Except as otherwise provided by law, whenever any administrative department, board or commission shall have an accumulation of files of correspondence, reports, records or other papers, which are not needed or useful in the transaction of the current or anticipated future work of such department, board or commission, and which date back a period of four years and more, it shall be the duty of the head of such department, board or commission to submit to the Executive Board and to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission a report of that fact, accompanied by a concise statement of the condition, quantity, and character of such papers, which statement shall be sufficiently detailed to identify the papers. If the Executive Board shall be of the opinion that such files of correspondence, reports, records or other papers, or any part thereof, are not needed or useful in the transaction of the current or anticipated future work of such department, board or commission, and shall so certify and if the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission shall be of the opinion that such files are not of permanent value or historic interest and shall so certify, the head of such department, board or commission shall place such files, or any part thereof, as the case may be, in the custody of the Department of Property and Supplies,¹ and such department is hereby authorized to dispose of the same as waste paper, in the manner prescribed in this act for the sale of unserviceable property: Provided, however, That the Executive Board, with the approval of the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, may direct that any such files of correspondence, reports, records or other papers, or any part thereof, that are of permanent value or historical interest be turned over to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission for preservation for historical and archival purposes or that the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission may negotiate with the head of such department, board or commission for the transfer of such files.