AACRAO Director of Research and Managing Consultant Dr. Wendy Kilgore and AACRAO Senior Consultant Dr. Reid Kisling hosted a session entitled Records Management: The Big Picture. Their presentation captured a large audience with AACRAO Annual Meeting attendees filling every seat.
This session provided a comprehensive overview and an interactive discussion surrounding the records management lifecycle. Topics included the influence of technology on practice, how to create a records retention schedule and policy as well as examples from the field for both private and public institutions.
The presenters posed some important questions for audience members to consider. These included:
1. Does your records management policy address both the regulations that govern records AND include best practices for records management? (It should.)
2. Do you have a records retention and destruction policy? When was it last updated?
3. Does everyone with access to records follow that policy?
4. What kind of records do you have (e.g. SIS/ERP, imaged, microfiche/film/paper, other)? Remember: regardless of the format, retention and destruction guidelines apply.
5. Do you know where your records are, in what format they are kept, and how secure they are?
Audience members were able to learn from and ask questions of each other and the presenters. For example, an attendee asked about which management rules or guidelines apply for multi-state institutions. The presenters turned this question around to the audience, whom then provided answers from specific examples and their own experiences.
Given the standing room only participation, the biggest takeaway from the session was that AACRAO members are eager to learn how to effectively manage their academic records--and one lucky attendee won a copy of the authoritative guide AACRAO's Student Records Management: Retention, Disposal and Archive of Student Records.
Throughout the session, the presenters emphasized that records management is not the sole responsibility of the registrar or the compliance office, it is the responsibility of the whole institution. If you were unable to make this year’s Annual Meeting conference in Denver and would like more information about the record management services that AACRAO Consulting offers, please contact us at 202-355-1056.