The first day..

I am starting off in an office located at the airport that houses four separate departments. Since they all share one main office space I will be able to observe everyone one of the departments and the various functions each one engages in on a daily basis. That said, I’ll primarily work with the Property Management Team. Some of their job duties involve the following:

• Uniform & Badge distribution
• Managing supplies and equipment that is temporarily released to checkpoints/baggage locations.
• Disposal of old uniforms
• Managing a “Lost & Found”

On the first day I spent quite a while reading. I think no one was really prepared for my arrival; apparently the department only received a day’s notice that they would be having an intern. At first I read a big packet of directives. There is a directive for absolutely everything within TSA and each one is phrased in the most detailed legal lingo. So its not exactly “light” reading. I am familiar with them because I have had to read quite a few of them while doing my monthly training at work. (Directives that affect checkpoint screening functions)

After I finished reading the directives I was told to look up NARA and familiarize myself with the administration. Learning about NARA was much more interesting that sifting through such heavy legal lingo.

NARA: The National Archives and Records Administration
(located north of the National Mall, on Constitution Avenue in Washington, DC)

• Helps in creating and maintaining accurate and complete records of an agency’s functions and activities and in ensuring the authorized, timely, and appropriate disposition of documentary materials that are no longer needed to conduct business.
  
  Disposition: Getting rid of an asset or security through a direct sale or some other method.

• Their guide helps agencies improve the quality of their documentation by describing how Federal personnel should create and properly manage documentation containing important information.


• Frequently agencies become aware of inadequate documentation because of congressional inquiries, Freedom of Information Act requests, litigation, or through the news media.
  
• Federal records may be created on any physical media including, paper, film (microfilm, photographic film, x-ray), disk (optical, magnetic, video audio), and tape (magnetic, video, audio). The method of recording information may be manual, mechanical, photographic, electronic, or any combination of these or other techniques.
  
  

Some of the things NARA keeps:

• Declaration of Independence
• Constitution
• Bill of Rights