IARA County/Local Records Management - 3 Partners in County/Local Records Management

Hi Clerks and staff,

Making your agency's records management program function effectively depends on three groups working together to classify, care for, and eventually dispose of your records:

1.The Indiana Archives and Records Administration (IARA)

• Assists county/local agencies in developing and maintaining their Records Management programs.
• Develops record retention schedules to cover the maintenance and disposition of county/local government records.
• Preserves county/local government records of historical value in the Indiana Archives.
• Assists county/local offices with Records Management questions and approval of certain records disposition requests.

2. County Commissions of Public Records

• Exist in each of Indiana's 92 counties.
• Meet at minimum once a year, and ideally once a month.
• Assign the position of Secretary to either the County Clerk or County Recorder, depending on preference.
• Note records dispositions covered by a retention schedule in the Commission's official minutes: County and local offices submit documentation of already-completed disposition to the Secretary of the Commission.
• Join IARA in approving disposition of records not covered by a records retention schedule:
  o County and local offices submit requests for special disposition to the Commission.
  o If approved by the Commission, the Secretary of the Commission then submits them to IARA for final approval.

3. County and Local Records Custodians

Finally, there's the most important member of this partnership: YOU! A Records Custodian is any employee of a county or local government office, public library, public or charter school/system, law enforcement agency, or other governmental entity who has been assigned the responsibility of managing the public
records created or received by their office.

IARA can develop rules for records management and help you make decisions on how to apply them. Your County Commission can approve and document what happens to those records.

In the end, though, it's you, the Records Custodian, who cares for the records, follows the retention requirements, and makes records management happen.

As always, let me know if you have any questions. 

AMY CHRISTIANSEN JANICKI

Records Management Liaison

Indiana Archives and Records Administration

o: 812-929-3882

e: achristiansenjanicki@iara.in.gov |

w: www.in.gov/iara

a: 402 W Washington St, Room W472, Indianapolis, IN 46204

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