Records managers can learn from zombies. A general observation about zombie behavior: Zombies wander aimlessly. They lack direction or the ability to plan ahead. Zombies do not exhibit signs of motivation until they see one of the living. If a zombie meets a person they then stumble and charge to get to their next meal, often hurting themselves in the process. Similarly, records management …
When a Note is a Record
With more than 15 references to the term “personal” in the Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA), it comes as no surprise that Utah governmental agencies struggle to apply the term to the records managed by their office. GRAMA references: “personal use,” “personal privacy,” “personal notes,” and more. Yet, there is no definition provided by the law to guide …
eDiscovery, Litigation, and Utah's Retention Schedules
On September 22nd I attended the Intermountain eDiscovery 2011 conference in Salt Lake City. At the conference Ralph C. Losey, of Jackson Lewis LLP, discussed the challenges and latest solutions to electronic discovery. Three significant points were: 1) If you “reasonably” expect litigation, then you must stop all records destruction; 2) In Manhattan it is considered gross negligence if an IT …
2012 Utah State Archives Records Management Training Dates
The Utah State Archives is pleased to announce the 2012 training dates. It will be an exciting year for training as we introduce two new workshops: “What’s In Those Cabinets: Tackling the Records Inventory and Appraisal Process” and “Essential Records Protection and Disaster Recovery.” Participants of these workshops will begin the process of inventorying in-office records, create a standardized rubric …
Alliance for Response Forum
An Alliance for Response Forum is scheduled for Wednesday, November 2, in the State Office Building Auditorium. This forum is part of a national program which seeks to strengthen communication between the cultural heritage and emergency response communities before disasters happen. Cooperative planning will enhance disaster responses and provide better protection for Utah’s cultural heritage. Speakers at this forum will include …
Moving Utah's General Retention Schedules Forward
It has been over a decade since the Utah State Archives and Records Service did a comprehensive review of its general retention schedules. Since then a great deal has changed in the way that states and non-governmental entities manage their records. The nature of records is changing, or maybe more accurately has changed, as centuries old analog formats are being …
September ARMA Chapter Meeting at Archives
The Utah State Archives will host ARMA Utah – Salt Lake Chapter’s first meeting after the summer break on Thursday, September 15, 2011. The chapter meeting will be held from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM in the Archives’ courtyard training room located on the first floor of the Utah State Archives Building (346 South Rio Grande Street, SLC). Mindy Spring …
Drafts: A Records Management and Access Enigma Explained
The Government Records Access Management Act (GRAMA) clearly defines what a record is and what a record is not in the state of Utah. One of the most frequently asked questions received by the State Archives is: “How do I handle drafts?” In total, there are six references to drafts in GRAMA that address management and classification. One reason why …
Fall/Winter Training Events
Click to register for training. Salt Lake City Training Events: Records Management I Utah State Archives October 6, 2011 9:00 am– 12:00 pm Records Management II Utah State Archives October 6, 2011 1:00 pm– 3:00 pm Records Access I *Utah State Archives November 3, 2011 9:00 am- 12:00 pm *Utah State Archives December 1, 2011 9:00 am- 12:00 pm Records …
Contact a Records Analyst
The Utah State Archives records analysts section now has a general phone number and email address where all questions or concerns can be directed: (801) 531-3863 recordsmanagement@utah.gov In order to streamline the section and provide better service, records analysts’ assignments have been restructured. In the past each analyst was assigned to work with specific state agencies or local government entities as …