Off the Record

It seems like not that long ago we talked about the need to reduce paper files, and the anxiety that sometimes comes with the transition. When we relocated out of the building at 1300 Linden Drive, we made a massive leap forward to transfer information into electronic formats. The hum of the "Snap-Scan" was up and down the hall - the sound of moving into the next phase of records management. Departments, administration and centers took advantage of this opportunity to streamline operations and leverage record keeping in the clouds.

Now that we are preparing to move back to the building some things have changed - we are more nimble, have fewer file cabinets and have a better "carbon footprint" because we are not printing so much material.

But because we are a public enterprise there are still rules and regulations about what records must be stored in hard copy, what we are required to keep on premises, what is appropriate to send to Archives and what (or when) is the protocol for final disposition.

The campus has an excellent resource to help answer some of your questions - University Archives and Records Management (ARMS.) Please take a few minutes and look at their website:
http://archives.library.wisc.edu/

Letting go of hard copies can be a blessing - I've got about 90% of the building information stored electronically. Occasionally I freak out my team member Roberto because I can search and pull material faster than anything, because it's stored electronically.

I know, can you believe it?! When I move back, the materials in the single 5-drawer cabinet (which is all building stuff) will be cataloged and sent to Archives, along with the contents of a 2-drawer cabinet.

Now if I can just clean up my desk at home....