Establish an Archive Repository at Osaka University -- Sales Declaration

The Osaka University Archive Repository Preparation Office was set up on July 1, 2006. The Preparation Office is the vehicle for preparing for the establishment of an archive repository to collect, organize, preserve, and disclose documents regarding the history of Osaka University as well as official university documents. (Article 1, Guidelines for the Establishment of the Osaka University Archive Repository Preparation Office)

ABE Takeshi, professor at the Graduate School of Economics, was appointed as the first director of the room by the president. On October 1, I, KAN Masaki, was assigned to the room as a full-time lecturer and TAMURA Aya as an office assistant, and, on November 1, TSUJI Yoshihiro was assigned as the second office assistant. These persons lay the groundwork for establishing an archive repository. Work regarding the Preparation Office is conducted by the Planning and Implementation Division, Department of General Affairs in cooperation with Administration Bureau offices.
Professor ABE Takeshi heads the Archive Repository Establishment Review Committee. The first meeting was held on January 7, 2005 and since that time, thirteen meetings have been held. The committee submitted two reports to the General Planning Board. The 2nd Report on the Establishment of the Osaka University Archive Repository of February 10, 2006 was presented to the Education and Research Council on March 15, 2006. In this way the movement started towards the opening of the archive repository in 2010 with the start of a new mid-term goals period. This movement towards the establishment of an archive repository is notable because such was planned independently of editing the history of the university, the typical reason for setting up archives in Japanese universities.
For example, Hiroshima University conducted editing its history and setting up archives at the same time; however, at other former imperial universities, storage of materials after the completion of the history of the university prompted the establishment of archives.
When an archive repository is established at Osaka University, all former seven imperial universities will have archives. Based on the archive repository and its purposes, I think that the Osaka University Archive Repository will be able to conduct unique activities. The Archive Repository will be a platform for thinking about what the archive is and what the purposes of university archives are. If the establishment of archives at Osaka University spreads to other universities, that will be more than I could have hoped for.
I mentioned earlier that the movement of establishing the archive repository at Osaka University was seen independently of editing the history of the university; however, strictly speaking, the movement supersedes the work of editing the history of the university. At Osaka University, its 50-year history was edited and three books were published: Commemorative Photo Album , 50 Years at Osaka University (1981), The 50-year History of Osaka University -- the History of Schools (1983), and The 50-year History of Osaka University, Overview (1985). Then, Annals of the History of Osaka University , volumes 1 to 4, were published; however, the publication of these books was discontinued due to the dissolution of office in charge of its publishing, the Editorial Office for the 50-year History of Osaka University. The materials used in creating the 50-year History of Osaka University were stored on "valuable documents shelves" in Osaka University Library.

The Preparation Office first started by organizing these materials. The persons who had been involved in the 50-year history books were eager to establishing a university historical or archive museum. Their dream is going to come true after a quarter of a century.
The Preparation Office plans to collect, organize, and reserve (1) Osaka University official documents and (2) materials of its history; however, we suffer from a lack of space for storing materials. Through the courtesy of the Cybermedia Center, currently we use two faculty member rooms; however, the shelves are already full. Regarding historical materials on Osaka University, other than materials regarding the 50-year history of Osaka University, we have received some materials from professors emeritus. Institutions associated with the university and ones not associated have also donated some publications. Excluding materials regarding the history of Osaka University, we have already collected about 9,400 documents.
Because of a lack of storage space and from the standpoint of the Information Disclosure Act, we are not collecting official documents. What we do now is checking the storage space for official documents at the Administration Bureau. Fortunately, the Administration Bureau understands our circumstances and, since 2005, has agreed not to discard documents retained for more than 10 years prior to the establishment of the Preparation Office.
I don't think that it's an exaggeration to say that the success of The Archive Repository depends of how we collect, organize, and reserve official documents. That does not mean that we downgrade historical documents, but official documents are core materials in archives. Researchers and general public may use archives, but the majority of users are clerical staff. I think it's fair to say that archives that are not useful for clerical staff in the parent organization have little value.

TOMINAGA Kazuya, chief of Okinawa Prefectural Archives, regards himself as a salesperson and his approach to receive official documents as sales activities has succeeded in obtaining new customers, with his receiving official documents from divisions from which he had never received documents. (TOMINAGA Kazuya, How can I help you? -- in a setting of Archives Handover, Midorigaoka Archives #5, 2007, )
I can say that I'm a kind of sales representative of paper management and archives at Osaka University. I will consistently talk to clerical staff, main users of the archive repository, that by establishing the archive repository, how helpful and convenient the document management system will be for clerical staff. This is how I advertise our services.
Furthermore, if the management of current documents upstream is not properly carried out, organized documents will not come downstream. So, Mr. Tominaga determined to help manage current documents.
Osaka University's official documents are supposed to be properly managed in accordance to the law concerning the disclosure of information of independent administrative institutions. If addressing improvement in archives makes the management of current documents better, I would like to work together with clerical staff in these efforts. University official documents are prepared in the course of work at university, but they are also assets for the public. If university information is disclosed via the archive repository, social trust in Osaka university and its name value will be boosted.
Osaka University has two campuses, Toyonaka and Suita, and soon will have a third following its integration with Osaka University of Foreign Studies in October 2007. The Administration Bureau is on the Suita campus and the Preparation Office is on the Toyonaka campus. While Divisions of Assessment and Publicity manages documents, the Planning and Implementation Division conducts work regarding the Preparation Office. These things interfere with communication between the both offices. But, now communication by email facilitates communication, and I, as a sales representative, will call on clerical staff, our best customers. Not depending on modern amenity, I will go and talk with clerical staff, asking "What's troubling you in document management?" And I will sell a wonderful product, the archive repository. "Right! I'm becoming a top salesman!"