News

Division of Archives and Records Service

Online Records Officer Certification Training is Now Available

Joseph Sharp
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January 2, 2013
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Effective January 1, 2013, all records officers for the state of Utah are required to take annual Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA) training. This training is to be completed online. The Utah State Archives has posted the required training to our website.

63G-2-108.   Certification of records officer.
Each records officer of a governmental entity or political subdivision shall, on an annual basis, successfully complete online training and obtain certification from state archives in accordance with Section 63A-12-110. (emphasis added)

Records Officers are invited to review the certification manual and complete the exam at their convenience, but not later than December 31, 2013.

Records officers will be receiving an email from the Archives this week with a link to the exam.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Who is required to take this exam?

All records officers employed by a state agency, local government, special service district, school district, and/or any other publicly funded entity.

What is a records officer?

Records officers are government employees that have been appointed by their entity’s Chief Administrative Officer (CAO).

The chief administrative officer of each governmental entity shall:

(2) appoint one or more records officers who will be trained to work with the state archives in the care, maintenance, scheduling, disposal, classification, designation, access, and preservation of records;

(emphasis added)

What is a CAO?

A CAO is a government employee, such as an Executive Director, County Commissioner, City Manager or Mayor, etc, whose job is to oversee the proper and effective management of, and access to, government records.

  The chief administrative officer of each governmental entity shall:
(1) establish and maintain an active, continuing program for the economical and efficient management of the governmental entity’s records as provided by this chapter and Title 63G, Chapter 2, Government Records Access and Management Act;
(2) appoint one or more records officers who will be trained to work with the state archives in the care, maintenance, scheduling, disposal, classification, designation, access, and preservation of records;
(3) ensure that officers and employees of the governmental entity that receive or process records requests receive required training on the procedures and requirements of this chapter and Title 63G, Chapter 2, Government Records Access and Management Act;
(4) make and maintain adequate and proper documentation of the organization, functions, policies, decisions, procedures, and essential transactions of the governmental entity designed to furnish information to protect the legal and financial rights of persons directly affected by the entity’s activities;
(5) submit to the state archivist proposed schedules of records for final approval by the records committee;
(6) cooperate with the state archivist in conducting surveys made by the state archivist;
(7) comply with rules issued by the Department of Administrative Services as provided by Section 63A-12-104;
(8) report to the state archives the designation of record series that it maintains;
(9) report to the state archives the classification of each record series that is classified; and

(10) establish and report to the state archives retention schedules for objects that the governmental entity determines are not defined as a record under Section 63G-2-103, but that have historical or evidentiary value.

When do I need to certify as a records officer?

Each records officer is required to take the training annually (Utah Code 63G-2-108). It is available now.

How often do I need to certify?

Records officers are required by law to certify annually. Records officers who pass the exam on January 3, 2013 will need to plan on taking the exam again on, or before, January 3, 2014. Records officers will receive a reminder email 30 days prior to the expiration of their certification.

Where can I find the Records Officer Certification Manual and Exam?

All of the required certification materials can be found on the Archives website:

1. Navigate to www.archives.utah.gov

2. Select “Records Management” from the main page.

3. Select “Training”

4. Click on the link “Online Records Officer Certification”

Can I complete the certification exam even if I am not the appointed records officer for my agency?

Yes, all State of Utah employees are invited to complete the certification exam process. Employees who are not the appointed records officer for their entity must select the following option when completing the registration form:

“I am an employee of a governmental entity, but not an official records officer.

I didn’t receive an email from the Archives with a link to the exam. How can I register for the exam?

1. Navigate to www.archives.utah.gov

2. Select “Records Management” from the main page.

3. Select “Training”

4. Click on the link “Online Records Officer Certification”

5. Click on the link “Register as a new records officer

6. Complete all of the fields on the form and submit the form for review.

7. You will receive a confirmation email with a link to the exam once your registration has been approved.

Is there a cost to take the certification exam?

No, the certification exam is free.

What happens if I don’t pass the exam?

Records officers who do not score a 75 percent or higher on the exam can retake the exam as many times as needed to receive a passing score.  To retake the exam, simply click on the link in your confirmation email. If you accidentally delete the confirmation email, please call the Archives and we will resend your link.

I started the exam but can’t finish it today, will I need to start the exam over?

No. The exam includes four parts. Each time you complete one part of the exam, your submissions are saved to our database. You can exit the exam after any one of the four parts. To reenter the exam, simply click on the link in your confirmation email.

***NOTE*** If you have completed only half of the questions for part two of the exam and need to exit, your answers for part two will not be saved.