I
Irotection
Information Resources
Management
(3404)
c/EPA INFO ACCESS
EPA 220-N-95-011
Issue Number 56
August 1995
Records Network Communications
RECORDS MANAGEMENT TALKS WITH MIDDLE MANAGEMENT
IN THIS ISSUE
by Michael L Miller, Agency Records Officer
How can records managers assist
middle managers such as division
directors and others holding similar
positions? For electronic records
programs, middle management also
includes IRM branch chiefs in
Regional offices and the Senior IRM
Officials (SIRMOs) at Headquarters.
Middle managers are generally
responsible for the operation of a
single program or closely related set of
programs. They are charged with
making sure that their program is in
synch with Agency priorities and
operates effectively and efficiently
with no glitches or embarrassing
problems. There are two areas of
importance to middle managers that
are in tune with other priorities in
government today.
PROGRAM ACCOUNTABILITY
The first is accountability. Middle
managers generally oversee a set of
programs that should have defined
recordkeeping requirements. They can
appreciate the examples of risk
avoidance discussed in the last issue of
INFO ACCESS because they are
responsible for the overall program
documentation. Therefore, they should
be attuned to the types of
recordkeeping necessary to document
program activities for accountability
purposes. Issues like sound science,
negotiated regulation development,
litigation support, the need for strong
documentation to present for external
and peer review, and public access will
KM talks with MM continued on page 2
ATTENTION
Due to budget constraints, the September 1995 issue of INFO ACCESS will
be the last issue mailed to recipients outside of EPA.
We are working hard to locate a suitable host (server) on the Internet to
post this publication, and will provide information about where to find
INFO ACCESS in the September issue of INFO ACCESS. If you are
looking for and can't find the electronic copy of INFO ACCESS, feel free to
contact NRMP after October 1995 by telephone at (202) 260-5272 or via
E-mail at: Sallaway.Susan@epamail.epa.gov.
Thanks for listening and for your wonderful feedback. We have enjoyed
knowing you and we look forward to an electronic future together!
PAGES
INTRODUCING THE
RECORDS MANAGEMENT COLLECTION
PAGES
ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE ON
"THE PAPERLESS OFFICE"
PAGE 4
NOTES FROM THE
RECORDS MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE
PAGES
OSWER RECORDS MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE
PAGE 6
DoD RECORDS MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
PAGE?
VITAL RECORDS—
A WORD ABOUT DEVELOPING PROGRAMS
PAGES
TECHNOLOGY CORNER
PAGE?
ASK DR. RECORDS
PAGE 10
AROUND THE RECORDS NETWORK
PAGE 12
NEWS FROM NARA AND
NARA E-MAIL CATALOGING SYSTEM
PAGE 13
GENERAL RECORDS SCHEDULES
Now AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET
PAGE 14
THE ARCHIVIST ADDRESSES NAGARA
PAGE 14
AGENCYWIDE NARA NETWORK
PAGE 15
RECORD INVENTORIES—SOMETIMES You WIN,
OTHER TIMES You...—LESSONS LEARNED
PAGE 16
ARMSTRONG v BUSH
PAGE 17
CONTACT LIST UPDATES
PAGE 18
GILS DEVELOPMENT
PAGE 19
CAN You MATCH
THESE TERMS WITH THE DEFINITIONS?
i Printed on Recycled Papei
-------
INFO ACCESS
AUGUST 1995
RM talks with /W/Wfrom page 1
be of concern to them. The hook here
is to demonstrate that the ability to
define recordkeeping requirements
offers Middle Managers several
advantages:
• It provides clearly defined
objectives for the records.
• It limits their records liability.
• It ensures that they can meet their
recordkeeping responsibilities.
• It helps their staff locate
information needed to respond to
their information needs.
CROSS PROGRAM
INFORMATION INTEGRATION
Second, there is a growing need to
integrate information across program
lines. It is most frequently discussed in
terms of automated systems, but the
same advantages hold true for
integrating hard copy documents as
well. Some examples of this are the
common sense initiative, place-based
or community-based environmental
strategies, and, again, public access
and responses to Freedom of
Information and discovery requests. In
each case, the Agency needs to be able
to quickly and efficiently bring
together extensive information from
various programs. A good records
management program is key to all of
these endeavors.
OUR CONTRIBUTIONS
What kinds of products or services do
you sell to middle managers? Several
come to mind:
• Recordkeeping requirements.
These will provide the baseline for
the types of documents that need to
be retained for which their program
will be held accountable.
Electronic records. Division
directors have had to think about
how to file and retrieve electronic
records on their own. Build on that
to explain that the electronic records
management issues need to be
addressed.
Division-wide and cross-program
file plans. These will allow them to
integrate information from related
records across branches.
Records management policies.
Identify those areas where policies
can serve to reinforce division
procedures and agendas.
Centralized filing. Inactive records
and records of legal importance
should be maintained in a central
location.
Vital records program. Determine
how the division would reconstitute
records if disaster struck.
Automation initiatives. Identify
ways in which automation can result
in major improvements in
productivity or reduction of
resources required for operations.
INFO ACCESS
INFO ACCESS, a forum to provide information and report on progress in
information management across the Agency, is produced by the
Information Access Branch (IAB) of the Information Management and
Services Division (IMSD), Washington, DC, under the direction of
Michael L. Miller, National Records Management Program Manager.
Please send comments and suggestions to: Siusan Sallaway (contractor),
Network Coordinator, 3404, EPA National Records Management Program,
401 M Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460. Telephone: 202-260-5272.
Electronic mail: Sallaway.Susan@epamail.epa.gov.
WHAT WE NEED FROM THEM
In theory, middle management should
be your most effective champion. Triey
are close enough to the action to feel
the heat, but removed enough to have
some perspective and recognize the
need to change how things are done to
meet new Agency priorities. Keep
them in the loop as much as possible.
This is especially true of the IRM
branch chiefs and SIRMOs at
Headquarters. Stress the need to
prepare for the future when most of
our important records will be
maintained electronically.
Can middle managers help you?
Definitely yes. A lot can be done in a
major way at the division level,
especially in Regional offices. The
I
division directors are key to any
records management improvement
process. Division directors operate on
a scale that makes sense for a recordfs
program. If middle managers get
involved, there is the opportunity to
make significant records management
improvements. •
-------
INFO ACCESS • AUGUST 1995
INTRODUCING THE RECORDS MANAGEMENT COLLECTION
Are you struggling with the lonely task
of developing a file plan and
wondering how others have
approached such a daunting project?
Have you despaired of ever locating a
copy of the 1991 edition of Analysis
and Recommendations for Superfund
Records Management Guidelines:
Final Records Management Analytical
Plan] In your most fevered records
manager dreams did you ever imagine
that someday you would have access to
a fully-indexed computer database of
more than 350 records management
manuals, books, reports, and studies?
With the introduction of the Records
Management Collection (RMC), the
National Records Management
Program (NRMP) has made that dream
a reality. Using Inmagic software with
full-text search capability, NRMP has
cataloged and indexed a wide variety
of records and information
management documents. Products in
the RMC are available for loan to
interested EPA personnel and many
items are available for distribution.
Among the items available in the
collection are EPA fliers and technical
papers, posters, videos, training
packages, presentations, NARA and
GSA publications, magazines, file
plans, and contractor reports. The
database allows full-text search on a
variety of fields, including title, author,
subject, and publication date.
If you need help in locating a
particular publication or product,
please call the NRMP at 202-260-
5272, or send a message to Susan
Sallaway (contractor) on All-in-One at
Sallaway.Susan.
Use this resource as your own
personal RM lending library. New
entries are constantly being added to
the database and NRMP encourages
those in the records network to submit
items for possible inclusion in the
collection. •
ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE ON "THE PAPERLESS OFFICE"
Xplor International is the association
of the global electronic document
systems industry. The executive
director, Dr. Keith T. Davidson, was
interviewed in the June issue of
Government Imaging. Davidson feels
the paperless office is not nearly as
imminent as some may believe.
He argued that since "the volume of
information required by our
information-dependent organizations is
doubling once every three to four
years, the amount of paperwork will
keep growing. By the year 2004, the
pile of information on your desk will
be 30 percent paper and 70 percent
electronic, compared to 90 percent
paper today." Therefore, while the
scope of paper's usage will shrink, the
actual paper usage will grow.
Davidson outlines the following
four reasons why he thinks the
paperless office is still a futuristic idea:
1. Paper is permanent. Currently,
there is no other permanent method
of information storage and retrieval.
"Over the years we've developed a
cultural bias because of its
dependability. Ask anyone who has
hours of creative work on the
computer screen and the lights
flicker because of a cranky air
conditioner," says Davidson.
2. Paper has a presence in our legal
system. "It's why you need an
original instead of a copy. In a
contract dispute for anything more
than $500 you need a signed
agreement if you want the judge to
rule in your favor. The need to have
it in writing is the law of the land,"
explains the Xplor executive
director.
3. "Paper is built into our traditions
and is part of our society's
institutions. Most of our daily
newspapers are the size they are for
a reason—an historic reason. For
hundreds of years we've had the
broad-sheet size of newspaper
because the English crown taxed
newspaper by the sheet. Publishers
from the 15th and 16th century
printed their papers on the largest
sheet the presses would
accommodate. Publishers today
continue the tradition."
4. Paper is the ideal human interface.
According to Davidson, "through
Paperless continued on page 7
-------
INFO ACCESS • AUGUST 1995
NOTES FROM THE RECORDS MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE
June 20-22, 1995
The Records Management and Library
Services Conference was held June
20—22, 1995 in Alexandria, Virginia.
The second day of the conference,
sponsored by NRMP, focused on
agency-wide records issues. The third
day of the conference, sponsored by
OSWER, concentrated on OSWER
records management issues. The
following articles are highlights of the
conference.
On Wednesday morning, the
Records Conference discussion
centered on inventories, file plans, and
schedules. The first session was a
panel of experts who addressed
conducting inventories.
INVENTORIES
OARM's Jim Baca advised "take the
time you need upfront to think through
the issues and gather data before
preparing the Statement of Work."
After his project was underway, Jim
learned that OARM had 1500
workstations, not the 1000 he planned
for. He stressed salesmanship,
patience, and tenacity as important
qualities when conducting an
inventory. Jim feels the inventory is a
necessary part of the overall records
management plan, but strongly advised
those undertaking one to talk to people
who have been through it.
Bob Nawrocki, (contractor) for the
AO project, felt the Baseline Survey
should be used as guide from which to
develop a inventory plan to suit your
own programs needs. He suggested
that the "walk through" could be used
for introductions, to get an idea of
where the records are, to identify
potential trouble spots, and to get a
sense of the overall layout and
operations. Then, educate the staff
about what to expect during the
inventory. Follow with the detailed
inventory, when everyone knows what
to expect and understands what you
will need.
Bette Drury (contractor) from
OSWER, stressed management of the
inventory as a part of your overall
program and finding a champion. A
mandate is very important. OSWER
records people have received a great
level of support and they have been
making steady progress for four years
now.
Bette advised, "base your next
project on what was learned in the last
one. Break projects into bite-size
pieces and keep moving forward.
People love retiring records and clean-
up days. They get results!"
Bette shared samples of inventory
questions and interview matrices that
have been used successfully in
OSWER. The OSWER databases, like
the OARM inventory database, is an
excellent tool to manipulate
information and build a knowledge
base about their records.
Sue Mercuric said that Cincinnati
developed their file plans first, and
then mandated their use. Management
support was crucial. She also felt that
advertising, training, and increased
program awareness were keys to
success. They held a "Records
Awareness Week" to educate people
about the benefits of organizing files.
This allowed Sue to identify where
more instruction was needed. Sue's
recommendation is to keep training
classes small—less than 20 people, ajnd
to concentrate on the basic records
principles.
Rosa Dickens (contractor) in
Atlanta needed to use a hands-on
management style to get people
involved in the inventory.
Communication, follow-up, and
personal involvement were the keys to
Atlanta's success. She also got great!
support and backing from
management.
Her ability to link benefits of RM to
current events, such as offices being
relocated, was a big help in getting
staff involved. Rosa also credits the
upfront planning they did. Because of
it, everyone knew the purpose of the
project and direction they should go.
Mike Miller summed up inventory
essentials:
• Plan what you want to accomplish
upfront.
• Everyone does it a little differently.
• Look at your organization. (What
are the Potential Benefits to YOUR
program?)
• Use textbooks and Baseline Survey
as "cookbooks" or "toolkits" for
ideas.
• Sell the program and train your
people.
-------
INFO ACCESS • AUGUST 1995
SCHEDULES
After the break, Sandy York,
(contractor) NRMP, delivered an
update on the development of EPA
Records Control Schedules. She
advised that of 520 schedules sent for
jProgram review, only 87 schedules
were currently waiting for approval.
An additional 128 schedules are
awaiting NARA approval. Sandy also
shared the awesome fact that when she
started with the EPA schedules
revision project, there were almost 300
more scheduled items than there are
now and we've even added new items,
especially for electronic records. Bill
Clinton and Al Gore, are you listening?
How's that for paperwork reduction?
COLLECTION
, Susan Sallaway, (contractor) NRMP,
introduced the new Records
Management Collection, a database of
EPA models and products that can be
borrowed by Agency Records Network
personnel when they need RM
information, assistance, or are planning
to implement a similar project to one
already undertaken elsewhere.
FILE GUIDANCE
NRMP also unveiled the new EPA File
Guidance. Though currently in the
developmental stage, this tool will
provide samples of file labelling
procedures for the most commonly
used EPA Records Control Schedules.
Programs in the process of developing
their own file plan format can use
applicable parts of the EPA File
Guidance to develop their own plans.
VITAL RECORDS
After lunch, Charlie Brett from NARA
led a lively discussion about Vital
Records. The topic was also timely, as
the new NARA Vital Records final
rule was published in the Federal
Register on June 7, 1995. Charlie
defined the two types of vital records
(emergency operating records and
legal and financial rights records) and
offered ideas about how to identify
them in individual offices.
Next, Charlie discussed the risk
analysis process. What operations must
continue in an emergency? What are
the responsibilities of agency staff?
What information is needed to
continue operations, to resume normal
business, or to protect legal and
financial rights and interests? These
are the kinds of questions that Charlie
advises that RLO's should answer as
they gather information for their own
Vital Records Plans.
Mr. Brett's conclusion dealt with
records protection levels. All Federal
records have value. The level of value
determines the level of protection.
High value records on special media
must be considered. Are there special
requirements for specific records?
With a little advanced planning, the
information about records gained from
the inventories, and a little homework
comparing the costs of options (such as
records recovery, duplication, or off-
site storage) risk analysis to determine
adequate protection for your vital
records is much easier!
AUDIO VISUAL RECORDS
NARA's Ed McCarter then spoke
about the preservation and
management of audio visual records.
He advised the use of good film for
records, awareness of office storage
procedures, and encouraged setting
aside one permanent copy and letting
copies of slides and still pictures (made
at the time the original is processed) be
circulated.
Ed talked about the changes in
preservation caused by color film, and,
in the not-to-distant future, by digital
images. NARA is working on effective
preservation methods that can protect
digital records for future scholars as
well.
WRAP UP
The afternoon concluded with a
roundtable. The representatives from
each Region and Headquarters
program came up in turn to discuss
what they had accomplished this year.
This was one of the most amazing
parts of the day. The amount of
progress that has been made on many
programs is truly admirable. Everyone
felt the sense of the pride that you feel
when you can look back and see how
far you have progressed over the past
five years. Congratulations! •
D
-------
INFO ACCESS • AUGUST 1995
OSWER RECORDS MANAGEMENT CONFERENCE
Jan Pfundheller, Region 5
ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS
Jan Pfundheller, Region 5 WMD
Records Manager, introduced George
Wyeth, OECA, as the first speaker.
George is currently the chair person of
the ORC/OECA monthly conference
calls concerning Administrative
Record (AR) issues. He shared issues
with the attendees that have been focal
points for the Administrative Records
over the last year. These issues include
use of optical disks for cost recovery
cases, lack of guidance for closeouts,
and the need for complete ARs.
Chad Littleton and Steve Rollins
from OECA also spoke about
Administrative Records. They will put
together a Question and Answer list in
the near future to address the questions
raised last year at the Records
Management Conference. Chad also
spoke about the possibility of archiving
sites that have been removed from
CERCLIS, such as the NFRAP sites,
which will have no further litigation.
He also said sites can be archived that
have been flagged in CERCLIS as
having completed cost recovery. Many
questions were aptly answered by
George, Steve, and Chad on AR issues.
TRIM
Laura Flynn, gave a presentation on
the Taskforce to Reduce Internal
Mandates (TRIM). This initiative came
through an Executive Order, and each
Region and Headquarters Program
prepared an inventory of their internal
directives. The next task for the
workgroup is to do a "quick hit" to the
original list, taking out mandates that
are duplicative, obsolete, or
unnecessary. Records managers in all
Regions will be involved in this
inventory.
INTERNET
Lynn Calvin, Region 5, Regional
Records Officer, gave an interesting
demonstration of records resources on
the Internet. Some Regions are already
contributing information for the
Internet, such as, Administrative
Record Indexes.
WRAP UP
Last, but not least, on the agenda, was
Lisa Jenkins, Acting OSWER SIRMO.
Lisa spoke about where all the Regions
are on SDMS use, what activities shp is
involved in as the Acting SIRMO, and
ask the Regions to focus on a wish list
that OSWER can help achieve.
It was a busy 3 days, very
productive, and very informative. I
really appreciated everyone's input for
agenda items, and particularly want 'to
thank the participants for sharing their
thoughts and ideas. •
DoD RECORDS MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE
The National Archives and Records
Administration (NARA) plans to
review a test of functional
requirements for records
management software being
conducted by the Department of
Defense to determine if the system
could be applicable throughout the
Federal government.
DoD specifications require the
software to fulfill a variety of
records management tasks,
including:
• Assign identifiers to every record in
the system.
• Allow records managers to assign
classification codes and enter
handling instructions for each
record.
• Create uniform indexes using
standard data elements.
• Store records in the format in which
they were created.
• Allow users to view records before
disposition and retrieve and copy
them when necessary.
• Identify records that should be
transferred to NARA or elsewhere,
tag records for destruction, and
protect records against
unauthorized deletion.
If adopted, DoD records managers
would be required to use the system
to develop an electronics records
management system over the next
eight years. Other agencies could add
their own requirements to the DoD set
and use whatever software they
preferred for their requirements.
D
-------
INFO ACCESS
AUGUST 1995
VITAL RECORDS—A WORD ABOUT DEVELOPING PROGRAMS
Selecting vital records and
the means to protect them
is a calculated risk; one
that never pays off unless
there is a catastrophe.
Why a Vital Records Program?
A vital records program is an
i important part of a comprehensive
cords management program. In
ddition to being a requirement for all
Federal agencies, a vital records
f irogram is a sound business practice
that will help any agency,
organization, or business to continue
operation after an emergency.
A vital records program takes time,
1 ibor, and money. Vital records should
therefore be restricted to those records
lat really are crucial for start-up of
operations after a disaster occurs.
Paperless from page 3
centuries of use, human information management
systems have all evolved around the use of paper. It's
the way we learn, we teach, and we communicate."
Continuing on the topic of paper as the ideal human
interface, Davidson concluded with his opinion that the
Post-it Note should be a candidate for the Information
Processing Invention Hall of Fame because it's so user
friendly. •
When deciding whether records of
high value should be safeguarded as
vital, all records managers must
compare the cost of recreating them
factoring in the cost of reconstructing
them, and factor in the cost to the
program from other kinds of losses
such as revenue, assets and
productivity if records are destroyed
prematurely.
Sometimes identifying an
organization's vital functions is the
first step in identifying the vital
records of any enterprise. The
definition of vital records is "that
information without which the
organization would cease to function."
Involving records managers and top
management provides an overall
perspective and lends authority and
objectivity.
Once the vital functions of the
organization are defined, those records
that serve to support those essential
functions can be discussed and
determined to be vital. The inventory
data can provide support for the
decisions and lend departmental
perspective. Some departments may
have no vital records at all; others may
only have one or two records series
that are considered vital. Always, the
cost of protection must be weighed
against the potential and probability of
loss.
WHAT ARE THE OBJECTIVES
OF A VITAL RECORDS PROGRAM?
The objective of a vital records
program is to provide a systematic
method for safeguarding records which
have been identified as essential to the
continued functioning of the agency.
This includes developing viable
storage, maintenance, and tracking
options; implementing the program
with specific standards and operating
procedures; disseminating information
and training to program and
administrative staff; and periodically
reviewing the effectiveness of the
program. •
PAPERLESS OFFICE CAMPAIGN
EPA's Paperless Office Campaign successfully
reduced the consumption of photocopy paper by 15%
in 1994. The Campaign has set the ambitious, yet
achievable, goal of an additional 15% reduction in
office paper this year. Please continue to help "Break
the Paper Chain" and reduce unnecessary
consumption of paper whenever possible.
-------
INFO ACCESS • AUGUST 1995
TECHNOLOGY CORNER
One vay that NRMP keeps abreast of
current issues affecting the records
management profession is by
subscribing to several LISTSERVS
available on the Internet that serve as a
forum on records management topics,
issues, problems, and opportunities.
We have provided the LISTSERV
address before but it bears repeating,
especially since it has recently
changed. We encourage you to join,
either for the discussion or to just
"listen in".
To subscribe, send an E-mail to:
listserv @ listserv.syr.edu
Your message should read:
subscribe recmgmt (your name,
omit parenthesis).
NEW TECHNOLOGY
The following article appeared in the
LISTSERV this month. It is a good
example of the information that can be
learned about new technologies
currently entering the market. New
information storage techniques such as
HD-ROM may be important to know
about for future decisions about new
technology applications in your own
areas of records management.
Even so, the concept of the HD-
ROM and the ion beam micromill
sounds fantastic. One reader
commented that it would seem that our
eyes would need to evolve greatly to be
able to actually read that much stored
information on the steel pin. The
article does underscore the facts that
new technologies are being developed
everyday and how difficult it is to
predict which applications we will be
using in the future to retrieve and store
our records. Here it is. Citation is at
the bottom.
Los Alamos, N.M. — Four sets of
encyclopedias could fit on an inch-
long steel pin using a new information
storage technique invented at Los
Alamos National Laboratory. And
future civilizations should be able to
read the information etched onto the
pins 5,000 years from now, without
interpretive devices that convert
computer data into language or
pictures.
"Recent articles have predicted that
in 10 years, commercial magnetic
media may be able to store as much as
five billion bits of information on a
square inch," Lamartine said. "HD-
ROM technology already has
demonstrated storage nearly five times
as large, and densities of 400 trillion
bits per square inch are possible." The
advent of digital records was a
momentous discovery because huge
amounts of information could now be
stored in tiny spaces. But digital
storage media are much more
vulnerable than stone tablets or even
printed documents. Magnetic fields,
oxidation, materials decay, and various
environmental factors can erase digital
information.
"HD-ROM is virtually impervious
to the ravages of time, whether from
material degradation due to thermal or
mechanical shock or from the
electromagnetic fields that are so
destructive to other storage media,"
Lamartine said. The high cost of
storage forces many organizations to
discard valuable data. Stutz said
NASA often is forced to get rid of
satellite data and images that aren't
immediately useful, even though the
information might be of great future
value. Among other organizations that
would benefit from a low-cost, highly
durable data-storage medium are the
Federal Bureau of Investigation, the
Library of Congress, astrophysics
agencies, and financial institutions.
Stutz said the technology ought to
be in pictures. In fact, he and
Lamartine already have talked to film
industry representatives about how to
use the ion beam writer to preserve
movies from Hollywood's golden agej.
Lamartine and Stutz have applied
for patents on the HD-ROM, the ion
beam micromill, the process of
micromilling, and their method for
speeding up the rate at which the
etched information can be read. They
are actively seeking commercial
partners who want to turn their
invention into a product.
For more information, contact Jim
Danneskiold of Los Alamos National
Laboratory at 505/667-1640, 667-700JO
or
-------
INFO ACCESS • AUGUST 1995
showed no interest and their support
was crucial to making the idea
successful. The Electronic Records
Working Group will continue to pursue
the idea by following NARA's
development of functional
requirements and the DoD project that
sets forth functional requirements for
its planned records management
software. Copies of the proposed DoD
functional requirements are available.
(See article on page 6.)
WEB SITES OF THE MONTH
The Wall Street Journal just started a
WWW column, which includes "how
to" tips and technical discussions. The
address is http:///ptech.wsj.com.
Amazing pictures of space and the
space shuttles are available on http://
shuttle.nasa.gov.
Everyone is encouraged to visit the
Internet Public Library on the Web.
The location is http://ipl.sils.umich.
edu. It has lessons on using the Net,
workshops about how to utilize the Net
for education, all sorts of online
reference material, and much more that
we haven't even explored ourselves
yet. We hear that the creators of this
site are experimenting with trying to
establish real-time online interaction.
We've come a long way, baby!
WHAT is EDI?
• EDI stands for Electronic Data
Interchange.
It is electronic commerce.
EDI allows communication of
transaction information directly to
customers and suppliers.
EDI reduces the cost of doing
business and compresses the time
needed to acknowledge and act on
business transactions.
Federal Acquisition Computer
Network (FACNET)—an EDI
system through which Federal
agencies will acquire most of their
goods and services in the future.
All agencies are being encouraged
to develop a FACNET capability.
To access federal EDI information
directly: E-mail to:
registry @ edireg.ncsl.nist.gov and
include the word "help". •
ASK DR. RECORDS
If a records schedule says that
records are to be destroyed when
five years old, must they be
destroyed, or can they be kept
longer if the program needs them?
This difficult question was recently
debated on the records management
listserv. My initial reaction would
be why spend time acting like the
records police when we have more
important problems to deal with.
However, such an approach is not
without its drawbacks. To qualify
as a records disposition program
that is part of the "normal course of
business," we need to follow the
procedures we set forth. Among
other things, that means that we
destroy records when we say we
will. The basic question is why
does a program wish to maintain
records for a longer period? If it is
for a specific purpose—ongoing
investigation, the need to complete
contract closeout or other
procedural difficulties, there is no
problem with retaining those files
that specifically relate to the action
that is still pending. If isolated
documents are needed for longer
periods because they are useful for
reference, they should be
transferred to the technical
reference file, the project working
file, or another appropriate file.
Finally, if you find that the entire
series consistently needs to be saved
for a longer period, you should look
at revising the retention.
What will NARA accept on CD-
ROM?
NARA will accept materials on CD-
ROM as long as the data is in ASCII
or is exportable to ASCII. They
won't accept image data at this
point. NARA will accept a CD that
has both temporary and permanent
records as long as the permanent
records can be separated from the
temporary ones and exported into an
ASCII file. FYI, when NARA gets
data on CD-ROM it copies the data
onto magnetic cartridges anyway. •
-------
INFO ACCESS • AUGUST 1995
AROUND THE RECORDS NETWORK
HEADQUARTERS
This is a short list of current initiatives
of the Agency's National Records
Management Program (NRMP). For
additional information on any item,
contact Susan Sallaway (contract
' support) by calling 202-260-5272 or
via E-mail at Sallaway.Susan.
Policy Update. During FY96, the
NRMP will concentrate on revising the
records management manual
(Directive 2160). The goal will be to
produce a shorter manual that will
include only policy (i.e., that which is
mandatory) and will stress the results
to be achieved rather than specify how
the program is to be implemented. The
"how" part will be presented in a
records management "toolkit" that will
describe suggested steps to accomplish
each records management activity
(e.g., how to develop and submit a
schedule or how to hold a cleanup
day). Look for more information in the
October issue of INFO ACCESS.
Records Schedules. The NRMP has
sent records schedules for the
following programs for formal review
by the Agency and NARA: Office of
Enforcement and Compliance
Assurance, Office of Water, and
Agencywide schedules for audiovisual
records. The three schedules total
nearly 50 items.
ORD Laboratory Training. Mike
Miller, Agency Records Officer, and
Cynthya Holley, Office of Research
and Development (ORD) Records
Liaison Officer, have completed their
tours of ORD laboratories for this year.
Mike and Cynthya have visited all but
two of the laboratories, conducting
training, evaluating program
effectiveness, and assisting the records
liaisons in resolving pending issues.
Mike will prepare an overall report of
their findings with recommendations
for action.
Management Integrity Principles.
Together with Sue Mercuric of
Cincinnati, the NRMP has developed
two versions of management integrity
principles for records management.
The "long form" includes separate
entries for requirements for adequate
and proper documentation,
accountability, economy and
efficiency, security and access, and
human resources and training. The
"short form" combines these five areas
into an entry for Creating Adequate
and Proper Documentation and another
for the Records Management Program.
These principles can be used in
briefings for Agency managers and
developing goals for records
management programs.
REGION 1
Region 1 has recently begun the
tracking and collection of record
copies of grant recipients' final
products and deliverables (non-
construction, non-Superfund). There
are 36 active grant programs and 68
project officers throughout the Region.
To date, there has been no centralized
file area for these documents nor
consistent management of the multiple
copies of products and deliverables.
The goal of this project is to provide a
consistent, centralized file of products
and deliverables maintained by records
staff and to provide timely disposition
of these permanent documents. If
anyone else has undertaken or plans a
similar project, please contact Virginia
Henkel (contractor), (617) 565-9013 or
on All-in-1 at Henkel.Virginia.
AUTOMATED RECORDS TRANSMITTAL AND
RECEIPT SYSTEM (SF135)
Region 1 has already successfully
loaded their records disposition
schedules onto the LAN, and just
recently started using their Automated
SF135 System. The specifications of
the system are outlined in the
following list.
For more information about how the
system is working, call Margo Palmer
at (617) 565-1495. Call Harold
Webster, Headquarters records
Liaison, at (202) 260-5912 for
information about when a similar
system will be used for HQ records.
System Scope
The system automates the production
of SF135 forms which are required by
the FRC before accepting documents
for storage.
Supported Function
The Federal Records Act.
System Requirements
Either a stand-alone or networked
386 (or higher) IBM or compatible PC
The system was developed in and
complied using Clipper 5.0.1. Requires
use of a laser printer to generate forms.
System Features
• Menu driven system.
• Each Division has a separate LAN
directory (Warehouse) of records
transfer data. The Regional Records
Officer has access to each of the
warehouses.
-------
INFO ACCESS • AUGUST 1995
• Each SF135 program user controls
access to the data.
Search Capabilities
• Overview screen: searches on first
word of box title.
• Folder screen: uses Query, $
contains [insert term]
• Currently can search only one
warehouse at a time.
Report Capabilities
m Folder Report:
automatic alphabetical order.
will produce list of folders for
individual boxes.
will produce list of folder in entire
accession.
• Box Overview Report
• Box Contents Report
Future Developments
• New data entry fields: EPA Series
code; FRC restriction codes
• Improved screen and report header
information.
• User option for data searches of one
or all warehouse directories.
REGION 3
The NRMP received a copy of Region
3's NPL Public Docket Procedures
Manual. This is a good model
document for docket procedures and
can be borrowed from .the NRMP's
Records Management Collection by
contacting Susan Sallaway at (202)
260- 5272 or All-in-1 at
Sallaway.Susan.
REGION 5
Region 5 has developed a data base for
tracking SF 135s using Inmagic
software. So far they have entered
information for 1995 and are entering
information as new ones are received.
For further information, contact Gerry
Hegel (contractor) at (312) 353-1481.
REGION 6
Region 6's successful implementation
of their grants imaging project was
featured in a story in June's issue of
Government Imaging (p. 18). It tells
how the Region has been able to
improve the grants management
process through the implementation of
a document management system via
EPA's Network Compatible Image
Processing System (NCIPS) contract.
Electronic documents can be retrieved
quickly, routed to appropriate users,
and accessed by multiple users
simultaneously. Another advantage is
that project managers can monitor
progress to make sure there are no
delays in the process. For more
information, see the December 1994
issue of INFO ACCESS, p. 6.
REGION VIM—MONTANA
PAPERLESS PROJECT-ELECTRONIC
INDEXES AT MONTANA STATE LIBRARY
Pam Hillery and Melody Ballard
(contractor) from Region VIII 's
Montana office met with
representatives from the Montana State
Library to discuss the possibility of the
EPA Superfund Records Center
participating in the State Library's
program to develop Montana's Shared
Bibliographic Database.
The State Library receives
numerous requests for information
pertaining to Superfund documents that
have not previously been available to
the Library. With an in-house database
and available microfilm, the reference
staff would be able to answer many of
the requests over the telephone.
The long range goal of the State
Library is to disseminate this
information throughout the state
electronically either via the
Internet or MET Net.
According to Pam Hillery, "the
ability to disseminate the guidance
documents and the administrative
record indexes from a central
agency, such as the State Library,
will reduce the cost of the process
and increase public access by
presenting the information in a
useable format to a wider
audience."
OSWER—HQ
NEW FILE PLAN
DEVELOPMENT UNDERWAY
Three OSWER Staff Offices,
Outreach and Special Project Staff
(OSPS), Policy Analysis and
Regulatory Management Staff
(FARMS) and the Office of Solid
Waste (OSW), Information
Management Branch (1MB) of the
Communications Analysis and
Budget Division (CABD) have
jointly added six additional
contract staff to develop draft file
plans following the OSWER file
plan format. The new file plans
will then be implemented in the
three offices. By the end of
September, the first drafts of the
plans will be submitted for review.
Additionally, OSWER is in the
process of delivering the final file
plan for the Technological
Innovation Office (TIO) for
implementation. Congratulations
on your fearless efforts and keep
up the good work! •
-------
INFO ACCESS • AUGUST 1995
NEWS FROM NARA
Copies of documents and additional
information are available from Susan
Sallaway (contract support) by calling
(202) 260-5272 or via All-in-1 at
Sallaway.Susan.
NARA TRAINING INFORMATION.
NARA has issued a list of records
management classes to be offered by
the Office of Records Administration
in the DC metro area during FY96.
The new five day class "Federal
Records Management" is being offered
in late October and again in April. The
NRMP recommends that all new
records liaison offers take the class.
There is also a new one-day class on
basic terminology and records
management functions the would be
appropriate for file custodians and
divisional liaisons.
FED DAY AT THE ARMA CONFERENCE.
The annual conference of ARMA
International will be held in Nashville
on October 22-25. Anyone attending
should consider going early for
NARA's Fed Day program on
October 21. NARA is offering two
concurrent programs on Fed Day. The
first is on electronic records and covers
a lot of issues that NARA is working
on or has worked on recently. The
second offering is targeting
"experienced" records officers, and
covers a variety of topics, including
downsizing, training, recordkeeping
requirements, and management of
records of agency heads.
E-MAIL REGULATION
NARA's new e-mail regulation will be
published in the Federal Register by
the end of August.
WHITE HOUSE
TAPES SUCCESSFULLY COPIED.
NARA's Center for Electronic Records
has completed recopying the e-mail
backup tapes transferred to it a part of
the Armstrong v. EOF case. The
Center claimed 99% success in
copying the backups. No cost was
given for the recopying job. (See
article below and on page 16.)
BACKUP TAPES AND VITAL RECORDS
According to an article in Government
Computer News, computer backup
tapes will serve as vital records
backups under the new NARA vital
records procedures. NARA promised
more guidance on this and other
electronic records issues in the coming
months. •
NARA E-MAIL CATALOGING SYSTEM
The National Archives and Records
Administration has developed a
records maintenance system for
cataloging and storing E-mail files that
may become the standard for
preserving all Federal government
messages.
' In Armstrong vs. the Executive
Office of the President, a federal court
determined that White House E-mail
backup tapes were records that must be
saved. Initially, NARA sent copies of
E-mail files from the Reagan, Bush,
and Clinton administrations to the
National Institutes of Health computer
center for conversion from magnetic
tapes to data cartridges and disks.
Seeking to increase flexibility and
control over the presidential records it
copies, NARA developed the Archival
Preservation System (APS). Five stand-
alone IBM personal computers running
OS/2 and a structured query language
database engine are at the heart of the
system, which is housed at the Archives
II facility in College Park, Maryland.
Using proprietary software, the
system converts files from tape reels to
IBM 3480 cartridges and automatically
captures all the information needed to
identify and catalog files. APS also
has the capability to verify records
using byte-to-byte comparisons.
NARA has plans to link system
workstations on a LAN, with two
computers maintained separately for
classified material. A CD-ROM
capability is also being considered. •
-------
INFO ACCESS • AUGUST 1995
GENERAL RECORDS SCHEDULES Now AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET
The National Archives and Records
Administration (NARA) has posted the
General Records Schedules on the
NARA gopher, which can be accessed
via the Internet. Telnet to the NARA
gopher, or point your client to
gopher.nara.gov, port 70 (the default):
gopher://gopher.nara.gov/.
All 23 General Records Schedules
(GRS) are there, with an introduction
to the schedules, a table of contents
and an index.
GRS are issued by the Archivist of
the United States to provide disposal
authorization for temporary records
common to several or all agencies of
the Federal Government. They include
records relating to personnel,
procurement, accounting,
communications, printing and other
common functions. These records
comprise approximately one-third of
all the records created by Federal
agencies.
The EPA Records Disposition
Schedules incorporate the most
commonly used General Records
Schedule descriptions and dispositions,
where possible. The GRS does not
cover all records of an agency. Each
agency has to develop schedules for
their own unique program records to
supplement the GRS.
If you have questions about which
schedules specifically apply to your
program, or for more information on
developing schedules to meet your
own particular program needs, call
Mike Miller, Agency Records Officer,
at (202) 260-5911 or call the NRMP
Support office at (202) 260-5272. •
STATE AGENCY GENERAL SCHEDULES (COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA)
The general schedules for Virginia's
state agencies are available through
the Internet.
A team of records managers and
archivists from the Library of
Virginia and the public colleges and
universities in Virginia prepared the
general schedules for loading onto a
gopher. Virginia Commonwealth
University (VCU) is the host
computer. The College of William
and Mary, The Library of Virginia,
The University of Virginia, Virginia
Commonwealth University, and
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and
State University all participated in
the project to upload the schedules.
The schedules can be accessed in
two ways:
1. If you have a gopher client, the
address of the Virginia Library and
Information (VLIN) gopher is:
gemini.vsla edu.
2. Or, if you have access to a gopher
menu, the VLIN gopher can be
accessed via "All the Gophers in the
World" listing in the Virginia
section.
Once in the gopher, select:
The Library of Virginia—Facilities
and Services
Then select:
Archives and Records Management
.Also available on VLIN are:
* Virginia Records Management
Manual
* Virginia Public Records Act
* Virginia Standards for
Microfilming
* Virginia Archives and Records
Services
For further information, contact
The Library of Virginia and talk to
Wilnet Brown, Head, Records
Management Section (Internet
E-mail: wbrown@leo.vsla.edu) or to
Dennis Hallerman, Assistant State
Archivist for Records (Internet
E-mail: dhallerm@leo.vsla.edu)
-------
INFO ACCESS
AUGUST 1995
THE ARCHIVIST ADDRESSES NAGARA
The new Archivist of the United
States, John Carlin, spent about two
hours with those attending the National
Association of Archives and Records
Administrators (NAGARA)
conference in Raleigh, N.C. Carlin
made some brief remarks and then
spent the rest of the time responding to
questions. Carlin said that he was still
learning about each of the programs at
National Archives and Records
Administration (NARA), but was
already aware that some things would
have to change. Carlin wants to see
NARA move ahead. One example of a
process that needed changing is the
way in which NARA reviews records
schedules and appraises records.
Overall, Carlin stressed the need to
work together in partnerships to
resolve mutual problems—
coordination and collaboration. His
personal priorities are charting the
direction for NARA's future through
development of the long-range plans
and processes for achieving those
goals. He is considering establishing
an advisory board of NARA customers
and other interested parties to help in
setting NARA's course. One of the
most positive things Carlin said (twice)
was that Federal agencies are NARA's
biggest customers, and this was before
an audience made up largely of non
Federal archivists and records
managers!
He came across as a man who had
learned a lot about NARA in a short
time and was well-versed in the major
issues. Carlin stressed his management
experience and he approached archival
problems, such as appraisal, as
management problems. He also
exhibited a good sense of humor which
he will need in the job ahead. •
INTERNET PUBLISHING
If you are toying with the idea of disseminating information over the Internet, call NRMP for a copy of Preparing
Your Publication for the Internet developed by the Communications, Analysis, and Budget Division of OSWER. This
gives step-by-step instructions about how to prepare documents for posting on the Internet, determining the best
format (includes a discussion and definition of ASCII format), and addresses reformatting and compression.
The July issue of Records Management Quarterly includes a worthwhile article on the subject called "Internet
Publishing—A Tangled Web?". In the article, John T. Phillips, Jr., CRM discusses some of the issues, options, and
technologies now available that should be considered in the decision to publish on the Internet Phillips also includes a
bit of the history of the Internet and wisely encourages forethought about your user audience, security, and quality
control issues when making dissemination and public access decisions.
AGENCYWIDE NARA NETWORK
Seeking to enhance communication
within the agency, improve its
administrative functions, and increase
public access to its holdings, National
Archives and Records Administration
(NARA) has recently completed
installation of a $3 million computer
network.
The system, known as NARANet,
consists of 2,173 microcomputers
installed in all 34 NARA regional
offices, presidential libraries, and
records centers. The network at the
Archives II facility in College Park,
-------
INFO ACCESS • AUGUST 199
RECORDS INVENTORIES—SOMETIMES YOU WIN, OTHER TIMES YOU...—LESSONS LEARNEC
by Yvonne Pederson, Region 9
Well, Region 9 has completed the walk
through portion of the inventory. I now
have a list of record series held, cubic
feet, names of custodians, and record
storage locations. Now, who says
miracles don't happen? Was it worth
it? Did anybody care? Was it a
success?
For Region 9, it was worth it. We
have few centralized file locations,
which means many official records are
stored at individual work stations. And
yes, people did care, boy did they care!
As for determining if it was a success,
I heard more positive comments than
negative, so I call that a success.
I'm not telling you anything you
haven't already heard. The most
important thing you can do is to let
everyone know what you are doing,
why it's being done, and when it's
going to happen. Me, I spent most of
my time at staff meetings. I figured I
could be face to face with the most
number of people in the shortest period
of time at staff meetings.
The most commonly asked question
was "why are we doing this?" Just
saying that it's mandatory won't buy
you much support (trust me on this).
Provide them with a list of benefits.
Whether it's saving space, time, or
money, most people can relate to one
of the three.
Since I have no staff, I relied on the
support of the Administrative Officers
(AOs). My reasoning was that the AOs
would be familiar with the records
series in their division. I had one
formal meeting with the group to
outline the project and then met
individually as questions arose. It was
their responsibility to compile the
information and get it to me. Looking
back, I should have met with the group
every week or every other week to
ensure everything was on track; that
the information was being processed as
I wanted it; and that the AO hadn't
forgotten about the project. I was
under the mistaken impression that if
there were no questions, things were
progressing smoothly. So I would say
follow up is the second most important
thing you can do.
The walk through is complete. I
have my information and the staff
REGION 9-LESSONS LEARNED
1. Communicate why, what,
and when.
2. Follow-up (and more
follow-up).
3. Keep your sense of humor.
lived to see another day. The world is
good!
Oh, almost forgot, I went to see a
man yesterday about USTS records.
He said he needed additional filing
space. I immediately reached for the
walk through data to see how much
material he had. I found his name and
saw that he has about 12 cubic feet of
records in a Lektreiver. Surprise,
surprise. Then, I found an additional
12 cubic feet of records in his work
station that were not included in the
walk through. So, the third most
important thing is to keep (or, get real
fast) a sense of humor because
sometimes you win and other times
you... •
Agencywide NARA Nefworfccontinued
Maryland, serves as the
telecommunications hub for
NARANet.
Currently, NARANet provides
Internet access to 80 percent of NARA
employees and allows them to
communicate using electronic mail. All
field offices have electronic mailboxes
for employees and for the public to ask
questions about research materials or
agency records programs. A central
mailbox is available at
inquire@nara.gov. Eventually, the
network will facilitate public access to
many other areas of the NARA
archival collection.
NARA also plans to use NARANet
to support an expanded list of public
databases, to automate internal report
management, and to provide for
nation-wide registration of
researchers. •
-------
INFO ACCESS • AUGUST 1995
ARMSTRONG V BUSH—A PANEL ON THE
LEGAL DISPUTE OVER FEDERAL ELECTRONIC RECORDS
The opposing lead attorneys in the
PROFS Case will be featured at a
session of the Annual Meeting of the
Society of American Archivists, in
Washington, D.C. on Sept. 1, 1995
David de Lorenzo pulled together the
session and the description follows.
On January 19, 1989, the United
States District Court of the District of
Columbia issued a temporary
injunction filed by Scott Armstrong of
the National Security Archive and
others to prohibit the destruction of the
White House electronic mail and
records system (known as PROFS).
Since that time the case has gone
through a variety of appeals, decisions-,
motions, and cross-appeals.
The case involves a number of
essential issues relating to the
definition of a record, the creation and
storage of electronic records, and the
final disposition of such records. The
decisions promulgated by this litigation
will continue to have an increasing
influence on the nature of electronic
records created and managed by the
government in the years ahead. As
David Bearman stated: "Armstrong v.
the Executive Office of the President
revealed that a variety of issues having
to do with archival accountability are
unresolved in the minds of government
employees and that misunderstandings
of electronic records requirements are
common among information system
administrators. If archivists do not use
this and other opportunities to
articulate forcefully what we expect
from records creators and system
designers and to extend our mission
and authorities both legally and in
practice, we will lose most of the
archival record of the next decade and
squander our role as protector of the
public interest in documented and
accountable government." (56
American Archivist 674).
The panel will focus on the
following questions: Should electronic
mail be considered records under the
Federal Records Act? Does paper copy
of electronic messages represent an
equivalent counterpart to the text and
context of such messages? Is the
National Security Council an agency of
the federal government? Does the
Bush/Wilson agreement contradict
federal records laws? What are the
government's (and NARA's)
preservation and access responsibilities
with federal electronic records?
The panel will consist of Jason R.
Baron, Esq. of the U.S. Justice
Department representing the case for
the Government (defendants), and
Michael Tankersley, Esq., of the
Public Citizens Litigation Group,
representing the case for the plaintiffs.
David de Lorenzo, Curator of
Manuscripts and Archives, Harvard
Law School, will act as moderator/
commentator. It will take place on
Friday, September 1, 1995, 9 a.m.,
Annual Meeting of the Society of
American Archivists, "Military"
Conference Room, Washington Hilton
and Towers, Washington, D.C.
Information about the PROFS Note
Case and the related issues of the
record status of electronic mail in
Government is available via E-mail.
Send requests to ebecker@cni.org anc
in the subject line put Join, in the
message body put your e-mail
address. •
D
-------
INFO ACCESS • AUGUST 1995
CONTACT LIST UPDATES
Office of the Administrator
** Environmental Appeals Board: Eurika
Stubbs; (202) 501-7060; Fax: (202) 501-
7580; 1103B Correct spelling of first
name
**" Office of Executive Support: Pat
Fender; (202) 260-4057; Fax: (202) 260-
4474; 1104: Correct listing
** Office of Communications Education
& Public Affairs: Tanya Meekins; (202)
260-4355; Fax: (202) 260-3522: Correct
listing
Office of Enforcement and
Compliance Assurance
Jane Odom*; (202) 260-7864; Fax: (202)
260-3129; 2221; Dmail: Odom.Jane:
Delete from listing
% Office of Compliance: Lois Marshall;
(202) 564-5099; Fax: (202) 564-0030;
2222A; Dmail: Marshall.Lois: Add to
listing
Office of Solid Waste and
Emergency Response
e> Principal Contact: Lisa Tracy Jenkins;
(202) 260-6756: Change number on
listing
Technology Information Office:
Naomie Smith; Fax: (703) 308-8528:
Add fax number to listing
Emergency Response Division: Gil
Laskowski; Fax: (703) 603-9116: Add
fax number to listing
Hazardous Site Control Division:
George Alderson; Fax: (703) 603-9100:
Add fax number to listing
Hazardous Site Evaluation Division:
Mary Jourdan; Fax: (703) 603-9104: Add
fax number to listing
Office of Solid Waste and RCRA
Docket: Barbara Roth; (703) 308-7890;
5305W; Dmail:Roth.B: Add new mail
code and phone number to listing
Alternate Docket Contact: Carie
VanHook; (703) 308-7891; 5305W;
Dmail: VanHook.Carie: Add to listing
Kathy Bruneske*; (703) 308-7898;
5305W; Dmail: Bruneske.Kathy: Add to
listing
Communications Analysis and Budget
Division: Sheretta Dixon; (703) 308-
7892; Fax: (703) 308-7903; 5305W:
Update listing
Permits & St. Program Division: Adelle
Farmer; Fax: (703) 308-8617: Add fax
number to listing
Characterization & Assessment
Division: Brenda Marshall; Fax: (202)
260-0225: Add fax number to listing '
Policy & Standards Division/Imple-
mentation Division and Docket contact:
Shonee Clark; Fax: (703) 308-8505: Add
fax number to listing
Office of Prevention, Pesticides
and Toxic Substances
e> Office of Compliance Monitoring
Principal Contact: Dmail: Robert.Zisa:
Delete Dmail from listing
**• Pesticides Docket: Vanessa Porter*,
(703) 305-5085; 7506C; Dmail:
Porter.Vanessa: Delete from listing
Region 2
290 Broadway, New York, NY 10007-1866
* Alternate Contact/Archiving and
Disposal: Maria Mendoza; (212) 637-
3387; Fax: (212) 637-3526: Add new
telephone and fax numbers to listing
Contact List continued on page 18
RECORDS MANAGEMENT CONTACT LIST Now ON THE EPA BULLETIN BOARD
As a test, Sandy York
(contractor) has loaded the RM
contact listing on the All-in-1
bulletin board entitled
EPA_RECORDS_MGMT_
RESOURCES_DIR. We would
appreciate your input and to know
whether or not you feel it is a usable
resource.
If so, would you prefer to see
each "unit" such as Headquarters,
Regions, Labs, etc. listed as a
separate note so you wouldn't have
to go through the whole list to find a
regional name, for example?
Any other ideas you may have
would be appreciated. Forward any
comments via E-mail to York.Sandy or
call (303) 840-0464.
To ACCESS THE CONTACT LIST:
At the All-in-1 electronic message
menu, type BB. The first time you
access any board, you must first add it
to your index of conferences (All-in-
1's term for bulletin board). To do
this, just type AC for Add
Conference and press return. Then
do a Gold-L for a list of available
conferences and select yours. Press
return for confirmation and you will
see the message "Conference added
to index".
Additional written instructions
for using the bulletin boards can be "
found in the All-in-1 Technical
reference manual, beginning on
page 4-42.
D
-------
INFO ACCESS • AUGUST 1995
GILS DEVELOPMENT—WHAT is A LOCATOR?
The Office of Management and Budget
wants Federal agencies to have a basic
Government Information Locator
Service (GILS) in operation by
December 1995. A Washington, D.C.
information management executive
believes their task may be simpler than
it appears.
In an Op-Ed article in the July 31st
issue of Federal Computer Week, J.
Timothy Sprehe, president of Sprehe
Information Management Associates,
noted that some agencies are overly
concerned about an immediate
requirement for a three-part inventory
of their information resources prior to
GILS implementation.
He suggests that many agencies
have already compiled the first part, an
inventory of automated information
systems, as part of the annual
information technology Five-Year
Plan.
Contact List Updates from page 17
Region 3
841 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA
19107
** AR Enforcement Removal: Dmail:
Lauria.Lois: Delete Dmail from listing
Region 4
345 Courtland St. NE, Atlanta, GA 30365
^ Regional Records Officer: Jim
Whittington; (404) 347-3555, ext. 4407:
Change ext. to 4407
%" Superfund Records Center Manager:
Pam Urbank; (404) 347-2391, ext. 4313;
Fax: (404) 347-7903; Dmail: Urban.Pam:
Add to listing
Region 5
77 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, IL
60604
A CD-ROM from the Federal
Register is available to complete part
two, an inventory of Privacy Act
records systems.
Sprehe says the third part, an
inventory of locators for all agency
information dissemination products,
may involve a bit more effort. As
agencies study what to include in their
GILS, they should keep in mind that
the OMB requirement is for an
inventory of locators, not of the
information resources themselves. He
goes on to say that while OMB,
NARA, and NIST instructions give
definitions of what a locator is, they
don't give real-world examples
agencies can use.
According to Sprehe, items that
agencies should consider as locators
include:
» Catalogs
» Phone books and personnel locators
*•» Waste Management Division Records
Manager/AR Coordinator:
Alternate Contact: Grace Co; (312)
353-6779; Fax: (312) 353-6775: Add to
listing
Region 6
1445 Ross Avenue, Suite 1200, Dallas, TX
75202
"* Steve Wyman*; (214) 665-7450; Fax:
(214) 665-2146; 6H-MC; Dmail:
Wyman.Steve: Delete from listing
Region 9
95 Hawthorne Street, Suite 403-S, San
Francisco, CA 94105-3901
^ RCRA Records, Part A: Dmail: Gordon-
Morgan.Bess: Delete Dmail from listing
• 800-number telephone services
• Bibliographic databases
• Information services
• Libraries
• Home pages
• Organizations
By using the National Archives
guidance on GILS core elements to
create a single record for each of the
items listed above, and posting the
information on the Internet in
accordance with Federal Information
Processing Standard 192, Sprehe
believes agencies will have little
difficulty meeting the requirements of
OMB Bulletin 95-01.
For information about how GILS is
being implemented in EPA, please
contact Steve Hufford, Co-Chair of
EPA's GILS Workgroup at (202) 260-
9752 or hufford.steve@epamail.
epa.gov. •
^ RCRA Records, Part B: Dmail:
Christiansen.Vern: Delete Dmail from
listing
Laboratory and
Field Office Contacts
National Health & Environmental
Effects Research Laboratory/ORD
Environmental Research Center,
86 Alexander Drive, Research
Triangle Park, NC27711:
Add New Lab name & address to listing
e> Records Manager & QA Manager:
Brenda Culpepper; (919) 541-0153,
Fax: (919) 541-5394; RM C-208A; MD-
70; Dmail: Culpepper@HERL45.HERL.
EPA.GOV Add to listing.
-------
INFO ACCESS
AUGUST 199!
CAN You MATCH THESE TERMS WITH THE DEFINITIONS?
A. Binary
B. Port
C. Interface
1.
2.
3.
D.Bit
E. Program
F.Bug
G. RAM
H.Bus
I. ROM
J. Byte
K. Software
L. CPU
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
Programs stored on any media.
The part of a system that performs calculation and data manipulation functions.
Memory device which has its data content established during manufacture and cannot be
changed.
A group of bits. The most common size is eight bits.
Read write memory. Data may be written to or read from any location in this type of memory.
The interconnections in a system that carry parallel binary data. Several users can be
connected, but generally only one 'sender' and one 'receiver' are active at any one instant.
Set of instructions used by the CPU to carry out a particular task.
A program error that causes the program to malfunction.
A terminal that the CPU uses to communicate with the outside world.
A single binary digit.
The base-two number system, i.e. counting in twos rather than tens. The digits are 0 and 1.
They are used inside a computer to represent the two states of an electric circuit.
Circuit that connects different parts of systems together and performs any processing of signals
in order to make transfer possible, e.g. serial-parallel conversion.
Answers to terms are upside down
DTI -Vll 'Q '01 -a '6
'37, 'H'9 ;D 'S -f mf -lm£ 'IT :M 'I
Contact List Updates continued
NHEERL (above) Replaces:
Health Effects Research
Laboratory/ORD ERC, RM C-200,
Research Triangle Park, NC
27711 Delete from listing
^ Technical Information Manager: Jerry
Gerding; (919) 541-5157; Fax: (919)
541-5394; MD-70; Dmail: Gerding.Jerry
Delete from listing
National Exposure Research
Laboratory (NERL) Research
Triangle Park, NC 27711:
Add New Lab name to listing
NERL (above) replaces:
Atmospheric Research and
Exposure Assessment Laboratory
(AREAL) Research Triangle Park,
NC2711 Delete from listing
OARM-Cincinnati
26 W. Martin Luther King Drive,
Cincinnati, OH 45268
Sheryl Drexelius*; Fax: (513): Add correct
area code to fax number
Christie Klug*; (513) 569-7747; Fax; (513)
569-7709; Dmail: Klug.Christie*: Add to
listing
D
------- |