From the early stages of the census preparation, testing new items and new attributes of those items, and new procedures, all activities should be documented, and included in the procedural history of the census. As the materials are developed, each version should be archived, at least electronically, so that the content and flow can be monitored, both for the purposes of the current census, as well as for reference for future censuses and intercensal surveys. Each version of the data sets – pilots, actual census, and post-enumeration surveys – should be kept. And, the census staff should keep all meta-data, including copies of emails and other electronic materials. A document on general Archive considerations, with examples, is included here.
