[IARA - State Agency Records Managers] October 2023 Monthly Bulletin and Chat Invitation

Indiana Archives and Records Administration sent this bulletin at 10/20/2023 06:30 PM EDT
Indiana Archives and Records Administration logo  

Records and Information Management
402 W. Washington St. Rm W472
Indianapolis, IN 46204
e-mail: rmd@iara.in.gov
phone: 317-232-3285
web: http://www.in.gov/iara

 

👻  Guess What Month It Is, Guess What Month It Is... 👻

(To be sung to the tune of This is Halloween...)

Halloween Tree 1: Bats Halloween Tree 2: Eyes Halloween Tree 3: Spiders

Greetings, Records Managers, and welcome to the month that demonstrates why we do not let Amy decorate the Halloween Tree.......s.

The two on the right? Actually Christmas trees. There's just so much Halloween garland on them that you can't tell.

My devotion to the end of October may be scary, but the news we have for you this month is anything but!

But First, Last Month, on As The Record Turns... 

On MS Teams, we had our September State Records Managers Chat on the 28th. 

We met with 26 Records Managers from 24 agencies.  Attending from IARA were Amy Robinson (State Records Analyst), Amy Christiansen (County/Local Records Liaison),  Anna Lucas (Electronic Records Archivist), and Jeannine Roe (Electronic Records Archivist). 

 Spinning record on a turntable. They're like big CDs but you read them with a needle instead of a laser.
We discussed September's bulletin topics, which were
  • Updated General Retention Schedule.
  • AI-generated art is creepy and Amy loves it. This should be a surprise to no one ever.
  • October is Archives Month.

I've posted a link to the YouTube video of the September chat in our RM Bulletins and Chat Archive, where you can also find all of the previous bulletins we've sent out.

News You Can Use: Welcome to Madison Young!

Please officially welcome Madison to IARA's Records & Information Management division! She's been working at IARA for 1.5 years, mostly in Forms Management, but often sitting in on Records Management meetings as well, so she may not be new to some of you.

She's not new to us either, but she's new to being Ours. Now that Forms Management has handed over more ownership of the forms design process to agencies, Madison will be joining us full-time in RIM!

Madison will be helping with both state agency and county/local office questions, learning the retention schedule development process, joining our Monthly RM Chats, and rounding us out into a full-fledged team that won't fall apart if any of us goes on vacation. We've already seen what she's accomplished in her previous division, and we're very glad to have her here with us.

   Madison Young headshot

More News You Can Use: 11/3 Lunch & Learn on IARA's Critical Records Program

There will a joint MS Teams webinar for both state agencies and county/local offices on Friday, November 3rd at 12 p.m. eastern, focused on IARA's brand-new Critical Records Program. (See the RM Topic of the Month for more information.)

In our Lunch & Learn webinar, we'll talk about what critical records are, why exactly they're critical, and our updated guidance on the best ways to preserve them, with time set aside for questions at the end.

Even if your agency doesn't have records designated as Critical on your retention schedule, you'll likely get something out of this, because

  • our format guidance for Critical records applies to permanent and long-term records as well
  • our explanation of how Policies 20-01 and 20-02 work applies to format changes for all records!

This webinar will be recorded and available for viewing on IARA's website later in November. 

Want to register? Email the phrase, "Register me for the Lunch & Learn: Critical Records Program" to rmd@iara.in.gov. (If you have a group who all want to sign up, it's fine to list them all in one email rather than everyone having to do it separately.) If you have questions about it, you can hit me up there as well!

News You Can't Use That's Not News

Amy is more than a little batty. My office door at Halloween, with a collection of Beanie Boo bats stuffed into the mailbox outside it.

RIM Topic of the Month: Critical Records Program

We've all seen record series marked "THIS IS A CRITICAL RECORD" on our retention schedules, going back for decades, but this is the first time IARA has taken a serious look at

  • what's already marked that way
  • what should be marked that way
  • our criteria for designating a record as Critical
    • the reasoning behind that
  • how we've asked you to preserve Critical records in the past
    • whether that's a realistic proposition for many government offices now
  • best practices and realistic compromises for storage formats
  • OCPR Policies 20-01 and 20-02 and what they mean for changing the format of any records
  • creating a guidance document putting that all together for you!

So (remember I said we might have some of our own surprise announcements for Archives Month?) this month we're launching a new program to help guide you in the maintenance and care of critical records. 

What Are They?

Critical records are defined by Indiana Code as records necessary to:

  1. resume or continue governmental operations;
  2. reestablish the legal and financial responsibilities of government in Indiana; or
  3. protect and fulfill governmental obligations to the citizens of Indiana.

How Can I Know Which Records are Critical?

Critical records are identified as such on agency records retention schedules, and on the General Retention Schedule for All State Agencies.  You can also look at the appendix of our new Critical Records Guidance for a full list of those record series. If you believe your office creates critical records that are not identified as such on your office-specific retention schedule, please reach out to rmd@iara.in.gov for assistance. 

Do I Still Have to Microfilm Critical Records?

We've streamlined and modernized our format guidance for records designated as critical. Going forward, your office will decide if microfilm, electronic, paper, or a combination is best for your needs.

This is a departure from previous guidance, which required that critical records be microfilmed. The change is based on your feedback, current practices of government offices, and the fact that microfilm production and the equipment required to create it is on the decline. 

IARA still generally recommends using microfilm for critical records, but we understand this may not align with current business practices and budgets. 

If you have critical records and you wish to move away from microfilming, but you aren't sure where to begin, please reach out to rmd@iara.in.gov and we can help walk you through your options and discuss risk management with you. 

I Want To Know More!

Please view our Critical Records Program page to learn more about the program, and let us know if you have any questions. Also, scroll up for news about training on this topic in early November!

The Most Important Records Management Question You Will Ever Be Asked

What are you dressing up as for Halloween? 

(Judges will also allow answers to "What are you dressing up your kids/pets/garden gnomes as for Halloween?)

October Records Managers Chat

Meeting Information

Date: 2023-10-26
Time: 11 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. EST
Place: Microsoft Teams

This 30-minute meetup is an informal setting in which to ask questions or talk about records management concerns; normally I'll begin by introducing any IARA colleagues attending, talk a bit about the topic of the monthly bulletin and make any announcements, then open things up for questions and discussion.

I've included an agenda to help keep me us all on topic, so there'll be plenty of time for your questions and records management discussion once Amy (the me one, not the other Amy) remembers to click Mute!

Adding Yourself to the Meeting Invite List

✉ Desktop Outlook

Save the attached Monthly State Records Managers Chat.ics file to your desktop.

Make sure Outlook is open.

Double-click the .ics file.

Outlook will open it up as a traditional meeting invitation.

Click "Accept" to add it to your calendar.

Because this meeting is recurring, you should never have to add yourself again.

✉ Outlook on the Web

Save the attached Monthly State Records Managers Chat.ics file to your desktop.

In your web version of Outlook, go to the Calendar page.

Choose "Add Calendar," then in the left pane, "Upload from file."

Click "Browse" and find the .ics file, then click "Open."

Choose a preferred calendar from the dropdown list. (Even if you only have one.)

Click "Import."

Outlook will add the meeting to your calendar.

Because this meeting is recurring, you should never have to add yourself again.

Are you new to using Microsoft Teams? No worries, IARA can help you navigate.

MS Teams is a collaboration app that many state agencies are now using to stay organized and have conversations with colleagues inside and outside of the agency.

But if your agency doesn't use Teams? No worries. You don't need to have the software installed on your computer to participate in a Teams call.

 

To Join the Meeting By Phone

  1. Dial 1-317-552-1674 at the designated meeting time, then enter this PIN when prompted:
    707 553 068#

  2. We'll let you into the meeting.

 

To Join the Meeting by Computer

  1. Click here at the designated meeting time.

  2. A new tab or window will open in your default web browser. From there:

    • Choose the option to join on the web if you don't normally use Teams, then click "Join now."

    • Join through your desktop or mobile application if you're familiar with using Teams and would prefer that to the web version.

 

If you have other questions about how to use Teams, or about the meetup, just contact me and we'll figure things out together!

. . .

Looking forward to seeing you,

Amy A. Robinson (CIP) | (she/her)
State Government Records Analyst
Indiana Archives and Records Administration

o: 317-232-3285 | f: 317-233-1713
e: arobinson@iara.in.gov w: www.in.gov/iara
a: 402 W. Washington St., Room W472, Indianapolis, IN 46204