Volume 3, Issue 1 Spring 2016 New Beginnings Greetings! My name is Cindy Sauer and I joined BGSU in March as the new Records Manager and Assistant University Archivist. I come to BGSU from Westchester County, New York (just north of New York City) where I spent almost 13 years at the Westchester County Archives. I’m excited to be on campus and am enjoying my new life in Bowling Green. My predecessor, Mike Intranuovo, whom many of you worked with, left me a great foundation to build upon. In the months and years ahead I look forward to working with you to ensure that the records you are responsible for — both paper and electronic — are properly managed in the most efficient manner possible. You are receiving this newsletter because (1) Mike had you listed as a contact person for records issues; (2) I have worked with you on records-related matters since coming to BGSU; or (3) I don’t have any contact information for your department or office, but there is a retention schedule in place or perhaps there should be. If you feel you’ve received this newsletter in error, or if it would be more appropriately directed to someone else in your office, please be sure to let me know at csauer@bgsu.edu and I’ll update my contact list. Thanks. What Can a Records Manager do for ME? I view records management — “the systematic control of the creation, use, maintenance, and disposition of recorded information maintained as evidence of business activities” — as a collaborative effort between those who create and use the records (you) and the records manager (me) who advises and educates as to best practices for the maintenance and disposal of those records. One of my main purposes is to help you create, interpret and put into practice the records retention and disposition schedule for your department or office. I can also suggest filing methods that might be more efficient than what you’re currently using. I can store boxes for your office at the University’s Records Center if they need to be held for a certain number of years before they can be destroyed but you’ve run out of room to keep them. And when your retention schedule says to send records to the Archives for review, that’s me too! In my role as Assistant University Archivist I help determine if those records eligible for destruction might have any value to future researchers interested in learning more about BGSU’s history. Working with you throughout the whole process of records creation, use, maintenance, and disposal, I can help you do it in a cost-effective manner and help ensure that the right records are kept, and that records that aren’t needed are disposed of in a timely and appropriate manner. So whether you’re new to these concepts of records management or have been doing this for years, remember that I’m here to help. I’m available by phone at 372-9614 or e-mail (csauer@bgsu.edu) whenever you have a question. I’m also available for in-person consultations, whether it be to create a whole new schedule for your department or just to go over a single box of records that you’re not sure how to handle or to see whether it might be of interest to the University Archives. I look forward to working with you. How Old is Your Retention Schedule? Currently, sixty-two percent of the Departmental Retention schedules in place on campus are over 5 years old; by the end of 2016, this number will rise to sixty-nine percent. Therefore, one of my on-going goals is to regularly check in with campus offices and departments to make sure their retention schedule is up-to-date and covers all the records being created and used by them. To assist me with this, I plan to use an annual survey form that is now available to you online. It is a great way to review where things stand in terms of your retention schedule, records management training needs, electronic records usage, and many other records-related topics. I encourage you to take the opportunity to complete the annual survey and send it back to me for review and follow up. How’s it Going? Working with Iron Mountain for Shredding Services It’s been just over a year now that Iron Mountain has been BGSU’s vendor for confidential document shredding. As with any transition period, it is my understanding that there may have been some bumps along the way on this one. In order for me to better assess the service BGSU is receiving from Iron Mountain, I would greatly appreciate any feedback you might have, positive or negative, on this relationship. All comments will be kept confidential. Thank you. 2014-2015 Destructions Underway As I settle in to my new position, another priority is clearing out from the Records Center those boxes that passed their destruction dates in 2014 and 2015. Construction at the Records Center and other factors made it necessary to postpone this task, but now it’s time to tackle it head on. In the weeks ahead I will be preparing destruction authorization requests for many offices and departments. Your prompt attention to these requests will be appreciated. Clearing out these no longer needed records will make space for hundreds of new boxes that need to be stored in the Records Center. If you’ve been holding off sending boxes to the Records Center during construction and other delays, your patience has been greatly appreciated.