United States Environmental Protection Agency Information Resources Management (PM-211D) EPA 220-N-92-015 Issue Number 24 December 1992 v>EPA INFO ACCESS ¦ MS I 1 s 1 == 1 Records Network Communications In this Issue... Integrated Records in Region 6 p. 2-3 OSWER RM Conference p. 3 Preparing for a Move p. 4-5 Tip of the Hat p. 8-9 Keeping EPA Managers Informed p. 8-9 Around the Network p. 10-11 6 Months to Better Files STEP 2: Conducting a Records Inventory In October's INFOACCESS we presented the first in a six step process to improve your files. In Step 1 you were to develop a documentation strategy to identify what records your program needs to keep, where they should be filed, and who is responsible for them. This month we take the second step - matching that theoretical structure to reality by going out and conducting an Inventory of what is actually in your office. To conduct an inventory means to do four things: ~ Physically inspect all of the files in the unit and record the essential information about them. ~ Identify duplicate, fragmented, and related records. ~ Match the records to the records disposition schedules. ~ Evaluate the existing records (documentation) against your documentation strategy and information needs. Physically inspect the tiles and record essential information. This is the most time consuming part of the entire process. To do a good job you will need a data collection form, a tape measure, and a sense of humor. Systematically survey any areas where records might be stored such as offices, storage areas, and off-site storage areas. Look for records in all media including maps, audio-visual materials, and electronic records. Continued on page 6 {Don'tforget to review the inserts in this issue.. ~ 10 Steps to Improving Your File Room ~ A Practical Guide to Personal Papers ~ National Archives SF-3119: Files Survey Record ~ Directory of Regional, Lab, & Field Office Contacts Printed on Recycled Paper ------- The Region 6 Integrated Approach to Records Management by Nancy Yarberry, Region 6 Records Officer Region 6 has taken the challenge! Records Management is going to be HIGH priority in FY93. This past year, Region 6 accquired two additional .floors. In planning for growth, it became apparent that we had to get control of our paper. When eaa division was asked what they saw as their future growth needs, file space was always at the top of the list. If we continued at the same rate we were going, our paper would eventually take up more room than staff. In meeting this challenge, an integrated approach to records management was developed. This solution provides the capabilities and advantages of an enhanced paper-based system, micrographics and image processing technology, and an aggressive purging/archiving program. This will apply to all the Regional records, not just one program. This plan was presented to Senior Staff BEFORE implementation, and as we move along our planned course, we always brief the Senior Staff, and answer all questions and concerns they may have. We consider this extra step essential. Since we intend to help manage their program records, we consider their cooperation vital to the success of this program. We began by having the Regional Records Officer meet with each program to discuss what kind of records they had and help them develop a "personalized retention schedule" for their use in "cleaning up" their files. Once the staff was assured that they did not have to "keep everything," the opportunities for reduction became apparent. Examples were reading files being kept as long as 10+ years, copies of time cards from back when the agency first started.... Archiving became the new Buzz word. This year we have successfully sent over 2100 boxes to the FRC, and still have at this moment at least 200+ waiting for accession numbers (and this includes records from ORCH Still, even though we were closing in on the problem, we realized that purging and archiving would not be enough. We had to look at other alternatives. The next step was reviewing the EPA's Guidance for Developing Image Processing Systems in EPA. We hired a contractor to develop the necessary studies and analyses. The contractor did an in-depth review of the types of records we had, and according to characteristics suggested by the IPS Guidance, categorized the appropriate applications. We discussed all the options with Senior Staff, and came up with a plan of attack (aka 'long range plan"). This "plan" starts with imaging grant records. Grant files were chosen because although the volume was relatively small, converting them would impact the entire Regional Office and serve as a pilot and allow us to "get experience." After grants, we plan to develop a permitting/compliance applica- tion, and then include enforcement records. We also intend to include the FOIA software that was developed for imaging applications. Due to limited year end funds, we were only able to purchase the core system - the equipment that will be necessary to run any application. As we further develop each application, more equipment will be purchased. Continued on pag INFOACCESS 2 DECEMBER 1992 ------- Integrated from page 2 We are also in the process of eveloping a Regional CAR (Computer Assisted Retrieval) Microfilm System. We have identified several applications throughout the Region, and are in the process of developing the Feasibility Study and System Design. We hope to have at least one CAR system in each division this year. We're looking at about January before we start our first project, and hope to have all divisions up and running before year end. The most important piece of all of this is — get Management (ARA) support, include in that Senior Staff and the RA/DRA. In the race for Regional money, you've got to make sure everybody understands not only the need for good records management, but the benefits to fe derived from a slick Region-wide operation. & / The \ Agencywide Records Management Conference scheduled to be held in Boston in April 1993 has been cancelled. ' r~{ Report from the OSWER Records r\ Management Conference by Lisa Jenkins, OSWER, with Mary Hoffman (contractor), Network Coordinator The OSWER Records Management Conference held November 17-19,1992, in New York City, consisted of several work group meetings including the OSWER Records Management, Superfund Document Management System (SDMS), RCRA Records Management, and Administrative Record work groups. Following are some highlights from the meetings: Lively RCRA Work Group Discussion led by Sharon Kiddon, Region 5. Presentation of OSWER HQ's new approach to developing file plans (based on the record series) by Bette Drury, (contractor), OSWER Records Management Program. •» Discussion of disposition schedule revision issues lead by Lisa Jenkins, OSWER-IM. Contractor Access to CBI presentation by Don Sadowsky, OGC Attorney, to clarify what we can and can't allow contractors to do. Contractor support for records management discussion led by Mike Miller and what to do with TES contract records at close-out presentation by Nancy Deck, OWPE/CED. Presentation of NCIPS platform by the TechLaw vendors plus EPA and Navy perspectives on using that suite of equipment from Cynthia Psoras of Region 2, Nancy Yarberry of Region 6, and Joyce Patterson of the U.S. Navy. •* Several presentations on the impact of SACM on records management at EPA by Jan Pfundheller, Region 5 and the Superfund Revitalization Team, Frank Biros, OWPE/CED/ Cost Recovery Branch Chief, and Maria Bywater, OWPE/ CED/GEB. •» Roundtable discussion of regional records management issues led by Lisa Harris, OWPE/CED/Cost Recovery. •» Cost Recovery Documentation presentation and discussion led by Chad Littleton, OWPE/CED/Cost Recovery. CERCLIS issues discussion led by Chris Nugent, OWPE/PMSO/lnformation Management. The hosts in Region 2 provided a warm welcome and were very involved in the Conference from the welcoming speech to the tour of the Records Center to a presentation by an ORC Attorney, Cynthia Psoras. Their hospitality was very much appreciated! * DECEMBER 1992 3 INFOACCESS ------- Preparing for a Move by Sandy York (contractor) Regional Program Manager for Records Some folks say there's only two sure things in life - death and taxes. I think, however, whether its in the government or private industry, you WILL move. And don't you wish you could say, you WILL like itl Moving from one work space to another can be just as traumatic as moving from one house to another. Life goes on - work goes on. We still have assignments and projects to complete, requests to fulfill, and bosses to keep happy while we're in the process of moving. Here are some tips on moving your records which can help make your move less traumatic and the transition smoother. While we can't promise to make it pain-less, we hope we can make it less pain-full. Planning Just like the three most important things when you buy a house (location, location, location), the three most important things when you move your records may be planning, planning, and planning. Your plan should include the following steps. ~ Identify records. Work with your Records Management Officer (RMO) to identify records and nonrecords, and which records are active and inactive. This is an important step because you may be able to discard, recycle, or retire them to the Federal Records Center (FRC), thus reducing the volume of records to be moved. Disposition Schedules To determine which records may be eligible for retirement or destruction, review the disposition schedules. In addition to how long records are to be kept, the Agency's disposition schedules describe what the records contain, how they're organized, where they're located, and other useful information. Moreover, they govern the actions to be taken when they're no longer needed in current office space. The schedules have undergone a lengthy and thorough appraisal process including consideration of existing laws, regulations, and program needs, and have been approved by Office of General Counsel. If you suspect you have records which are not scheduled, contact your RMO. ~ Separate nonrecord from record material. Any personal papers or technical reference material should be separated and kept apart from official records. Weed superseded or obsolete documents from your technical reference material. Check to see if your office has or is planning to have a centralized location for all program reference material. If you have questions about whether your materials are records or nonrecords, contact your RMO. Do not discard documents without making sure thev am nonrecord materials or sgheduled for disposal! According to government regulations, all goverment records must have disposition authority and no government records can be disposed of without that authority. Many documents within your office space undoubtedly are official government records covered by these regulations. Every employee is legally responsible for understanding the types of records they are creating and for ensuring their records are handled according to the Agency's schedules. ~ Retire Inactive Records. Records no longer needed in your office space can be retired to the FRC or disposed of Continued on page 3 INFOACCESS 4 DECEMBER 1992 ------- Moving from page 4 according to their disposition instructions. In a few cases, they may be transferred directly to the National Archives or another Federal agency. The handbook, Using the Federal Records Center: A Guide for Headquarters Staff has been prepared by the National Records Management Program (NRMP) and gives detailed instructions on how to prepare records at Headquarters for retirement to the FRC. Other EPA offices may already have their own written procedures, or if not, they could use this handbook as a model for their own. Be sure to give your RMO sufficient lead time - notify the RMO a minimum of 2 weeks, preferable 30 days, prior to your move so records can be retired and not have to be incuded in your move. ~ Planning to Move Active Records. Okay, so now you've cleaned out the obsolete technical reference material, and retired or discarded your inactive records - what do you do with what's left? We seldom have the opportunity to move to larger quarters. In fact, very often, the move is to a smaller area with modular furniture, and you will not be able to store as much paper as you have in the past. One solution is to work with the rest of your office to plan a centralized filing system or file station where records used by many people or offices can be stored allowing easy access and eliminating duplicates. t Whatever configuration you will be moving into, find out how much space and in what kind of equipment your records will be stored. Measure the records you'll be moving to determine the required storage space and prepare a plan for the location of the files. You can then assign the location numbers, matching the move of the boxes to the appropriate locations. ~ Packing Your Records. Pack your records in the order in which they are to be placed on the shelves or in the cabinets. Leave some room in each box for items you may find later and leave the boxes open for access until the move. It's also helpful to prepare a list of box contents identifying who the box belongs to, where it goes, and what it contains. Placing a copy in the box and keeping one with you may help find the box if it becomes lost. Your office may have special instructions for marking boxes for the move. If not, at least mark your name, your new office number, and your box series number (box 1 of 10,2 of 10, etc.) on the outside of each box. When it's time to move, close and tape the box. Be sure to designate boxes intended for any special area such as a centralized file room. For more Information... For more information on moving your records at Headquarters, contact Harold Webster, HQ Records Officer, at (202) 260-5912. For more information on moving your records at other EPA offices, contact your local RMO. * 'oi-pice DECEMBER 1992 5 INFOACCESS ------- Step 2 from page 1 To save time, divide what you find into four categories: ~ True personal papers (see the September issue of INFOACCESS). ~ Reference materials. ~ Other non-record materials such as stocks of publications. ~ Records or potential records (including working files). For the first three groupings collect only the following information: ~ Volume (linear feet or inches). ~ Owner (who has custody of the materials) and telephone number/mail code. ~ Location (room number, file cabinet drawer, etc.). For record and potential record material you should collect additional information, such as a description of the file, the date span, restrictions, and the arrangement to give a few examples. To effectively capture all the information, we recommend that you use some Some Practical Hints for Conducting Inventories ~ Inventory everything, no matter how seemingly innocuous, and collect as much information about the records and potential record materials as is feasible. You will find it all useful when you start developing file plans and retention schedules. ~ You haven't finished until you've found the Christmas decorations. ~ Program staff are the specialists in how the records they create are used. They are your key to understanding the records management needs of your organization. ~ Although nobody wants to take responsibility for records management, everyone has opinions on how best to manage records. Their suggestions are vital to developing a workable filing system. ~ Recognize and respect the fact that many people are VERY protective of "their" records. Getting program staff to trust and use a filing system (other than their own) is the biggest hurdle you will face. $ type of inventory form. We have included a copy of a National Archives Standard Form 3119 that you can use for this purpose, or you can develop your own. If you wish to develop your own form, we have included a list of the types of information you should collect during your own inventory on the reverse of SF-3119. One basic question to ask is whether the records are covered by an existing records disposition schedule. If so, indicate the schedule number on the form and your work is done. If you are not sure whether the records are covered by a schedule item, you will need to obtain from the Continued on page 7 /\V^ v,** u. w w INFOACCESS, a forum to provide information and report on progress in information management across the Agency, is produced by the Information Access Branch of the Information Management and Services Division, Washington, DC under the direction of Michael Miller, National Records Management rogram Manager. Please send comments and suggestions to: Mary Hoffman (contractor), Network Coordinator, PM211B, 401 M Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460. Telephone: (202) 260-7762. Electronic Mail: Hoffman.Mary. INFOACCESS 6 DECEMBER 1992 ------- Step 2 continued from page 6 «wner" of the records a brief description of the records, how they are used, and whether there are any related records. Identify duplicate, fragmented, and related records. Once you've completed the inventory you will be faced with a pile of survey forms organized by the locations and owners of the files. These forms are like pieces to a puzzle that need to be assembled to create a picture of your unit's documentation. To do this you must establish intellectual control over them. First review the survey forms and identify, records that: ... duplicate each other or overlap. A complete file should be created and the duplicates eliminated as much as possible. ... are fragmented so that the complete file is divided among several persons, each of whom has a portion of the complete file. The fragments should be physically united if at all possible. At a minimum, the unit needs to understand where all the pieces are and who is responsible for them, and then standardize the way they are arranged and maintained. ... are related to one another, such as drafts and finals, chron and subject files, or final reports and working papers. By understanding the relationships, you will be able to better determine the best retention for each piece. Match the records to the records disposition schedules. The next step is to match the inventory results to the records disposition schedules. Be sure to check Agency-wide (or Region-wide) schedules as well as those for your specific program. Remember, many programs use generic schedule items such as Project Files or Contracts rather than identifying individual projects. If you have any questions, call your records liaison officer or the Agency records officer for assistance. Records for which schedule ¦terns do not exist will have to be scheduled. See EPA Technical Leaflet #2, A Practical Guide to Developing Records Disposition Schedules, for guidance. Call Joe Moeltner (contractor) Records Manager at (202) 260-5272 for copies of the Technical Leaflet. Match the existing documentation against your documentation strategy and evaluate whether it matches your information needs. The final step in the process is to determine whether the records you have are the ones you need. Compare the records you have identified to your documentation strategy. Do you keep files you don't need? Are you missing files you do need? Does the current organization and retention meet your current needs? If not, what should be changed so your needs are met? Steps 1 and 2 of the records improvement process provide the basis for making informed decisions about your records needs and the current state of your records. In February we will build on this knowledge base and develop a filing structure for your records and file plans for each series. $ V. 12 Months to Effective Files: Next Steps This is the continuation of a 6-step program to effective files. Step 1 was covered in the October issue of INFOACCESS, and Step 2 has been outlined in this issue. These are the steps that will be covered in future issues: Step 3: Develop a file plan and filing procedures for corporate records series (Months 5 & 6). Step 4: Develop recordkeeping requirements for corporate records series (Months 7 & 8). Step 5: Improve files management via technology, indexing, and specialized equipment (months 9 & 10). Step 6: Produce a records management manual (Months 11 & 12). # DECEMBER 1992 7 INFOACCESS ------- The National Records Management Program ... Keeping EPA Managers Informed The role of the National Records Management Program (NRMP) is to develop and update policy and guidance, direct records disposition and retirement activities, support communications among records managers in the records management network, enhance the capability of Dockets and Records centers, conduct briefings and training classes, and provide leadership in the application of technology to solve records management problems. The following are a few examples of NRMP's continuing campaign to provide information to agency records managers to promote the effective management of EPA's records. Information from NARA During the week of November 23,1992, Michael Miller, Agency Records Officer, forwarded a copy of National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) Bulletin 93-2, Proper Disposition of Federal Records and Personal Papers, (dated November 20, 1992) to EPA Records Liaison Officers, IRM Chiefs and SIRMOs. The purpose of NARA Bulletin 93-2 is to remind Agency heads of the statutory and regulatory requirements relating to the creation and preservation of Federal records and the distinction between Federal records and personal papers. The bulletin will remain in effect until November 30, 1994. Proper Disposition of Personal Papers Federal law and NARA regulations require the head of Federal agencies to create and maintain adequate and proper documentation of their policies, decisions, and transactions, and to ensure the security and integrity of Federal records, safeguard records against unauthorized disposition and inform agency employees, particularly high- level officials, about established procedures for Continued on page 9 Tip of the Hat INFOACCESS likes to recognize records and information management staff for excellent work in the field of records management, the development of special products, completion of significant projects, or acknowledgement of Agency awards. ~ Keep Up the Good Work, OSWER! Believe it or not, Lisa Jenkins, OSWER Records Management Officer and Bette Drury (contractor) Program Analyst, have trained over 300 OSWER staff during the past few months. They have been helping to prepare staff for moves into new office space by conducting briefings on records management basics. They have also developed a training packet, Move Planning and Your Records, and Move Planning, a step-by-step guide for planning a move. In addition Lisa and Bette have been conducting briefings for managers on records management responsiblities. INFOACCESS ~ Speaking of Records .... Nancy Yarberry, Regional Records Officer, spoke at a Dallas Chapter meeting of the Association of Records Managers and Administrators (ARMA) held on October 13,1992. The topic of her presentation was "Records Management and Access to EPA Records." ~ They Have "the Write Stuff" Michael Kenna (contractor), Region 8 Superfund Records Center, and Sandy York (contractor) Regional Program Director for Records Management, had an See page 9 for more DECEMBER 1992 ------- Informed from page 8 maintaining personal papers. NARA Bulletin 93-2 contains a definition of Federal records, describes statutory requirements, and includes information on the identification and segregation of Federal records and personal papers, disposition of electronic files, and removal of nonrecord materials from agency custody. Destruction of Superfund Paper Records The November 23rd mailing from NRMP also included a copy of a memorandum from EPA's Office of General Counsel (OGC) concerning the destruction of Superfund paper records following conversion to microform. OGC's conclusion states, "It is acceptable for Superfund paper records to be destroyed once they have been filmed onto microfiche, provided that 1) the Agency has created the microfiche pursuant to the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) standards; and 2) in order to ensure admissability of records as evidence in enforcement actions, the Agency has verified the accuracy of the microfiche, and can document those procedures which ensure accuracy." Additional copies of NARA Bulletin 93-2 and the memo on the destruction of Superfund records after microfilming may be obtained from Joe Moeltner (contractor), at (202) 260-5272. INFOACCESS Inserts Those of you who read INFOACCESS regularly may have noticed that the issues usually include inserts that contain information on topics relevant to EPA records managers such as file maintenance activities, developing records disposition schedules, managing working files, etc. For example, the following inserts are included in this issue: A 10 Steps to Improving Your File Room. ~ Technical Leaflet #3 : Personal Papers. ~ National Archives Standard Form 3119, Files Survey Record. NRMP will continue to develop flyers and other informational materials for records managers. If you have suggestions for topics that could be addressed in this manner/contact Michael Miller, Agency Records Officer, at (202) 260-5911. * article, "Records Management: Information Integration with CAR," published in the September/October 1992 issue of Document Management. The article talks about the integration of multiple technologies in Region 8's Superfund Records Center. The Center uses a computer-assisted retrieval (CAR) system with INMAGIC software and MfcroScan technology to meet the needs of multiiple end users. The article includes a lightheaded but factual look at a recipe for "Superfund Souffle" where the ingredients are Combined to make a special Superfund cuisine. Ingredients needed for a "Superfund Souffle"... 11.2 cu. ft. carton documents, Superfund site mix 1 pkg. version 7.2 INMAGIC software 1 roll 6-digit, code 39, bar code labels 1 100 ft. roll 16 mm. KODAK IMAGELINK HQ microfilm 1 set alphanumeric labels, biacK bold Helvetica 1 pkg. MicroScan dBase IV software. 1 pkg. document level bibliographic & classification outline NOTE: Please follow the detailed instructions included In the Document Management article to create the souffle. * DECEMBER 1992 INFOACCESS ------- This section of INFOACCESS is used to report on upcoming meetings and projects currently underway in the Regions, Laboratories, and Headquarters. Anyone with contributions for this column should contact Mary Hoffman (contractor), Network Coordinator, at (202) 260-7762. NRMP Region 3 - - Administrative Records Project Region 3 Superfund Records Staff have begun a project to film and fiche Administrative Records. They have made arrangements with the Regional Federal Records Center to convert the records to microform. The project will begin with deleted National Priorities List (NPL) sites; the first record was returned to the Regional Office during the first week in December for QA/QC. Their next task will be to order equipment for viewing the fiche and film, and a supply of duplicate fiche for fulfilling FOIA requests. Region 4 - - Getting Records to the FRC The Regional Records Center is investigating ways to transfer records to the Federal Records Center (FRC); the Center is in the process of preparing several hundred cubic feet of records for transfer. One possibility being studied is the use of a pickup service provided by the FRC. The service requires the transferring agency to palletize and cellophane-wrap shipments of several hundred boxes. The Records Center staff has been working with the Facilities Branch in the Regional Office to try to locate a sufficient amount of space to meet the requirements for this option. A second and more workable option under investigation by the staff is the use of a local delivery service which can handle transfers of 50 boxes per trip. This service, which is used by the Internal Revenue Service in Atlanta, will enable the Center to ship records in more manageable amounts on a regular basis. Region 5 - - Schedules Database on INMAGIC Region 5 Records staff have developed an INMAGIC database of current Agency- wide, Region-wide and Headquarters-wide records disposition schedules. Lynn Calvin, the Regional Records Officer, has offered to share copies of this database with anyone who is interested. She will send a "dumped" copy of the database along with a structure file and instructions on how to rebuild the database. Lynn suggests that those using the database should look up the paper copy of a schedule to verify the information contained in it; the database is a working tool that will help you identify the schedule(s) you need. If you are interested in a copy of the database send an email request through AII-in-1 to CALVIN.LYNN. Please specify whether you need a 5.25 or 3.5 high density disk. Please note that you will need your own copy of INMAGIC software to make the database work. ECAO/Cinci - Superfund Technical Support Center & Technical Information Unit Staff at the Superfund Technical Support Center assisted staff at the Technical Infor- mation Unit with the disposition of electronic records in a WANG system. They pulled the files of almost 1000 Environmental Criteria and Assessment Office (ECAO) documents to verify the existence of each corresponding record in the system. The verification was required prior to disposition of the electronic disk copy of the files because ECAO will no longer have access to the WANG system. Continued on page 11 INFOACCESS 10 DECEMBER 1992 ------- Around from page 10 Region 10 - - New HW Division Records Center The Hazardous Waste Division hosted an Open House on October 27,1992, to introduce Regional staff to the new Hazardous Waste Division Records Center. The occasion included a ribbon cutting ceremony by Division Director Randall Smith, introduction of Records Center staff, publications describing Records Center operations and capabilities, and tours of the Center. Approximately 100 people attended the Open House. Region 10 - - RCRA Records Projects RCRA Records staff are assembling a RCRA records management manual that will contain general background infomation, information specific to Regional RCRA staff, and a glossary of records management terms. The RCRA-specific information will relate to every section that generates, receives, or handles records of some sort. In another project records staff have also put their database programs RefQuest and FileQuest online for use by RCRA staff. RefQuest provides intellectual "card catalog" access to the RCRA reference library collection which was assembled over the past 3 years and now contains almost 200 items, including hazardous waste guidance materials, copies of RCRA-specific regulations & directives, and videotapes & slide presentations. The FileQuest system tracks items that are borrowed from the RCRA site file collection. It contains check-out information such as borrower's name, EPA I.D. number, facility name, the compo- nents of the file borrowed, date borrowed and expected return date. Region 10 - - Records Schedule Tables Regional records manager, Fem Honore (contractor), is providing records schedule information to Regional staff in a format they can understand. In preparation for a class of file custodians, she converted records disposition schedules for housekeeping records into a table format. The tables include information from the GRS and NARA numbers if available [she also includes information about program records if an inventory has been done]. Fern feels that she has developed good working relationships with the file custodians and managers by showing that she understands their needs and is on their side. She also feels that by giving program staff something to use as a reference for future questions she is reducing the number of follow-up phone calls she receives. <<<<<< >>>>>> Yours for the asking... ~ Lisa Jenkins, OSWER Records Officer, is offering copies of records management job descriptions developed for use in the Superfund program. Although developed for Superfund, the descriptions are generic enough to be useful to any program. Anyone interested in obtaining copies can contact Lisa at (202) 260-7951 or send an email to JENKINS.LISA. ~ Lynn Calvin, Regional Records Officer in Chicago, is offering copies of a position description developed for a Records Manager [classified, grade 11] for the Office of Regional Counsel in Region 5. Anyone interested in a copy of the P.D. can send Lynn an email at CALVIN.LYNN. ~ Instructions for completing National Archives Standard Form 115 are available from the National Records Management Program. Contact Joe Moeltner (contractor), Records Manager, at (202) 260-5272 for copies. * DECEMBER 1992 11 INFOACCESS ------- Headquarters Update Use of the Federal Records Center Is Up at Headquarters Headquarters programs dramatically increased their use of the Federal Records Center (FRC) in Suitland, Maryland. During FY 92 the number of times individual programs retired records to the FRC increased 117%, from 117 in FY 91 to 254 in FY 92. The number of boxes retired rose 252%, from 1048 to 3695. Reasons for the increased utilization of the FRC were many, but among the most commonly cited were increased awareness, improved training opportunities, contract closeouts, and the number of moves, often into smaller space. The rush to retire continues. Already in the first two months of FY 93, Headquarters offices have retired over 1500 boxes. In the next issue we'll provide an overview of Regional offices retirement activity in FY 92. IMSD Developing File Plan Training The Information Management and Services Division(IMSD) is preparing a two-day training session on developing file plans. The class will be offered through the EPA Institute with the first session scheduled for March 24 and 25,1993. The training is targeted toward those responsible for establishing and maintaining filing systems. Topics to be covered include the roles of records custodians, selecting filing stations and equipment, developing filing systems including file plans and manuals, and hints on making filing systems work. For further information contact Harold Webster at (202) 260-5912. Records Management Council The Headquarters Records Management Council met on December 2,1992. Topics of discussion included the use of contract staff to accomplish records management functions and case file procedures - what agency guidance should cover. Other presentations included a NARA Evaluation update and a report on the OSWER Records Management Conference held November 17-19, 1992. The next Council meeting is scheduled for January 12,1993, at 10 am in Room 2003 WSM. Generic Standard Statement of Work Mike Miller has two sample statements of work (SOW) which he will share upon request. One of these is for conducting a one-time records management baseline study. It covers assessments of how the records are being managed, records inventories, development of records disposition schedules, and identification of areas needing improvement. The other SOW is for general records management services such as records retirement, records scheduling, management of active records, development of filing manuals and procedures, and providing technical support for programs. Contact Mike Miller at (202) 260-5911 if you would like copies of these SOWs. Records Management Training Workshops Harold Webster, IMSD, and Bevery Pollard, EPA Institute Training Instructor, conducted the first quarter FY93 Records Training Workshop on November 18-19,1992, at the EPA Training Institute. The two-day workshop covered files maintenance and disposition, retirement and disposal of inactive records, and retrieval of records from the Federal Records Center. Fifteen students from seven program offices (OSWER, ORD, OPPE, OW, OE and OA) were in attendance. The next records workshop is scheduled for February 17-18, 1993. For more information contact Harold Webster at (202) 260-5912. « infoaccess mrm December 1992 ------- |