INDUSTRY FIELD GUIDE
Government records schedule and hold evidence for AI
A records officer may have a retention schedule, an updated schedule and a separate hold notice.
NAICS 921190 · Other General Government Support
A records officer may have a retention schedule, an updated schedule and a separate hold notice. The National Archives publishes General Records Schedules and guidance. A synthetic test can measure whether an AI assistant finds the right authority while keeping execution and final decisions with authorized staff. National Archives General Records Schedules
Invent two record series with similar names. Give one a schedule revision and an unresolved hold. Ask which source applies to the series and what evidence must be reviewed before disposition. Require the answer to cite the series ID, schedule version and hold status.
Use mock records and invented timelines. Keep actual files, legal holds, retention actions and private staff data out. Use an exercise with no action to change or delete data.
Describe a fictional records authority exercise
Original Fiund exercise
A schedule period does not resolve an active hold
Two imaginary record series and a generic hold notice support authority retrieval. No actual file, legal hold, deletion, disposition or record-management action is performed.
| Record | Source | What it records |
|---|---|---|
| RH1 | Practice schedule revision S2 | Series A-10 has practice period 5 years, replacing S1's 3. Series A-01 remains 3 years. |
| RH2 | Dummy age inventory | A-10 record group age 6; A-01 record group age 4. Inventory dates are artificial. |
| RH3 | Practice hold register | Hold H names A-10 group; status unresolved with no release. No hold names A-01. Exercise rule requires authorized disposition review regardless of age. |
Question for the model
Which schedule and hold evidence apply to A-10, and do age or a similarly named series authorize disposition?
Show the reference answer and checks
RH1 applies S2's five-year period to A-10, not A-01's three-year rule. RH2's age of six exceeds that practice period, but RH3 still records an unresolved A-10 hold and requires authorized review. Neither age nor a similar series name resolves the hold or authorizes an action. Cite the exact series, revision and hold state, and leave disposition to the designated reviewer.
- Treating a passed schedule period as permission to delete despite an unresolved hold.
- Confusing A-10 and A-01 or applying the superseded three-year revision.
Fields to preserve
- Exact record-series ID
- Disambiguates similar schedule names.
- Schedule revision and period
- Identifies the current practice authority.
- Hold target and release state
- Preserves an independent restriction.
- Disposition-review requirement
- Keeps evidence retrieval separate from execution.
Test another case
Release H but leave the authorized disposition review absent. Require the model to resolve the hold while still withholding an execution authorization.
Use mock records and timelines only. Exclude actual files, real holds, personnel data and all actions to change or delete records.
Discuss a contribution
Describe the sources you control, the task they could support and what has already been checked. Use the existing-data assessment for an archive or the collection brief for a new recording project. The contributor agreement defines Fiund’s licensing authority and compensation. A guide or fictional exercise does not establish an accepted collection or a sale.