Guidelines

Records and Information Management Month: Tips and Guidelines

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April is Records and Information Management Month. This April may look and feel very different than what Records Management professionals are used to. Many of us are currently working remotely and there is no better time than now to ensure good record keeping and best practices in your workplace. Here are some things to consider that can promote efficient and effective electronic record keeping in your organization during this time.

  • Are people in your organization working from home? Do they know their responsibility regarding managing electronic records? This month would be a great time to review your organization’s shared drive management and electronic records management policies and procedures.
  • Is your organization using text messaging to document business activities? Check out ERC’s Tips for Text Messaging Retention for best practices and risks/liabilities of using text messages for government business.
  • Have you been communicating more than ever through email? Review our Guidelines for Managing Email to ensure your organization is retaining emails effectively.
  • Is your organization communicating and posting via social media to interact with constituents? Check out ERC’s  Social Media Resources, including the new online training module, Social Media: The Records Management Challenge (2020) .  

New Tip Sheet on Text Messaging Retention Available!

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The Ohio Electronic Records Committee (OhioERC) has published a new tip sheet: Tips for Text Messaging Retention! These tips highlight the potential records management concerns public offices and officials should consider when using text messaging for government business. The tip sheet includes questions that can help determine if the text is a public record, the risks and liabilities involved with texting, best practices for government offices to implement, and the pros and cons of allowing employees to text on their personal devices versus providing them with government-issued devices. If your government office uses text messaging then you should check this out!

New OhioERC Guideline: Blockchain Basics

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As a technology, blockchain, or distributed ledgers, have been around for over a decade, but it is only recently that blockchain uses beyond cryptocurrencies have been contemplated.  Now, however, Ohio state and local governments are taking an interest in blockchain and how the technology might be leveraged within the public sector.  Legislators are proposing changes to the law to allow for the use of blockchain, and technology companies are rapidly getting into the game.  In this fast-paced move toward the adoption of blockchain technology, records managers and archivists cannot afford to not be a part of the crucial conversations because they don’t understand the technology.

The OhioERC Blockchain subcommittee is working toward a number of guidelines to demystify blockchain technology.  We are happy to release our first document, Blockchain Basics!  It is intended to be a high-level description of the most common blockchain concepts and terminology.  The guideline does not attempt to argue for or against the use of blockchain, as there are many variables that come into play. 

Stay tuned over the next year as the subcommittee releases additional guides that:

  • Provide basic level of understanding of blockchain to records managers
  • Outline the advantages, disadvantages, and how those change with public versus private blockchains
  • Outline the role records managers and archivists should play in blockchain projects
  • Who should be at the table during blockchain projects and what should their role(s) entail
  • Use cases for types of records that could benefit from blockchain and types that might be better suited in a different format
  • Identify potential legal implications

Sincerely,

Pari Swift, OhioERC Blockchain Subcommittee Chair