Recently you were asked for your thoughts about records management at UCOP. Eighty-five of you took the survey, and three of you won gift cards as a result— congratulations to Andre Dawson, Julie Miller and Rajesh Sharma!

Summary of the feedback received from survey respondents

• You know what Records Management is but not how they can help you.
• Your document concerns are mainly about retention, organizing, searching and email.
• You want to convert paper documents into electronic files.
• You aren’t sure what goes into the UCOP Central Records Collection or Document Central.
• You want records management training.

Response to your feedback on the survey

Who they are. The Records Management team at UCOP is part of Information Technology Services. Laurie Sletten and Jacqueline DiOrio (plus a third staff member soon to be added) provide systemwide and UCOP support for records management, which includes retention, document management, and more.

The collection. Records Management maintains the UCOP archive of permanent records, called the UCOP Central Records Collection. It holds any records that document the development, decision-making processes and cultural history of the university. For example, they save policies, annual reports, special projects materials and many additional records. See the defined collecting scope for more information. The collection’s electronic records reside in Document Central, a secure database that anyone at UCOP can use to access non-confidential items.

New scanning service. Records Management now offers small-batch scanning services. That means if your department has paper records you want converted to electronic files, they can probably scan them for you, ensuring high-quality scans that are searchable and accessible. They also provide consultation about large scanning projects. These are often more complex and difficult than they may seem at first, but Records Management can help you determine if digitization is right for your needs, and how to go about it.

How long to keep records. The University of California Records Retention Schedule has a lot of useful information about retention periods. If you still don’t know, contact Records Management for help. You may also want to view this  webinar on how to use the retention schedule.

More training and quick reference guides. The department website has tips about managing records, scanning, permanent records, and the staff is in the process of creating new materials: webinars, videos, and guidance about organizing and storing documents, the Records Retention Schedule, choosing among the UCOP storage solutions, using Document Central, managing UCOP’s one-year email retention rule, and more.

Questions, assistance and more

Records Management is here to help you! Please contact them any time at records@ucop.edu or 510-987-0399. Records management is also looking for new members for the UCOP Records Management Committee and volunteers for some focus groups in January 2018. Please contact them if you are interested.

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