State Agency RMO Newsletter, July 2007 | New York State Archives

Managing Records: Services for State Agencies: Newsletters

Archived Newsletters: July 2007

Welcome to the July issue of the New York State Archives RMO newsletter! We hope you had a happy 4th of July.

E-Mail Policy
The e-mail policy focus group met on June 29 to gather information for the development of a statewide e-mail management policy. With almost 30 participants from state agencies, the discussion was lively and informative as attendees worked together to establish policy needs and concerns that should be addressed. The Archives would like to extend our thanks to everyone who participated for their input. The three-hour session also featured short presentations from CSCIC’s Laura Iwan on e-mail security, the Committee for Open Government’s Camille Jobin-Davis on e-mail and FOIL, and the Archives’ Geof Huth on e-mail and records management. If you have any questions or comments, please contact Ann Marie Przybyla (474-5834, apryzbyl@mail.nysed.gov).

Records Center News
For the past several weeks, the Records Center has focused most of its efforts on storing new boxes at the satellite facility in Riverview Center. Now that we have additional space, be sure to have your agency Records Management Officer send in all of the transfer lists you have for boxes that you want to store with us. If you have any questions on this, please contact assistant manager David Lovell (457-3172, dlovell@mail.nysed.gov) or manager John Welter (457-4801, jwelter@mail.nysed.gov).

Workshops and Training
State Agency Services is pleased to announce that we will be offering the following training workshops this season:

Your Role as Records Management Officer
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
9 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
11th floor conference room
Cultural Education Center
Madison Avenue
Albany, 12230

This workshop will:

Review the laws that established the role of Records Management Officer (RMO)
Identify the responsibilities of the RMO and others
Discuss the attributes of a good records management program
Provide tips for building a records management program and maintaining support over the long term
Provide a forum for sharing strategies on maintaining support
Review the services offered by the State Archives to organizations that want to establish a records management program.

Intended Audience: New records management officers in state and local government, those new to records management, and those working to establish a records management program. The workshop is also useful to those in government legally responsible for supporting the work of the records management officer (board members, information technology professionals, other government staff).

Files Management
Thursday, October 11, 2007
9 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
New York State Archives Records Center, Building 21
1220 Washington Avenue
Albany, 12226

Fast and accurate retrieval of active office records is critical for the efficient operation of government. This workshop will discuss how to:

Assess how well your filing system is working
Conduct space planning for filing systems
Use color coding to improve filing systems
Maintain file security
Revamp and improve paper and electronic filing systems

The workshop will also provide a number of tips and tools for people who must manage the ever-increasing volume of information that crosses their desks or awaits them each morning on their personal computers.

Intended Audience: Anyone planning to upgrade, modify, or transform any filing system, especially anyone interested in modernizing paper filing systems

Developing RM Policies & Procedures
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
9 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
New York State Archives Records Center, Building 21
1220 Washington Avenue
Albany, 12226

Many local governments and state agencies begin records management improvements with great gusto and enthusiasm, but over time they begin to lose control of their records and their systems begin to backslide. Often this is caused by a lack of policies and procedures, or a situation where these procedures are not followed. This workshop focuses on:

The value of documenting policies and procedures
How to develop policies and procedures and make sure they are followed
How to keep policies up to date and relevant

During the workshop, participants will write draft policies and procedures and discuss them as a group. The workshop will also provide participants with a sample policy manual covering all aspects of records management.

Intended Audience: Individuals working as records managers in local governments and state agencies, especially those involved in drafting policies and procedures.

Disaster Planning & Response
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
9 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
New York State Archives Records Center, Building 21
1220 Washington Avenue
Albany, 12226

Disasters are all too common in New York State. Each year, records are damaged and information is lost as a result of floods, arson, fires, collapsed roofs, or computer viruses. This workshop will explain:

How to judge your organization's risk of experiencing a disaster
How to reduce the chances that a disaster will destroy your records
How to prepare your organization for a disaster
How to respond to a disaster safely and effectively

Participants will complete, as part of the workshop, a draft disaster plan that can become the outline of a final plan focused on the protection of their organization's permanent and vital records. Intended Audience: Anyone responsible for ensuring the preservation of permanent or vital records.

Security Tips
This month’s CSCIC security tips deal with recognizing and avoiding spyware. Spyware (or “adware”) is a type of computer program that installs itself on your computer without your permission or knowledge. Increasingly pervasive, spyware lives up to its name in that can track information about you and your Internet use, deliver unsolicited advertising to your desktop, and potentially log the information you put on your computer.

Spyware has some easily detectable symptoms to help you determine if your computer has been infected. These can include a pronounced lag in operating your computer (it seems slow), unexpected and persistent pop-up ads, and the addition of icons to your toolbar and on your desktop that you did not install. If you have spyware, there are several applications available that can be used to clean spyware off your hard drive. Consult your agency’s IT department to find out more about what tools they are using or recommend.

The best way to prevent is to follow good security practices. Don’t click in links within popup windows, avoid downloading free software, or clicking on links that you are unsure of, and select ‘no’ or ‘cancel’ when you encounter unexpected dialog boxes. Also, you may be able to adjust your browser to limit cookies your browser will accept and block pop-ups.

That’s it for this month! Please feel free to contact the State Agency Services Staff listed below if you have any questions or comments. We can help make your job easier by answering questions, doing site visits, and providing training.

David Lowry
dlowry@mail.nysed.gov
(518) 473-9454

Jennifer O'Neill
joneill@mail.nysed.gov
(518) 473-2112

Sarah Durling
sdurling@mail.nysed.gov
(518) 473-6803

Have a fantastic July!