Electronic records management training at the Virginia MFA
Courtney Yevich
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Archivist and Asst. Librarian.
Electronic records management.
I’m a big believer in collaborative appraisal. People know their records better than I do. As a state agency, we’re mandated to have an effective RM program – which is a blessing for me. When it comes to transferring to archives, I encourage staff to do sorting filing, etc. themselves.
I adapted the state RM form to make it more user friendly with less archives speak.
I encourage all staff to understand records schedules, fill out own paperwork for destruction (although I check!) etc. Once staff fill out paperwork themselves, they are more proactive and less resistant to destroying recods in a timely mannaer.
In 2006, our governor passed a number of RM insitiatives. That was a perfect opportunity to begin teaching RM to staff in a more concerted way – including electronics management, Risk Management decision to make training mandatory.
Spent days in my office worrying about how NARA was spending millions on electronic RM and they wanted me to do it on the cheap.
Got over that.
Challenges: Part time, lone arranger archivist, no state support for training, and no funding.
Key part – they have to start managing their own electronic records – I am there to help them, but it’s their responsibility. (Also tell them that they could go to jail for 5 years for destroying public records – but that’s just to get their attention.)
The truth is that what I’m teaching isn’t that complex. I am not a computer expert, and have no formal IT expertise. My RM situation was prompted by our own needs.
Skills taught: records legislation, employee responsibuilities, identifying records, retentions schedules, destruction of records, electronic recordkeeping practices, and e-mail management, including mailbox organization and archiving.
Most unexpected outcome is that I am now being pulled into high level discussions about records management at the agency level. That’s a really positive steps. Partly because I continued to horn in on thing at that level, but also because people at that level valued the expertise in this area.
Recently launched new intranet. This is good, but still requires a lot of decisions from humans. Staff will use the skills learned to help make these decisions.
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Archivist and Asst. Librarian.
Electronic records management.
I’m a big believer in collaborative appraisal. People know their records better than I do. As a state agency, we’re mandated to have an effective RM program – which is a blessing for me. When it comes to transferring to archives, I encourage staff to do sorting filing, etc. themselves.
I adapted the state RM form to make it more user friendly with less archives speak.
I encourage all staff to understand records schedules, fill out own paperwork for destruction (although I check!) etc. Once staff fill out paperwork themselves, they are more proactive and less resistant to destroying recods in a timely mannaer.
In 2006, our governor passed a number of RM insitiatives. That was a perfect opportunity to begin teaching RM to staff in a more concerted way – including electronics management, Risk Management decision to make training mandatory.
Spent days in my office worrying about how NARA was spending millions on electronic RM and they wanted me to do it on the cheap.
Got over that.
Challenges: Part time, lone arranger archivist, no state support for training, and no funding.
Key part – they have to start managing their own electronic records – I am there to help them, but it’s their responsibility. (Also tell them that they could go to jail for 5 years for destroying public records – but that’s just to get their attention.)
The truth is that what I’m teaching isn’t that complex. I am not a computer expert, and have no formal IT expertise. My RM situation was prompted by our own needs.
Skills taught: records legislation, employee responsibuilities, identifying records, retentions schedules, destruction of records, electronic recordkeeping practices, and e-mail management, including mailbox organization and archiving.
Most unexpected outcome is that I am now being pulled into high level discussions about records management at the agency level. That’s a really positive steps. Partly because I continued to horn in on thing at that level, but also because people at that level valued the expertise in this area.
Recently launched new intranet. This is good, but still requires a lot of decisions from humans. Staff will use the skills learned to help make these decisions.
posted by David at
7:43 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home