Thus far, this Guide has encouraged you to review
your responsibilities, your role, your rights, your risks, and your rewards as a Georgia
government records manager. Now, in this last part, it you will identify some of the
resources available to help you in this work. The good news is that professional and
technical resources for Georgia government records and information managers are as
abundant as in any other state!
The bad news is that they do not automatically appear on your
desk or at your office door. Someone has to reach out for them. When it comes to the
management of Georgia's records, the law says that this "someone" is your agency
head and your agency records management officer.
Fortunately, the information technology that produces so much
information for you to manage, also enables you to find assistance faster and more
abundantly than ever before. Whether you utilize a sneaker-net or the Internet,
you can make contact with sources of records management assistance within minutes. It does
not even require use of an office computer. A trip to the local public or college library
can put any records officer in touch with a wealth of information resources--another
reward!
By the time this Guide will need to be reprinted, more than
half of those who have read the first edition will already have access to online data and
communication systems. These will link them to the Georgia Archives. Because the Guide is available at the Department's Home Page, by the
time a third edition is finished, more readers will have accessed the electronic version
of the Guide online. More than those who have seen a hard copy edition!
The most computer-savvy of government systems analysts cannot
gauge just how these networked communication links are going to evolve. They do know that
they will evolve rapidly. You, the government administrator, can be one of the
first to benefit from this evolution, and so can the public you serve!
The actual nature of available records management assistance
is just as the section heading above states, it is people, places, and things. Overlook
any one of these and you will have done yourself a disservice. In the sections that
follow, each type will be highlighted. Please consider them all and remember that they are
only the tip of the iceberg of help!
Bear in mind as you begin to look for resources, that it has
become increasingly clear that no single agency, and no single constituency, will be able
to solve all of your information management problems, or help you to take advantage of all
the opportunities offered by today's electronic technologies. Like a careful shopper, you
will need to make a list of needs and wants, go to the marketplace, read the labels,
consider the contents, and select the resources that will give you the ingredients and
results you desire.
Bench marking is an extremely useful management technique in
the field of government information and records management. It requires a review of
existing systems and programs in outside organizations which have a mission and operations
similar yours. You pattern your programs after the best models available.
Why go to the time, effort, and expense of reinventing an
existing system or administrative mechanism? Why not profit from the experiences (both
good and bad) of other agencies? Find the best and the brightest, and borrow the
techniques and technologies that are good. Work to apply them in a way that makes them
work even better!
Take advantage of existing programs, materials, and systems.
Reach out to leaders in your areas of interest. More often than not, you will be surprised
how much they have to offer, and how willingly they offer it. This is particularly true of
other government programs and agencies. Most of their publications, training materials,
and other resource material is in the public domain and non-proprietary.
There is a wide variety of technical support and resource
material available from the Department of Archives and History. Assistance on subjects
reflecting the wide variety of information management specialties is available from
Department personnel. Areas of expertise include subjects ranging from access to warehouse
storage.
Just like the technologies it employs in its work, the
Department is evolving to meet the needs of the new electronic information Georgia
government workplace. It is expanding its outreach and program support through a variety
of a activities. Material of interest to both the general public, and to archives,
information, and records management professionals is being prepared for addition to the
existing data available on the Department's World Wide Web Home Page.
As was mentioned above in the description of your
responsibility to remain "in the loop," use of common records retention
schedules give agencies that have fallen behind in records management activity a great
opportunity. They can eliminate substantial quantities of obsolete records with a minimum
of administrative effort. Take advantage of these schedules, the paperwork has
already been done for you!
Associations ^
The following professional associations are sources for
information and publications.
AASLH (American Association for State and Local
History) 530 Church Street, Suite 600
Nashville, TN 37219-2325
Tel: (615) 255-2971
Fax: (615) 255-2979
Web Site: http://www.aaslh.org/
ACCG (Association County Commissioners of Georgia) 50 Hurt Plaza, Suite 1000
Atlanta, GA 30303
Tel: (404) 522-5022
Fax: (404) 525-2477
Web Site: http://www.com/accg/index.html
ARMA (Association of Records Managers and
Administrators) 4200 Somerset Drive, Suite 215
Prairie Village, KS 66208
Tel: (913) 341-3808
U.S./Canadian WATS: (800) 422-2762
Fax: (913) 341-3742
E-mail: hq@arma.org
Web Site: http://www.arma.org/hq
CPCJ (Council of Probate Court Judges)
GAAO (Georgia Association of Assessing Officials) James R. Davis, Chairman Macon/Bibb County Assessors
Room 300-439
Cotton Avenue
Southern Trust Building
Macon, Georgia 31201
Tel: (912) 742-2254
GAH (Georgia Association of Historians)
GAMG (Georgia Association of Museums and Galleries)
ICMA (International City/County Management
Association) Publications Department
777 N. Capitol Street, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20002-4201
Tel: (202) 289-4262
Fax: (202) 962-3500
Web Site: http://www.ncl.org/anr/partners/intccman.htm
NAGARA (National Association of Government Archives
and Records Administrators) Publications and Membership Services Office
48 Howard Street
Albany, NY 12208
Tel: (518) 463-8644
Fax: (518) 463-8656
Web Site: http://www.nagara.org
SAA (Society of American Archivists) Membership Services
527 South Wells, 5th Floor
Chicago, IL 60607
Tel: (312) 922-0140
Fax: (312) 347-1452
E-mail: info@archvists.org
Web Site: http://www.archivists.org/
SCCA (Superior Court Clerks' Association)
SGA (Society of Georgia Archivists) P.O. Box 133085
Atlanta, GA 30333
Web Site: http://www.soga.org/
There are government archives, information, and records of
government management programs in every state. Federal, state, county, and local
jurisdictions are all home to programs such as these. They are a tremendous resource for
you. Particularly as sources for program bench marking. Do not be concerned about
whether or not your agency is operating at the same government level. The common approach
is definitely that we are all in this together!
For example, the National Archives' Library and Information
Center is as ready and able to assist a local government agency as it is a federal agency.
The National Archives even has a very active intergovernmental programs office that seeks
to work with government agencies at all levels to find solutions to common problems and to
explore common issues.
There are many available opportunities for training and
education in this area of interest. There are a number of courses offered by Georgia's
community colleges, four-year colleges, and universities that apply directly to
information and records management. Each year a number of special conferences and annual
meetings relating to these subjects take place around the state. Hands-on workshops are
often provided at these events. By making contact with associations, other government
agencies, and other resources mentioned in this Guide, you will learn about these
training activities and be able to take advantage of them.
Contact the Georgia Records Association, the Department of
Archives and History, or your agency records officer for information on current sources of
funding and other financial support. Do not rule out sources such as assistance in kind,
academic internships, and volunteer support.
The Georgia Records Act [O.C.G.A. § 50-18-94.(7)]
states that it is the duty of each agency to designate an agency records management
officer who shall establish and operate a records management program. This Records
Management Officer must become one of your agency's key information resources
players.
This person will supervise the implementation of a records
management plan, serve as liaison between the agency personnel and the GDAH, review all
agency retention schedule applications, and make recommendations on records management
needs within the agency.
The responsibilities of this administrator will be to:
develop, and gain agency administrative approval for, and
coordinate the application of agency-wide policies and procedures for record keeping
activities;
advise the agency administration on records management needs
and issues;
educate agency administrators, managers, and staff in the
application of records management techniques and standards for appropriate information
systems;
maintain a comprehensive and current inventory of all agency
records;
establish and coordinate an agency-wide system for developing
and submitting to the State Records Committee, through the GDAH, recommended retention
schedules for each record series that is not covered by a state-wide common retention
schedule;
coordinate an agency-wide system to prevent disclosure of
confidential information and to provide the public access to information that is not
confidential;
maintain communications with the State Records Management
Program staff and records administrators in other agencies;
direct individuals in matters relating to records management;
include current agency record keeping responsibilities in all
staff job descriptions. <<>>
