Welcome! Records Management July 21, 2014

Good Management of Records Serve as evidence of relationship between City and its citizens Document current service transactions Prove that statutes, regulations, ordinances have been executed Document history of community

What is a Record? All documents, tapes, or other information STORED OR PRESERVED in any medium belong to any city, which is supported in whole or in part with property tax revenue Tangible object Digital

What is Records Management? The practice of maintaining records of an organization throughout their lifecycle (from the time they are created until they are disposed of) Records Management Programs must be capable of delivering precise information to its users

Why Set Up a Records Management Program? Control the Creation and Growth of Records Limits the generation of records or copies not required to operate Provides a means for destroying useless records Reduce Operating Costs Filing equipment Office space Staffing Improve Efficiency and Productivity Ensure Regulatory Compliance

Why Set Up a Records Management Program? Minimize Litigation Risks By providing for systematic routine disposal Safeguard Vital Information Preserve integrity and confidentiality Support Better Management Decision- Making Ability to provide information when it is needed

Why Set Up a Records Management Program? Preserve Corporate Memory Foster Professionalism Perceptions of customers Morale of staff members

Setting Up a Records Management System Plan and analyze information needs of office Survey those who create and use documents Core Committee Devise and recommend policies Physically inventory all records Appraise value (administrative/fiscal/historical) Decide status (active/inactive) Identify retention period (permanent/disposable) Storage location Identify need for Records Retention Schedule Based on legal requirements/organizational policies

Records Retention Schedule Must be based on legal requirements prescribed by the Iowa Code What documents are kept, where they are kept, and by whom they are kept Specifically states how long a document must be retained Inventories are core component

Standard Naming Conventions Benefits: All users able to retrieve document(s) Allow sorting in logical sequence Duplication is prevented Determine how users will be retrieving information

Housing Records Retrieval Efficiency Maximum access to records Space Reduction Allow for best use of available space Cost Efficiency Vertical-drawer filing Most costly Requires more floor space More physical time and effort No visual retrieval aids (color-coding)

Housing Records Cost Efficiency (cont’d.) Rotating Closed Lateral Filing Units Offer good security Require large area Cost per linear filing inch is several times higher Open-Shelving Units File capacity substantially higher Best for large filing systems Allows for color-coding

Housing Records Weight/Floor Load Considerations Paper records –heaviest materials in office Check before purchasing!

Disposal of Records Ensure compliance with policies Records Destruction Log Name of record Date it was destroyed Proves compliance with retention policies

Indexing Records Integral part that allows you to retrieve a record in the most efficient manner Accurate file naming Consistent naming practices Customized subject categories Never index by date

Scanning Not a quick-fix to records management woes One step in the management of documents Costly – labor and equipment Also requires maintenance Delete records when no longer useful

Files Management System Demonstration of Files Management System.

Thank you!!!

References Ten Business Reasons for Records Management in Information and Records Management: Document-based Information Systems, Robek, Brown, Stephens Commons.org/licenses Code of Iowa, Chapter 22 Records Management Society, Information Guidelines