aperture cards—some dating back prior to World War II—were being stored in a warehouse at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme Division (NSWC PHD). After a recent space evaluation, the command took to task the action for organizing and relocating these documents to the National Archives.

After consulting subject matter experts and archivists from the Department of the Navy and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), NSWC PHD began collaborating with NARA to put together a team and a plan to transfer and digitize the records according to federal regulations.

Susan Vargas, team lead and command records manager for NSWC PHD’s Corporate Business Office proceeded with the plan and executed it with the assistance of NARA. “This is a win-win situation because now this space will be converted for employee occupancy,” said Vargas. Other Warfare Centers and Naval commands and activities have also taken notice of the progress at NSWC PHD. “They’re next in line to move records of this volume, so they’re looking to see how this all happens at Port Hueneme and how successful it is,” said Vargas. “It started out as an inspection finding and it moved to a need to do this in order to safeguard these records and now there are other benefits with space.”

Over the course of four weeks the records transfer team was able to send off two tractor-trailer loads of records to the National Archives while some relevant documents will be sent for digitization.

NARA Records Management Consultant Susie Bielawski was also on site assisting Vargas and the team with the transfer. Bielawski says she is glad to share her knowledge and expertise in assisting agencies all around the country with moving high volumes of documents. “We couldn’t be more thrilled that there is more focus on the field of records preservation and bringing in our experts to help get the work done,” said Bielawski.

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• Date Taken: 02.17.2017
• Date Posted: 02.21.2017 13:34
• Story ID: 224191
• Location: PORT HUENEME, CA, US