MANAGING RECORDS

All public agencies rely on records and information to make decisions, evaluate processes, measure performance, and design products or services. Records and information management (RIM) provides the tools and resources for ensuring that the right information is always available to the right people at the right times.

By investing time to understand government records and information, public agencies can significantly:

• improve operations
• minimize litigation risks
• decrease retrieval and response time
• reduce unnecessary costs

While public agencies are responsible for their own records programs, the Vermont State Archives recognizes that complying with Federal and State requirements and regulations for recordkeeping can be a daunting task. Therefore this website is designed to provide professional assistance to public agencies in managing their records and information. The website also demonstrates how public agencies can collaborate with the Vermont State Archives to develop comprehensive records programs.

WHY THE VERMONT STATE ARCHIVES CARES

Whereas public agencies are held accountable for their actions through their records, the Vermont State Archives is accountable for the records themselves: the Archives is charged with preserving records of the State for the purpose of documenting our government's functions, activities, people, and the public that we serve. Records that fulfill this function are considered archival. This means that their value is continual rather than finite. 

Many people mistake archival records as being old, paper records that, for some reason, happened to be saved.  Archival records are created every day by public employees throughout the State. A 2006 computer-generated record, for example, has the same potential to be archival as an 18th century handwritten ledger.  Rather than age or appearance, continuing value is determined by the content of the record and the context in which the record was created or received. Records appraised as archival must be managed accordingly, regardless of format, and "saved" in a manner that promotes current and future access.

To learn more about Managing Records, CONTACT:

TANYA MARSHALL, Assistant State Archivist

EMAIL:

PHONE: 802-828-0405