Washington State Archives

Presented by:

Leslie Koziara, ERMP - Records Management Trainer

Leslie.koziara@sos.wa.gov

Electronic Records Management for Schools

“What should I be doing?”

• What is a record, really?

• Do I have to keep everything?

• How to organize and manage electronic

records – emails, websites, social media

Overview

“Public records include any paper, correspondence, completed form, bound record book, photograph, film, sound recording, map, drawing, machine-readable material, compact disc meeting current industry ISO specifications, or other document, regardless of physical form or characteristics, and including such copies thereof, that have been made by or received by any agency of the state of Washington in connection with the transaction of public business”

RCW 40.14 Preservation and Destruction of Public Records

What needs to be kept?

• No public records shall be destroyed until approved for destruction by the Local Records Committee (RCW 40.14.070)

And remember

• Regardless of format

• Evidence of business

WHAT IS A RECORD? QUIZ # 1

In your desk drawer, you have a copy of the contents of your personnel file. It contains duplicates of your application, training taken, awards received, etc. Is this a public record?

□ Yes □ No

You come back to your desk following lunch and your computer indicates that you have two email messages waiting for you.

A.) One message is from the assistant director requesting shared leave for an employee on extended sick leave.B.) The other message is from your boss, giving you the agreed-upon timelines and goals for an upcoming project.Which message is a public record?

□ A only □ B only □ Both A and B □ Neither A nor B

WHAT IS A RECORD? QUIZ # 2

WHAT IS A RECORD? Quiz # 3

Your agency has a web blog and has invited public comment on an issue.

Is this a public record?

□ Yes □ No

Content matters

• Messages that facilitate or document actions affecting the conduct of business

• Policies, significant decisions, commitments, or important meetings

• Requests or provides substantive information

• If content protects rights – legal, fiscal, property, other

Records with little or no retention value

• “FYI” or information requiring no action• Social, meeting or announcement type of

notices i.e. potluck notices, cookies in the break room type of announcements

• Personal messages and “chit-chat”• Spam and junk mail• Get rid of it as soon as you can!

Finders keepers

Who is the record or primary copy holder?

• Is someone else keeping this message?– How many people were cc’d?– Does this record already exist in your office’s

official files? – Another department or section?

Having policies and procedures in place will help determine responsibilities for retention

Records Retention in a Nutshell...

• Agencies are required to:

1. Retain all public records for the minimum retention period as listed on the approved Records Retention Schedule – regardless of format – it’s the content and function that drives retention!

2. Continue to retain or transfer to Washington State Archives all archival records

What should I be doing?

Your Agency’sRecords Management

Program

Have policies

Having policies and procedures in place states the expectations and provides

guidance for employees on the creation and use of public records

Demonstrates due diligence in RM practices and protects against allegations of gross negligence, spoliation claims, and lack of

“best practices”

Get to know your retention schedulesDon’t agonize, organize!

How about your desktop?

Black hole

Why not just keep it all?Consider this:

Searching• The more you have, the more you have to review and

search through• Think needle in a haystack.. less hay, easier to find the

needle• Discovery costs increase when more time is spent

searching for information• What does an attorney or forensic consultant charge per

hour? What is your time worth?

Why keep it if you don’t have to?

• 1 GB of storage is cheap, litigation is NOT

• Also must consider costs for future:– Migration or recopying– Additional costs for disaster recovery/restore– Energy costs

Electronic file cabinets

Think electronic “file cabinets”

Just like traditional metal cabinets

used for paper, desktops and servers are your digital file cabinets

Create a plan

• By creating a “file plan” or “file structure” pre-determined files are created and used

• Based on records series from retention schedules

• Mirror the plan throughout – use same plan or structure for paper, email, desktop, network drives and servers

Local Gov’t CORE

CORE example

Additional file folders can be created as necessary under record series

Additional records series under a categorycan be added

“Filing” emails – within email application

How it works

• Individual users move e-mails into pre-determined folders that match those on server or shared drive

• Good to set up as “working files”, or for records with no retention value

• Recommend “records with retention value” be retained on drives or servers

GS22005

Next level

Additional folders can be set up to further define the content –

under “Conferences and Seminars” specific folders are set up for different events –

easy to locate and search, still all under DAN # GS 22005

Adapt as needed

Drill down as far as necessary, but keep it simple and easy to use

“Filing” records in shared drive or network serverHow it works

• Designated shared drive or server is used as centralized “file cabinet” or repository

• Users save their e-records into pre-determined folders in specific “drawers”

• Users can retrieve and move at will

• Generally no active retention or disposition applied, will need to have IT set up methods for retention (tags, flags, etc)

Can look like this

Create file folders in a server or shared drive “electronic file cabinet” as appropriate on a

dedicated shared drive or network

Marry up with appropriate retention schedules and matches up with pre-set folders in email

application

Centralization makes good sense!

Conferences & Seminars GS22005

Click

Create appropriate file “drawers” and create the folders as necessary in

which to “file” your information – all of these are still GS 22005 and have the

same retention

“Saved As” e-mail

Use the .msg extension to save emails when moving over to server, it saves record copy e-mails

electronically and preserve the metadata as well

It’s still an email and acts like an email, you can still forward and reply

E-mail regarding meeting room contract

Email saved as .msg extention along with

other formats in server – no more silos!

Drag and drop

BBy using the .msg extention, you are able to save emails along with all the other formats

together in one place under one record series, all under the same retention and manage it as

a whole instead of bits and bytes

Community relations

These records all have a PERMANENT retention and

are POTENTIALLY ARCHIVAL

Will need special handling to ensure access and

integrity after any migration and eventual transfer to

archives.

These files have different retention requirements and none are designated as permanent or

potentially archivalKeep until retention requirements are met, then

delete

Destroy after school year

Destroy after six years

Destroy after student is 21, or 3 years after accident,

whichever is longer

Instructor/Teacher

DAN # SD 51-13-01These records all have a retention of 6 years after

close of fiscal year.

Delete/destroy once retention has been met.

These folders are set up by year, all you need to do

after retention has been met is document the destruction,

and work with IT staff to remove files from system.

Helpful hints

• Use existing retention schedules!

• Consult with users, enlist their input

• Work on keeping file names short and simple, yet make sense to users

• Keep names/file path under 255 characters & spaces, otherwise may have problems with access and retrieval

Websites It’s still all about the record

Websites are another form of delivery or method of communication

Does the website contain records that support the evidence or proof of business?

What about websites?Content and function drives retention

• Do those records reside somewhere else?– Primary or secondary copies in website?

• Is the website the sole repository or only evidence of that information?

• How often do changes happen?• What transactions does the website

perform? Financial transactions? Information updates?

What about databases?

• Apply same principles as websites– Content and function– Is it a repository of information held

elsewhere?– Does it contain evidence of business

transactions not found in another format?– Is the database dynamic with continuous

changes, updates?

Capturing informationIt depends on the website and database and

what records need to be captured

Options may include:• Email confirmations/webmaster• Change logs/audit logs• Maintaining entire site• 3rd party software for ECM• Snapshots and logs if few changes ever

made

Blogs, Wikis, Facebook, TwitterPoints to ponderAsk some questions:

• Remember, these are also public records

• Make a business case – do you really need to add another “technology du jour”?

• Check with legal counsel

• Check out terms of service (TOS) agreements

TOS = Contract

• Indemnity issues

• Determine choice of court if any legal action

• Rights of company to edit/display/advertise

• Issues of assignment in the event of merger/acquisition

• Will use meet overarching regulations?– FOIA, ADA, RCW’s, WAC’s

More issues

• Copyright and intellectual property rights

• Privacy, data gathering, data ownership

• Model releases, other releases

• 1st amendment concerns if public forum

• Identity “hijacking”

• Security

Who is minding the store?

Establish rules and responsibilities:

• Monitoring site and any TOS changes

• Monitoring security

• Who can post?

• Who can make changes to content?

• How will you capture and maintain any public records generated?

Tips and tools to help

• Capture email exchanges on content, when posted, when withdrawn, updates, etc

• 3rd party software or content management systems:

TwInboxTweetTakeArchiveFacebookSocialSafe

You Are Not Alone

For advice and assistance:

recordsmanagement@sos.wa.gov

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http://www.sos.wa.gov/archives/RecordsManagement/

Washington State Archives: Partners in preservation and access

www.sos.wa.gov/archives

Thank You!