In the 2019 session, the Utah Legislature updated the Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA) and the Public Records Management Act (PRMA). Senator Wayne Harper, sponsored two bills (Senate bills 25 and 108) which contained the most significant changes. With Senate bill 25, the Legislature created a new records management committee. This new committee will approve records retention schedules …
Documents on the Utah Public Notice Website
This guest post is written by Glen Fairclough who is the administrator of the Utah Public Notice Website. From time to time, people ask whether documents posted on the Utah Public Notice Website are ever removed. The answer to that question has changed. From its inception in 2008, the practice was to make all documents available through the website. Given …
It’s Time for Another RIMM Webinar Series!
Records and Information Management Month (RIMM) 2019 is here! To celebrate we are hosting a webinar each week in April. General Retention Schedules by Rebekkah Shaw and Heidi Steed, RIM Specialists at the Utah State Archives Wednesday, April 3, Noon-1:00 p.m. Rebekkah and Heidi will have a discussion about the general retention schedules–how they have changed, why they’re changing, and …
Utah Open Government Sunshine Conference! “Building Trust Through Transparency”
Welcome to the Utah Open Government Sunshine Conference! “Building Trust Through Transparency” Tuesday, March 26, 2019 9 a.m. – 3:45 p.m. The Utah Division of Archives and Records Service is excited to announce the second annual Open Government Conference. Come and learn why transparency matters and how to work together for a better open government. Our guest speakers include: Kenneth …
State Records Committee year in review: Highlights from 2018
As 2018 comes to a close, we thought that those with an eye on transparency might want to know what the State Records Committee (SRC) has been up to this year. The committee has been very busy. In 2018, the committee received approximately 100 appeals. Of those appeals, about 50 Decisions and Orders have been issued. We are within days …
Will the SRC approve your retention schedule?
Ever wonder if the Utah State Records Committee (SRC) will approve a retention schedule for your record series? Here are some ideas on the types of update requests that tend to be successful, and those that don’t.
Verifying a Requester’s Identity
The Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA) provides for the release of private records to certain individuals. These individuals include the subject of the record, a parent or guardian, and additional individuals who have a notarized release or power of attorney (Utah Code Section 63G-2-202(1)(a)). GRAMA also states that before releasing a private (controlled or protected) record, a records …
Guests of Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy Visit Archives
The Utah State Archives and Records Service hosted 22 guests from the Utah Council for Citizen Diplomacy on September 24, 2018. Our guests were journalists, mayors, a senator, and agency directors from several Central and South American nations who travelled to the United States to examine transparency and accountability in government. They are researching best practices …
State Records Committee News
Patricia Smith-Mansfield, who served as the Governor’s designee on the State Records Committee for 14 years while she was director of Utah State Archives and Records Service, is back on the Committee. Now she is a citizen representative. Tricia, welcome back! Tricia’s years of experience, and knowledge of records law are valuable assets for the Committee. The State Records Committee …
Classification and the Purpose of General Retention Schedules: RIM v. GRAMA
There is something unique about records management in Utah, and it might be causing confusion. We have two meanings for the term classification. One comes from the Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA), the other from the records management profession. In GRAMA Most of the records officers we work with refer to classification as defined in GRAMA, which states …