Notice Board

October 10, 2016 is Electronic Records Day and the Records Management department invites faculty and staff to celebrate with us all week long.

The University records management program supports the management of University information throughout its lifecycle to facilitate effective decision-making, the efficient use of resources, and risk management. 

Just in time for Electronic Records Day, the Records Management department has released several new guides to support you with managing your records effectively. These guides cover several topics such as managing your email, naming conventions for your electronic documents, and tips for managing information overload. Pick up your copy at the Records Management information booth this week or visit our website to download them.

The Records Management team will be out and about on campus this week. Here's where you can find us:

• Tuesday, October 11: University Hall Atrium from 10am to 2pm
• Wednesday, October 12: University Hall Atrium from 10am to 2pm
• Thursday, October 13: Outside the track in the PE building from 10 am to 2pm

Stop by for free popcorn and lots of resources to help you manage your records. 

10 reasons why electronic records need special attention*

1. Managing electronic records is like caring for a perpetual toddler: they need regular attention and care in order to remain accessible.
2. Electronic records can become unreadable very quickly. While records on paper have been read after thousands of years, digital files can be virtually inaccessible after just a few.
3. Scanning paper records is not the end of the preservation process: it is the beginning. 
4. There are no permanent storage media. Proactive management is required to avoid loss of records.
5. The lack of a “physical” presence can make it very easy to lose track of electronic records. Special care must be taken to ensure they remain in controlled custody and do not get lost in masses of other data.
6. It can be easy to create copies of electronic records and share them with others, but this can raise concerns about the authenticity of those records. Extra security precautions are needed to ensure e-records are not altered inappropriately.
7. The best time to plan for electronic records preservation is when they are created. Don’t wait until software is being replaced or a project is ending to think about how records are going to be preserved.
8. No one system will solve all your e-records problems. There’s no magic bullet that will manage and preserve your e-records for you.
9. Electronic records can help ensure the rights of the public through greater accessibility than ever before, but only if creators, managers and users all recognize their importance and contribute resources to their preservation.
10. While they may seem commonplace now, electronic records will form the backbone of the historical record for researchers of the future.

Remember, the Records Management department is here to help you tackle these challenges!

*adapted from the Council of State Archivists