Introduction
Welcome to Records Management, and your important role in managing the vital information of Dartmouth College.
This website is designed for Administrative Assistants and any others whose responsibilities include the management of information and records in an office environment. It is intended to help you work more effectively, both within your office and with the Records Management program.
Although this website will be of most use to your designated Records Custodian, (a role explained in Section 2) it contains information of value to anyone who creates and maintains records. You are urged to share this information widely, with any individuals who may be involved in your record-keeping systems.
Who and what is Records Management?
The Dartmouth College Records Management program was founded in 1985,
with the goal of bringing a consistent approach to Dartmouth record keeping
practices, freeing up valuable office space from record storage, and ensuring
the retention of vital documents. The program has evolved to provide a variety
of services to College departments, including:
Records Management maintains a commitment to service. The program's charge is to help you and your department to manage your material in a way that best serves your own needs, while protecting you (and the institution) from legal and fiscal liability.
Why use Records Management ?
Records Management is here to serve you! By using Records Management
services you can significantly increase the efficiency of your operation, while
still maintaining control of and access to your material. Some reasons to use Records Management include:
- You retain ownership of your records. Records Management ensures that you always retain control over your stored records. All material is managed under the direct guidance of your departmental Records Custodian, and can be accessed and retrieved at any time. When appropriate, access to your records can be limited to designated individuals, thus ensuring confidentiality .
- Space savings. Inactive and low-use record storage in active office space is a very inefficient proposition. As record inventories and staffing needs continue to grow, many offices are faced with both limited space and growing record maintenance needs. Moving your inactive and low-use records to the Records Management facility frees up valuable office space for other uses, and frees your staff to do other more pressing tasks. The savings and cost-avoidance can be significant.
- Protection of your records. As in-office storage space dwindles, it is not uncommon to find records being stored under conditions that are not conducive to their proper maintenance. Attics and basements are often hot, humid, dry, or subject to mildew. Many institutions lose their vital records in such conditions. By contrast, storing your inactive and low-use records off-site, in a properly and professionally maintained facility, ensures continuity in the event of a localized disaster. It also slows the deterioration of vital historically, legally and fiscally relevant documents, thus providing increased peace of mind.
- Personal and institutional protection. Through consulting with Records Management you can ensure that your retention of records is neither too short, nor too long. Records maintained for an insufficient period can constitute a legal and fiscal liability for your department and the College. Records maintained too long can also provide this kind of liability, as well as incurring unnecessary maintenance costs. The Records Management retention scheduling process minimizes these problems.
- Improved access. Inactive records stored on-site are often poorly organized and cataloged, and in inconvenient locations. In contrast, Records Management catalogs each incoming record to the file folder level using a sophisticated computer system. This high degree of automation ensures that Records Management can access and deliver records to you, usually in four to six working hours. This saves research time and the file is delivered directly to your office.
Other than an initial charge to purchase the storage boxes, using Records Management is free. There are no costs to either pick up or deliver records, and no ongoing storage fees. Even the secure record disposition service is free.
