New York (State). Education Dept. Office of the Professions. Teacher Certification.

The Office of the Professions, acting for the Regents, examines (or otherwise reviews qualifications), licenses, and registers members of legally recognized professions (except for law). It also investigates and prosecutes alleged instances of professional misconduct, maintaining an office and hearing rooms in New York City. Use of punch cards for processing professional registration records began in 1941; automated filing equipment was acquired in 1967. Computerization of professional licensing and registration functions began in 1975.

Since 1982 data from Teacher Certification Cards have been entered into the department's Teacher Certificate Database. Cards entered in the early and mid-1980s were retained and are filed in a separate drum. After individual cards are used for reference purposes, they are entered in the database and refiled with the previously entered cards. Cards that have been entered into the database are scheduled to be retained by the Archives for 40 years, after which time the database will have been checked for accuracy and accessioned; the entered cards will then be destroyed.