GCAH Episcoal Records Handout
Slide 2
___________________________________ Records Management
___________________________________
What to Keep and What to Toss
___________________________________ ___________________________________ General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________
Slide 4 What is the Bottom Line?
___________________________________
• 1711.3.b) The bishops, . . . of The United Methodist Church shall deposit official minutes or journals, or copies of the same, in the archives . . . And shall transfer correspondence, records, papers and other archival materials described above [ see para. 1711.1.b)] from their offices when they no longer have operational usefulness. General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Slide 5 Important Term
___________________________________
• No longer has operational usefulness • So what does that mean? – Operational – Usefulness
___________________________________
• We need to understand the workings of records in the office. General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Slide 6 What’s a Record
___________________________________
• See para 1711.1.b) for a really long definition, but it means anything created by your office in connection with any function or duties of your office. • That’s a lot of stuff! • So, how do we relate the record with operational usefulness? General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________
Slide 7 Life Cycle of a Record
___________________________________
• We can think of records as having a life – They are created • They are made for some purpose
– They are used
___________________________________
• People use them for a some length of time
– They are no longer needed • The information is superceded, replaced or no longer needed
• The end of a record’s life is when it no longer serves a useful administrative function General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Slide 8 How GCAH Helps
___________________________________
• If you haven’t touched the record on a regular basis – You probably don’t need it in your office or on your computer
___________________________________
• Send the record to GCAH – We’ll take care of it – We’ll send a copy to you if you need it
___________________________________
• That is our Ministry of Memory General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Slide 9 What is Records Management
___________________________________
The attempt to systematically control your records. Its basic purpose is to help answer that nagging question of what do I keep, for how long do I keep it and when can I remove it from my office?
___________________________________ ___________________________________
General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________
Slide 10 Reasons for Records Management
___________________________________
• Preservation of the Important and the Historical – In order for our future to have a past we must be concerned for the records of today – A concern for the historical, the legal and the fiscal needs of our church and conference motivates us to faithfully preserve our important records General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Slide 11 Reasons for Records Management • Effective Use of Space and Time
___________________________________
– The cost of keeping records in an office is the second greatest expenditure in the church – Record creation, maintenance, filing, storage space and equipment all contribute to the high cost of keeping records – Prevent the unwarranted accumulation of obsolete records and the unauthorized or arbitrary destruction of records – We need to have at hand the records we need to conduct today’s ministry General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Slide 12 Reasons for Records Management
___________________________________
• Legal - Fiscal Reasons – Ensure compliance with recordkeeping requirements specified in legal statutes – Ensure records needed for evidentiary purposes will be available and facilitate compliance with discovery requests – We need to be able to show to others, when necessary, that the church is caring for its records in a responsible manner General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________
Slide 13 How to Appraise a Record
___________________________________
• Is the record needed for some on-going or future task? • Is there legal or fiscal need to keep the record in the office? • What is the historical significance of the record? • Otherwise the record can be disposed General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Slide 14 What About Electronic Records?
___________________________________
• Treat your electronic records the same way you treat your paper records • Many of them will need to be transferred to GCAH • If you print out a copy and file it, it is preferable to send the paper copy to GCAH. • Most ‘born-digital’ records will stay digital. General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Slide 15
___________________________________
How to Prepare and Preserve eRecords
___________________________________
• What type of formats can GCAH accept? – We’ll accept them all. Can’t guarantee that all will survive
___________________________________
• Best if you can use standard formats, like Word, WordPerfect, etc. • Store some of your completed records as a PDF/a document
___________________________________
– Web-based docs especially, also minutes General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________
Slide 16 Email
___________________________________
• Do you know where your e-mail is? – Email programs only give the user a ‘view’ of our e-mail. – Do you know where it physically is on your computer? – Is it on your PC? Who controls your e-mail? – Find out and get/make backups
___________________________________ ___________________________________
• Then you’ll be ready to transfer your e-mail General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Slide 17 Email • • • •
___________________________________
Transferring e-mail Create special folders/groups in your system Move/copy e-mail to those folders ‘Peal’ those folders from your system and transfer
___________________________________
– This means that you’ll have to go into your file folder system, find the correct folder and move it General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Slide 18 Basic Records to Keep
___________________________________
• Administrative reports and Committee reports – Minutes of meetings, staff, cabinet, etc.
___________________________________
• Newsletters, blogs and other public documents • Correspondence related to any general agency or other institutions outside the conference. General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________
Slide 19 Basic Records to Keep
___________________________________
• Correspondence which reflect work with committees, policy or programs • Records which give evidence of the primary task of the bishop’s office. • For more see: • http://www.gcah.org/site/c.ghKJI0PHIoE/b. 2858897/k.9D47/Episcopal_Office.htm General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Slide 20 Preparing for Shipment
___________________________________
• Archival and Temporary Records to be identified • Boxes selected for shipment • Container lists created for the folders in each box
___________________________________ ___________________________________
General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Slide 21 From File Cabinet
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________
Slide 22 Separating out the Archival
___________________________________
• The Archival and temporary material should not be mixed • Non-permanent material is kept locally in storage. • Easier to start processing the archival material
___________________________________ ___________________________________
General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Slide 23 Boxes for Shipping
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Slide 24 Packing the Boxes
___________________________________
• Remove the folders from your file cabinets in order • You want the order of the folders in the boxes to reflect their order in your filing system • Firmly pack them into the boxes • You will then be ready to make a container list : http://www.kintera.org/atf/cf/%7B9FFCD624-0CB2-4EB6-
___________________________________ ___________________________________
9D68-68E9775A36DA%7D/Transmittal_Form.xls General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________
Slide 26 The Container List
___________________________________
• The Container list - called a transmittal form - is like a packing slip - it allows us and you know what you’ve sent • You need to identify the office • If possible identify groupings - called series - like “Contracts” or “Reports” • Each folder in a box needs to be listed General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Slide 27 The Transmittal Form
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________
Slide 28 Office Information
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Slide 29 Folder Information
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Slide 30 Transferring eRecords • You don’t need to fill out a transmittal form the files
___________________________________
– We’ll do that for you. – Or you can request a copy of our program for your office.
___________________________________
• Avoid using CDs/DVDs if possible • Transfer via the ‘Cloud’ • Our system will allow you to drag-and-drop your files General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________
Slide 31 Transferring eRecords
___________________________________
• General Steps in eTransfer – Create a shared Resource with GCAH – Place files into the ‘box’ – GCAH will remove the files and leave a transmittal form – Move this form from the ‘box’ and store in a safe place
General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Slide 32 Summary of the Process
___________________________________
• Identify which records are current, which are temporary and which are archival • Toss the transitory records when done with them • Hold on to the temporary until no longer needed • See that the archival are transferred to GCAH General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Contact me at: L Dale Patterson [email protected] and our website is: www.gcah.org Be sure to visit the “Ministry” Section. 973‐408‐3195 GCAH 36 Madison Ave. Madison, NJ 07940
___________________________________ Records Management
___________________________________
What to Keep and What to Toss
___________________________________ ___________________________________ General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________
Slide 4 What is the Bottom Line?
___________________________________
• 1711.3.b) The bishops, . . . of The United Methodist Church shall deposit official minutes or journals, or copies of the same, in the archives . . . And shall transfer correspondence, records, papers and other archival materials described above [ see para. 1711.1.b)] from their offices when they no longer have operational usefulness. General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Slide 5 Important Term
___________________________________
• No longer has operational usefulness • So what does that mean? – Operational – Usefulness
___________________________________
• We need to understand the workings of records in the office. General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Slide 6 What’s a Record
___________________________________
• See para 1711.1.b) for a really long definition, but it means anything created by your office in connection with any function or duties of your office. • That’s a lot of stuff! • So, how do we relate the record with operational usefulness? General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________
Slide 7 Life Cycle of a Record
___________________________________
• We can think of records as having a life – They are created • They are made for some purpose
– They are used
___________________________________
• People use them for a some length of time
– They are no longer needed • The information is superceded, replaced or no longer needed
• The end of a record’s life is when it no longer serves a useful administrative function General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Slide 8 How GCAH Helps
___________________________________
• If you haven’t touched the record on a regular basis – You probably don’t need it in your office or on your computer
___________________________________
• Send the record to GCAH – We’ll take care of it – We’ll send a copy to you if you need it
___________________________________
• That is our Ministry of Memory General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Slide 9 What is Records Management
___________________________________
The attempt to systematically control your records. Its basic purpose is to help answer that nagging question of what do I keep, for how long do I keep it and when can I remove it from my office?
___________________________________ ___________________________________
General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________
Slide 10 Reasons for Records Management
___________________________________
• Preservation of the Important and the Historical – In order for our future to have a past we must be concerned for the records of today – A concern for the historical, the legal and the fiscal needs of our church and conference motivates us to faithfully preserve our important records General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Slide 11 Reasons for Records Management • Effective Use of Space and Time
___________________________________
– The cost of keeping records in an office is the second greatest expenditure in the church – Record creation, maintenance, filing, storage space and equipment all contribute to the high cost of keeping records – Prevent the unwarranted accumulation of obsolete records and the unauthorized or arbitrary destruction of records – We need to have at hand the records we need to conduct today’s ministry General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Slide 12 Reasons for Records Management
___________________________________
• Legal - Fiscal Reasons – Ensure compliance with recordkeeping requirements specified in legal statutes – Ensure records needed for evidentiary purposes will be available and facilitate compliance with discovery requests – We need to be able to show to others, when necessary, that the church is caring for its records in a responsible manner General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________
Slide 13 How to Appraise a Record
___________________________________
• Is the record needed for some on-going or future task? • Is there legal or fiscal need to keep the record in the office? • What is the historical significance of the record? • Otherwise the record can be disposed General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Slide 14 What About Electronic Records?
___________________________________
• Treat your electronic records the same way you treat your paper records • Many of them will need to be transferred to GCAH • If you print out a copy and file it, it is preferable to send the paper copy to GCAH. • Most ‘born-digital’ records will stay digital. General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Slide 15
___________________________________
How to Prepare and Preserve eRecords
___________________________________
• What type of formats can GCAH accept? – We’ll accept them all. Can’t guarantee that all will survive
___________________________________
• Best if you can use standard formats, like Word, WordPerfect, etc. • Store some of your completed records as a PDF/a document
___________________________________
– Web-based docs especially, also minutes General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________
Slide 16 Email
___________________________________
• Do you know where your e-mail is? – Email programs only give the user a ‘view’ of our e-mail. – Do you know where it physically is on your computer? – Is it on your PC? Who controls your e-mail? – Find out and get/make backups
___________________________________ ___________________________________
• Then you’ll be ready to transfer your e-mail General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Slide 17 Email • • • •
___________________________________
Transferring e-mail Create special folders/groups in your system Move/copy e-mail to those folders ‘Peal’ those folders from your system and transfer
___________________________________
– This means that you’ll have to go into your file folder system, find the correct folder and move it General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Slide 18 Basic Records to Keep
___________________________________
• Administrative reports and Committee reports – Minutes of meetings, staff, cabinet, etc.
___________________________________
• Newsletters, blogs and other public documents • Correspondence related to any general agency or other institutions outside the conference. General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________
Slide 19 Basic Records to Keep
___________________________________
• Correspondence which reflect work with committees, policy or programs • Records which give evidence of the primary task of the bishop’s office. • For more see: • http://www.gcah.org/site/c.ghKJI0PHIoE/b. 2858897/k.9D47/Episcopal_Office.htm General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Slide 20 Preparing for Shipment
___________________________________
• Archival and Temporary Records to be identified • Boxes selected for shipment • Container lists created for the folders in each box
___________________________________ ___________________________________
General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Slide 21 From File Cabinet
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________
Slide 22 Separating out the Archival
___________________________________
• The Archival and temporary material should not be mixed • Non-permanent material is kept locally in storage. • Easier to start processing the archival material
___________________________________ ___________________________________
General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Slide 23 Boxes for Shipping
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Slide 24 Packing the Boxes
___________________________________
• Remove the folders from your file cabinets in order • You want the order of the folders in the boxes to reflect their order in your filing system • Firmly pack them into the boxes • You will then be ready to make a container list : http://www.kintera.org/atf/cf/%7B9FFCD624-0CB2-4EB6-
___________________________________ ___________________________________
9D68-68E9775A36DA%7D/Transmittal_Form.xls General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________
Slide 26 The Container List
___________________________________
• The Container list - called a transmittal form - is like a packing slip - it allows us and you know what you’ve sent • You need to identify the office • If possible identify groupings - called series - like “Contracts” or “Reports” • Each folder in a box needs to be listed General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Slide 27 The Transmittal Form
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________
Slide 28 Office Information
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Slide 29 Folder Information
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Slide 30 Transferring eRecords • You don’t need to fill out a transmittal form the files
___________________________________
– We’ll do that for you. – Or you can request a copy of our program for your office.
___________________________________
• Avoid using CDs/DVDs if possible • Transfer via the ‘Cloud’ • Our system will allow you to drag-and-drop your files General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________
Slide 31 Transferring eRecords
___________________________________
• General Steps in eTransfer – Create a shared Resource with GCAH – Place files into the ‘box’ – GCAH will remove the files and leave a transmittal form – Move this form from the ‘box’ and store in a safe place
General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Slide 32 Summary of the Process
___________________________________
• Identify which records are current, which are temporary and which are archival • Toss the transitory records when done with them • Hold on to the temporary until no longer needed • See that the archival are transferred to GCAH General Commission on Archives and History
___________________________________ ___________________________________
___________________________________ ___________________________________ ___________________________________
Contact me at: L Dale Patterson [email protected] and our website is: www.gcah.org Be sure to visit the “Ministry” Section. 973‐408‐3195 GCAH 36 Madison Ave. Madison, NJ 07940
