Text Box: Office of the Secretary of State

Text Box: Vermont State Archives and Records Administration

Text Box: Records and Information Management Update

Text Box: Spring 2011

Text Box: Public Records Law and Records Management Training at The Summit

Text Box: The Vermont State Archives and Records Administration (VSARA) is pleased to offer training sessions to records officers, liaisons and other State employees who are responsible for managing records and information, including requests for access to records.  “Got Records? Now What?” is a three hour workshop which introduces: · Principles of records and information management · Best practices, tools, and resources currently available · Statutory requirements and exemptions associated with records · Procedures for responding to record requests We’ll be offering two sessions of the course in March, on the 21st from 12:30 to 3:30 and on the 28th from 9:00 to 12:00.  Register for the courses through the Summit: http://humanresources.vermont.gov/training/the_summit/classroom_online_training. If you are interested in attending this training but are unable to attend these sessions, contact Rachel Muse at or 828-2397.

Text Box: Gregory Sanford Receives Vermont Press Association Award

Text Box: Congratulations to State Archivist Gregory Sanford– recipient of the Matthew Lyon Award from the Vermont Press Association.  The Matthew Lyon Award, named for the Vermont congressman who was jailed under the Sedition Act in 1798 for sending a letter to the editor criticizing President John Adams, is presented to a Vermonter who exhibits a lifetime commitment to the First Amendment.  Gregory is honored for his leadership in efforts for open access to public records and sound records management in state government.

Text Box: 2011 Open House Dates Text Box: Open houses are held at the Vermont State Archives and Records Administration twice a month.  At these events we provide informal, basic training in records management and using the State Records Center, as well as giving our users the opportunity to tour our facilities and meet staff here at VSARA.  We encourage new records officers and liaisons, or anyone who has never been to VSARA, to attend!  We tailor our open houses to meet the needs of attendees, so call or email today to schedule a visit! Tuesday Morning Sessions  (9:30 - 11:00 am) Wednesday March 2 (due to the 3/1 holiday) April 5 May 3 June 7 Thursday Afternoon Sessions (1:30 - 3:00 pm) March 24 April 28 May 26 Email us at or call Rachel Muse at 828-2397 if you’d like to attend.  

Text Box: New General Records Schedules Available

Text Box: VSARA staff have released three new General Record Schedules (GRS) for use by any state agency or department that adopts them. In December, 2010 VSARA released a GRS for Transitory Records.  This schedule replaces the “Non-Record Material” schedule developed by the Public Records Advisory Board in 2001.  This schedule covers records that are created and received in the course of agency business but transitory in nature.  These records are not subject to legal requirements and become obsolete upon completion of an action or process. In January, 2011, we released an Accounting Records GRS.  This schedule provides retention requirements and guidance for maintaining an agency’s accounting records, audit reports, VISION financial system print-outs and more.  Finally, in February we released a GRS to cover records related to Grants Management.  This schedule should be valuable to any agency that grants or sub-grants funds.  If you have already completed a Notice of Adoption to use General Record Schedules, we encourage you to review these schedules and update your Records and Information Policy to reflect how you will use them. If you are not using GRS and feel that they would be useful in your department or agency, you can find a Notice of Adoption form and information on these  and other general schedules on our website: http://vermont-archives.org/records/schedules/general/.

Text Box: New State Records Center Procedure: Re-files and Interfiles Text Box: In March 2011, VSARA issued a new procedure for re-filing and interfiling records in the State Records Center, which is effective immediately. Please review the procedure online at: http://vermont-archives.org/records/handbook/pdf/VSARA0011.pdf VSARA has been monitoring and analyzing records submitted for re-filing and interfiling since November 2008. The addition of records into existing files (whether added by the agency after the file has been requested or by our staff through interfiling) may change retention requirements on the original box. Or, retention requirements for the records being returned or submitted for interfiling may have already met their retention requirements. There is now a required review process before submitting any interfiles and, under certain circumstances, some refiles (records being returned).    

Text Box: RIM Fast Fact! Text Box: Roughly 25 percent of the data backed-up through IT systems “is not needed for business or should not be kept.” -"Information Management Health Check Survey" Symantec, 2010  

Text Box: Questions or Comments?  Email us at .

Text Box: Vermont State Archives and Records Administration 1078 US RTE 2, Middlesex ● Montpelier, VT 05633-7701 Tel: (802) 828-3700 ● Fax: (802) 828-3710 http://vermont-archives.org/   Find the RIM Update online at: http://vermont-archives.org/publications/records/index.htm

Text Box: Records and Information Management in Action at ESD!

Text Box: We are always excited to work with state agencies developing records management programs.  VSARA provides guidance with developing records retention schedules, creating file structures in electronic records system, developing file plans for paper records and helping to organize and streamline office processes.  One unit that found working with VSARA to be helpful in a number of ways was the Economic Services Division of the Department for Children and Families.  Marcia Guyette, a team leader on this project, has this to say about her experience: “The staff at VSARA was extremely helpful in developing a comprehensive records retention schedule for the Economic Services Division of the Department for Children and Families.  Scott Reilly [who now works in VSARA’s State Archives Unit] was instrumental in the entire process – conducting extensive research of the law on retention of all our documents, as well as meeting with all program staff to confirm that all documents we handle were identified.  Because of this work we now have a detailed retention schedule to follow in developing not only our paper files, but our electronic filing system as well.  We could not have completed this document without VSARA’s help.” 

Text Box: Mike Donoghue of the Burlington Free Press, Gregory Sanford and Governor Peter Shumlin.  Photograph by Jeannette Wulff.