Transcript Washington State Archives Email Management “What should I be doing?” Presented by: Leslie Koziara, Electronic Records Consultant February 26, 2010

Washington State Archives
Email Management
“What should I be doing?”
Presented by:
Leslie Koziara, Electronic Records Consultant
February 26, 2010
Overview
• Have a game plan
• Identify what you need to keep
• How to organize emails
• How to disposition emails
As public employees, everyone needs to
have a level of responsibility for the public
records they create and use
Records Management is a team sport!
Have a game plan
• Build your team
– Coaches (records officer and managers)
– Players (assign roles and responsibilities)
• Quarterbacks = records coordinators
• Defense/offensive players = end users
• Special teams = IT and legal
Like a pro
• Game Strategy
– Policies, procedures and standards
to get the game underway
• Develop your plays
– Identify, organize and disposition
emails
End game
Successful organization and control is a
win–win situation
• Agency benefits in lower costs and more
efficient operations
• Employees benefit with better access and
increased productivity
• Public benefits with transparency and prompt
responses to any requests
Is this your desktop?
Black
hole
Email Retention in a Nutshell...
•
Retain all public records for the minimum
retention period as listed on the approved
Records Retention Schedule
•
Once retention is met :
 Destroy if not an archival or permanent
series
 If permanent, take appropriate action
to retain
 Transfer to Washington State Archives
all archival records
Why not just keep it all?
• There are increased costs when you keep it all:
– Discovery and legal fees
– Administration/staff for maintenance
– Migration or recopying
– Disaster recovery/restoration
– Energy costs
Think needle in a haystack:
Less hay, easier to find the needle
Re-educate on email usage
•
•
•
•
Employ meaningful subject lines
Keep on topic, no digressing
Reiterate appropriate use
Keep only what you need to keep
Cautionary notes
• If you are keeping only the last email in a
string, just be aware:
– In a court of law, will the last one suffice as
evidence of the entire string?
– Any modifications to the string done prior to
that last one?
– How do you know?
Just so you know…there is a difference
Email Archiving
• Generally just “storage” rather than
“records management”
• Typically lacks coherent filing structure
• Generally no records retention
functionality included
A winning strategy for emails
• Identify
• Organize
• Disposition
Identify
Using approved records retention schedules
will help you:
• Identify records you need to keep
• Identify records you can get rid of
• Identify records needing additional attention
 Essential
 Archival
More identification
• How do you know what you’ve got?
– Do an inventory
– An inventory will also help you identify not
only essential and archival records but also
identify records that may be exempt or
confidential
Don’t agonize, organize!
Use your approved retention
schedules
Schedules tell you what to do
What records need to be kept – by series
Minimum required period of time to keep them
What to do once retention has been met
Any remarks or special instructions
Organize!
Think electronic “file cabinets”
Desktops and servers are digital “file
cabinets” and should be used as such
Just like traditional metal ones
Create a game plan
• Create a “file plan” or “file structure”
• Link to retention schedules
• Pre-determined file folders provide
consistency, centralization and
organization
• Mirror the plan throughout – use same
plan or structure for paper, email, desktop,
network drives and servers
Set up the structure
• Can be as individual “drawers” – working
files set up in folders in email application
• Can be work group or section “file
drawers” with folders set up on shared
drive or server used by group
• Can be “central files” or “records center” –
“file drawers” in a central repository for
longer retention
Organizing emails – within email
application
How it works
• Individual users move e-mails into predetermined folders that match those on
server or shared drive
• Good to set up as “working files”, or for
records with no retention value
• Recommend “records with retention value”
be retained on drives or servers
GS22005
Next level
Additional folders can be set
up to further define the content
– easy to locate and search,
still all under DAN # GS 22005
Mirror this structure on shared
drive or server for records with
retention value
Be diligent with cleaning out
records with no retention value
in these “working files” and
save primary copies to shared
drive
Using email application folders
Remember:
• Recommended use is for short-term or
temporary retention
• Mirror folders you set up on network
server or shared drive
• Match up to retention schedules
• Use shared drive/server for records with
longer retention
Organizing in shared drive or network server
How it works
• Designated shared drive or server is used
as centralized “file cabinet” or repository
• Users save their emails into predetermined folders in specific “drawers”
• Users can access in a centralized location
• Generally no active retention or disposition
applied, but can set up system
administrators to track files
It makes good sense
• Centralization makes good sense
– One place, one folder, one retention
– In event of staff turnover, other “life happens”
scenarios, more accessibility
• Increased search capability for discovery
and disclosure purposes
• Can apply consistent retention and
disposition to stored records, can appoint
system administrator to manage and track,
Can look like this
Conferences
& Seminars
GS22005
Create file “drawers” and create appropriate
folders in a server or shared drive “electronic
file cabinet”
Marry up with appropriate retention schedules
and mirror pre-set email folders
Next click
Create appropriate file “drawers” and
create the folders as necessary in
which to “file” your information – all of
these are still GS 22005
“Saved As” email
Email regarding meeting
room contract
By using the .msg extension, it can saves record copy
emails electronically and preserve the metadata as well
– also will save attachments
Using classifications and naming conventions make it
easier to search and locate the information
Email saved using
.msg extention in
server along with
other formats
Drag and drop
BBy using the .msg extention, you are able to
save emails with all the other formats together
in one folder, under one record series, under
one retention and manage it as a whole
One place, one folder, one retention
Get rid of the silos!
Attendance and Leave GS03030
Another example
Can add
other
records
series as
needed
Local Gov’t CORE
Another example
Additional file folders can
be created
as necessary under
each record series
Additional records
series under a
category
can be added
Helpful hints
• Use existing retention schedules!
• Consult with users, enlist their input
• Work on keeping file names short and
simple, yet make sense to users
• Keep it under 255 characters & spaces,
otherwise may have problems with access
and retrieval
State unique example
Can
identify
certain
files as
exempt or
other
special
handling
This series is
ARCHIVAL 9 year
retention for
agency, then
transfer to
archives
Local Gov’t example
This series only has a 3
year retention, so can get
rid of these files sooner
This is an essential record and
should have additional back up.
It also has a long term retention
This is a PERMANENT, ESSENTIAL and
POTENTIALLY ARCHIVAL series and should
noted and handled accordingly
Also a PERMANENT,
ESSENTIAL and
POTENTIALLY
ARCHIVAL series
Transfer to Digital Archives
• Identify archival records according to
approved records retention schedules
• Contact Digital Archives for consultation
and development of Transfer Agreements
(TA) and Transfer Information Plan (TIP)
Debbie Bahn, Lead Archivist
509-235-7500 ext 207
[email protected]
Take a deep breath
• No magic one-size-fits all solution
• Fixing it will not happen overnight
• Acceptance will take time
• It can be done without investing in
additional technology
You can do it!!
You Are Not Alone
For advice and assistance:
[email protected]
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http://www.sos.wa.gov/archives/RecordsManagement/
Thank You!
Washington State Archives:
Partners in preservation and access
www.sos.wa.gov/archives