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This Users' Guide is designed to facilitate access to the information contained in the Basic Educational Data System's (BEDS) Institutional Master File. The Guide is divided into five sections to simplify use. Section I describes the primary functions of BEDS and its two main components: The Institutional Master File (IMF) and the Personnel Master File (PMF). Section II provides an outline of the technical specifications and informational content of the Institutional Master File. Sections III and IV describe the State Archives' role in the preservation and availability of archival records of New York State Government. These sections also provide information on the Archives' access and reference services.
The main text of the User's Guide is supplemented by Appendices A-D which contain the annual file layouts/codebooks for the IMF as well as sample forms used to collect the IMF data. Appendices A-C contain the physical file layouts and coding information for each record type included in the IMF. The sections are separated according to record type and then arranged in chronological order: Appendix A describes district records, Appendix B describes school records (public and non-public), and Appendix C describes BOCES records.
When appropriate, the user is referred to actual questions on the IMF Data Forms, located in Appendix D of the manual. Appendix D does not contain a complete set of data forms. Rather, it contains a selection of forms which illustrate the most common questions and formats used to collect IMF data. Additional forms can be obtained by contacting the State Education Department's (SED) Information Center on Education (ICE).
