| |
CHAPTER 5
CORRESPONDENCE/MESSAGE FILES
AND DISPOSAL
As a Yeoman (YN), you must be able to
file correspondence correctly and retrieve it
quickly. The amount of time it takes you to
locate a certain piece of correspondence will
depend on how well you know the Navy
filing system.
This chapter introduces you to the Navy
way of filing, to equipment commonly used
by the YN, and to various procedures that will
help you perform your duties efficiently. The
chapter then covers the numerical subject
identification coding system.
Finally, the
records disposal system is discussed.
CENTRALIZED AND
DECENTRALIZED FILES
Your command has two options in the
manner it keeps incoming and outgoing
correspondence readily available–centralized
or decentralized files.
Centralized filing,
where
all official
copies
of outgoing
correspondence and the originals of incoming
correspondence are maintained in the same
office, is
used by ships, small shore
commands, or commands with a minimal
amount of correspondence. A decentralized
system, where the originals and official copies
are maintained at the departmental level, is
appropriate when
there is
considerable
correspondence
routed
directly
to
a
department or division having responsibility
over a specific
subject.
Larger shore
commands, Navy Department offices or
bureaus, or activities where offices are widely
separated use the decentralized system.
In either system, control and responsibility
are assigned to one or two YNs. In a central
file all operations and control are under one
person’s
immediate
supervision.
In a
decentralized system a supervisor makes sure
that uniform filing practices are followed in
each file location. Whichever system is used,
files should not be duplicated. There should
be only one OFFICIAL file.
FILE EQUIPMENT
Whether ashore or aboard ship, the
equipment you use is standardized.
The
following paragraphs give you general
knowledge of the types of filing equipment
used throughout the Navy.
CABINETS
The types and sizes of file cabinets vary to
accommodate the size of the material filed.
Since materials should be filed without
folding, the size of the cabinet is determined
by the size of the individual sheets, cards, or
other records to be filed.
Four or five-drawer, steel, letter-size
cabinets are the Navy standard for active
correspondence and documents.
The Navy
standard correspondence size is 8 1/2 by 11
inches, and file cabinets available through the
supply system are designed to accommodate
this size.
Specialized file cabinets are
available for larger sized documents, such as
drawings, charts, or legal-sized documents.
Each file drawer is equipped with an
adjustable backstop, called a compressor. By
adjusting the position of the compressor, your
files are kept in an upright and orderly
position when a file drawer is only partially
filled.
5-1
|
