Records Destruction Procedures in Iranian and Selected Foreign Archives: A Comparison

This paper reports the results of a comparative study of the records appraisal procedures of three Iranian archives - namely the National Archives of Iran, Astan-e Qods-e Razavi, and the Document Center of the Iranian Parliament - with those of seven foreign national archives. Foreign national archives include the National Archives of the United States, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Malaysia and New Zealand. Data was gathered and analyzed from the records appraisal guides of the above archival centers. Six common categories were identified in all of the archival centers for appraisal. A Paradigmatic Model was drawn to illustrate the relationship between the identified components. By identifying the most important components of record appraisal, the findings of the present study can help archival centers and governmental organizations to develop or improve appraisal regulations and policies. The Paradigmatic Model based on important appraisal components shows the present conditions to policy makers, specialists and researchers in order to identify the issues involved.