Saturday, December 31, 2011

Email Management 2.0 Pilot

Email Management 2.0 Pilot:
Paul Wester

Chief Records Officer Paul Wester providing the briefing about the email management 2.0 pilot.


Yesterday, the Office of the Chief Records Officer held a meeting with selected Federal agencies to discuss a new pilot program that is underway. Over the next several months, we will be working to potentially develop new records management guidance around electronic mail. The traditional approach to managing email in Federal agencies is evolving as agencies deploy more tools, such as email archiving applications (see NARA Bulletin 2011-03), to store email.


We are exploring more efficient and effective ways for agencies to manage email electronically and hope to test different strategies for the capture, management, and eventual transfer to NARA of email. We will gather and evaluate feedback on what agencies current practices about the management of email are, the availability of email to support agency business needs, cost-effectiveness of different management strategies, and the overall records management risks and challenges. Results of this pilot project will inform future development of NARA guidance.


Please feel free to leave any comments or questions about this project here. We will provide updates about the project right here on Records Express.




Patent and Trademark Office Schedule Project Completed

Patent and Trademark Office Schedule Project Completed:

Earlier this week, the records management staff from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) met with the Archivist of the United States to celebrate the completion of an 8 year scheduling project that completely revised and updated the records schedule for their agency. This milestone was marked with a brief ceremony where the Archivist formally signed the final records schedule of this effort.


Photo of USPTO staff and NARA staff, November 16, 2011

Seated, (left to right): Susan Fawcett, USPTO; David Ferriero, Archivist of the United States; Margaret McElrath, USPTO Standing (left to right): Earl Ashley, USPTO; Laurence Brewer; NARA; John Milligan, USPTO; Kate Flaherty, NARA; Neale Faunt, USPTO; Margaret Hawkins, NARA


Through this effort, the number of different records dispositions in PTO was reduced by 70% (from 414 to 127).  These new schedules align directly with the business functions through which PTO creates and uses records. As a result, staff better understand how to apply their records schedules to these important Federal records.


PTO met frequently with the NARA appraisal and electronic records staffs to identify and resolve problems as they were identified. In addition, they frequently met with various Federal agencies interested in their approach to  scheduling these records. Their schedules are available through our Records Control Schedule repository by following their record group number, 241. As best practices are identified from this effort, they will be made available through our Toolkit for Managing Electronic Records.


Congratulations to PTO on reaching this milestone!




Presidential Memorandum on Records Management

Presidential Memorandum on Records Management:

This morning, President Barack Obama signed a Presidential Memorandum on Managing Government Records. This memorandum marks the start of an executive branch-wide effort to reform records management policies and practices. A statement by Archivist David Ferriero has also been posted on our website.


The memorandum requires each agency to report the name of a senior agency official who will supervise an agency-wide evaluation of its records management programs. These evaluations, which are to be completed in 120 days, are to focus on electronic records, including email and social media. After the senior agency officials have been named,we will schedule meetings to provide additional information on completing the requirements in the memorandum.


These requirements are described in more detail in a Memo to Records Officers and accompanying Letter to Heads of Federal Agencies that we will be sending to agencies shortly.


We strongly support this memorandum from the President, which sends a very clear message to Federal agencies about the importance of electronic records.  Records management must keep up with the technologies used to create records in the Federal government and the President’s Memorandum underlines the critical nature of this.  We are pleased that this is a priority of this Administration, and appreciate that the President reiterated what we have long noted: records management is the backbone of open government.


Please feel free to leave a comment or question about the Memorandum here.


Updated 11/29 to indicate revised timeline for the Memo to Records Officers.




Memo From NARA About the Presidential Memorandum

Memo From NARA About the Presidential Memorandum:

We have just issued AC 03.2012, a Memo to Federal Records Officers that contains further information about the Presidential Directive released last week.


Included is a Memo from the Archivist of The United States (available here as a .pdf) designed to assist agencies in fulfilling the reporting requirements of the directive. This memorandum provides more information about Presidential directive and the due dates for the various actions. In addition, it briefly describes how this input will be used by NARA to produce the 21st century framework for managing government records required by Section 3 of the directive.


We will be updating Records Express tomorrow with some frequently asked questions that we have been receiving about the directive.




Bulletin on Shared Drives Released

Bulletin on Shared Drives Released:

We are pleased to announce that NARA Bulletin 2012-02, Guidance on Managing Content on Shared Drives  has been issued. NARA recognizes agencies have long used shared drives to store content. Agencies have had varying degrees of success in managing the Federal records on shared drives. This Bulletin outlines the records management implications and challenges, agency responsibilities, and benefits of organizing and managing content stored on shared drives.


The bulletin has been posted to our website at http://www.archives.gov/records-mgmt/bulletins/2012/2012-02.html. Or, http://go.usa.gov/5vt is the shortened link.


NARA bulletins are designed to provide fundamental guidance to Federal agencies who must then determine the most appropriate ways to incorporate the guidance into their work. This bulletin was written from feedback from a wide variety of stakeholders, including the agency records officers and the Federal Records Council. In addition, recall that back in October, we posted a preliminary draft for comment. We thank everyone for their input.




FAQ About Presidential Memorandum

FAQ About Presidential Memorandum:

There has been considerable interest from agencies and other stakeholders about the requirements of the Presidential Memorandum. As we wrote yesterday, the Archivist has issued a Memo to Agency Heads that clarifies the requirements and describes more broadly how we will proceed with the development of the Records Management Directive that is required by the Presidential Memorandum. These items were also discussed at length at yesterday’s BRIDG meeting (slides of that presentation are available here as .pdf).


From that interaction, and interactions that we have been having with agencies, we have compiled the following FAQ that have been raised:


1)  What is the definition of a senior agency official as used in Section 2(a)(iii)?


The memorandum is not specific but the general benchmark is a senior official at the SES level with agency-wide visibility and authority. A comparable assignment would be the senior agency official required to work with NARA’s Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO) as required by Executive Order 13526. Senior agency official designations are also required in the FOIA world. We have identified our COO (3rd highest person in the agency) as our senior agency official.


2)  Do agency components of a larger Department respond to NARA or can there be a single Department-wide response?


NARA seeks a response from each executive agency as defined in Section 102 of U.S.C. 40. We leave it to Department-level records programs to determine the level of coordination or review of submissions from subordinate agencies.


3)  What if our agency does not respond? Are we required to respond if we are not an executive branch agency?


The Presidential Memorandum was sent to heads of all executive branch agencies. However, we believe that all agencies will wish to respond so that they may contribute to the development of the directive.


4)  Does the memorandum cover records in hard copy as well as electronic records?


Records in all media will be covered by the directive required by section 3(a) of the memorandum. While special attention is being paid to electronic records and the directive is to consider “transitioning from paper-based records management to electronic records management where feasible”, the universe of Federal records must be addressed when developing a records management framework for the 21st century.


5)  Will there be further assistance forthcoming from NARA in helping agencies to submit the reports required by section 2(b) of the memorandum?


We will be posting and sharing a template for agencies shortly.


Please feel free to leave any comments or questions here. We will continue to update our blog throughout this project. For quick access to all posts about the Presidential Memorandum, feel free to bookmark this link: http://go.usa.gov/5fg




Obama administration pushes for digital records management overhaul

Obama administration pushes for digital records management overhaul

Social media, presidential intervention steered e-discovery in 2011 as ESI emerged in new roles

Social media, presidential intervention steered e-discovery in 2011 as ESI emerged in new roles

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Obama administration pushes for digital records management ...

Obama administration pushes for digital <b>records management</b> <b>...</b>: In an effort to bolster IT efficiency and improve public access to government records, U.S. President Barack Obama recently called on federal agencies to begin transitioning to digital records management wherever possible. ... Earlier this year, NARA announced plans to end a previous electronic records archive due largely to project mismanagement and the inability to control costs. But there are clear advantages to adopting a digital approach to records management ...

Remembering a remarkable Soviet computing pioneer

Remembering a remarkable Soviet computing pioneer: In many parts of the world, today is Christmas—but in Russia and Eastern Europe, which use the Orthodox calendar, December 25 is just an ordinary day. Little known to most, however, it’s also a day that marks the anniversary of a key development in European computer history.



Sixty years ago today, in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, the Soviet Academy of Sciences finally granted formal recognition to Sergey Lebedev’s pioneering MESM project. MESM, a Russian abbreviation for “Small Electronic Calculating Machine,” is regarded as the earliest, fully operational electronic computer in the Soviet Union—and indeed continental Europe.



Recently we were privileged to get a first-hand account of Lebedev’s achievements from Boris Malinovsky, who worked on MESM and is now a leading expert on Soviet-era computing.





Turn on captions for the English translation.



Described by some as the “Soviet Alan Turing,” Sergey Lebedev had been thinking about computing as far back as the 1930’s, until interrupted by war. In 1946 he was made director of Kyiv’s Institute of Electrical Engineering. Soon after, stories of “electronic brains” in the West began to circulate and his interest in computing revived.






Sergey Lebedev*



Initially, Lebedev’s superiors were skeptical, and some in his team felt working on a “calculator”—how they thought of a computer—was a step backward compared to electrical and space systems research. Lebedev pressed on regardless, eventually finding funding from the Rocketry department and space to work in a derelict former monastery in Feofania, on the outskirts of Kyiv.



Work on MESM got going properly at the end of 1948 and, considering the challenges, the rate of progress was remarkable. Ukraine was still struggling to recover from the devastation of its occupation during WWII, and many of Kyiv’s buildings lay in ruins. The monastery in Feofania was among the buildings destroyed during the war, so the MESM team had to build their working quarters from scratch—the laboratory, metalworking shop, even the power station that would provide electricity. Although small—just 20 people—the team was extraordinarily committed. They worked in shifts 24 hours a day, and many lived in rooms above the laboratory. (You can listen to a lively account of this time in programme 3 of the BBC’s ”Electronic brains” series.)






MESM and team members in 1951. From left to right: Lev Dashevsky, Zoya Zorina-Rapota, Lidiya Abalyshnikova, Tamara Petsukh, Evgeniy Dedeshko



MESM ran its first program on November 6, 1950, and went into full-time operation in 1951. In 1952, MESM was used for top-secret calculations relating to rocketry and nuclear bombs, and continued to aid the Institute’s research right up to 1957. By then, Lebedev had moved to Moscow to lead the construction of the next generation of Soviet supercomputers, cementing his place as a giant of European computing. As for MESM, it met a more prosaic fate—broken into parts and studied by engineering students in the labs at Kyiv’s Polytechnic Institute.



*All photos thanks to ukrainiancomputing.org.



Posted by Marina Tarasova, Communications Associate, Ukraine

Monday, December 12, 2011

Some initial points as you begin the project to obtain an electronic records management application!

• Establish a project team with stakeholders from various agency divisions. The team should consist of member that will be committed to the task and will work together to procure a solution that will be most suitable for your agency. • Draft a clear project plan with clear action items and deliverables. • Seek to preview and demo many solutions, but realize that even though the vendors will promise you the moon and perhaps what they have is the latest and the greatest realize that it may not be the solution for your agency. • Prioritize agency governance and ensure policies and dispositions are in order. They will probably need revising as the project unfolds. • Celebrate each accomplishment. • Maximize decisions from leadership. Executive sponsorship throughout the process is essential to the project’s success! This is a beginning and we will share more later! Wish you much success and accomplish!!!

Monday, December 5, 2011

Federal Agencies Compelled to Submit Electronic Records Management Plan

Federal Agencies Compelled to Submit Electronic Records Management Plan

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Agencies have 120 days to start getting e-records in shape

Agencies have 120 days to start getting e-records in shape Tuesday - 11/29/2011, 8:20am ET Listen Emily Kopp, reporter, Federal News Radio Download By Emily Kopp & Jack Moore Federal News Radio In a memo that recognizes emails, tweets and other electronic communications play a key role in government decisions, President Barack Obama is directing agencies to improve their archiving of digital records. "Proper records management is the backbone of open government," Obama wrote Monday in the memo to agency heads. "Greater reliance on electronic communication and systems has radically increased the volume and diversity of information that agencies must manage," he said. "With proper planning, technology can make these records less burdensome to manage and easier to use and share. But if records management policies and practices are not updated for a digital age, the surge in information could overwhelm agency systems, leading to higher costs and lost records." Records-management programs at 95 percent of agencies are at moderate-to-high risk, according to a recent survey by the National Archives and Records Administration. It found most agencies lacked the resources to manage effectively their records. Few had full-time records officers and senior officials often do not see allocating resources for records management a priority. A "significant minority of agencies" could not identify their vital records and did not comply with a required annual review of their vital records programs. Open government advocates hailed the memo as a critical step in making the most ubiquitous government communication — email — available to the public. Current agency practices are "dismal," said Anne Weismann, chief counsel of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. "Emails are where you have the candid exchanges that really are the so-called smoking gun," she said. "This stuff is important for the public to hold the government accountable and tell the whole story." "A very clear message" The President's memo sets deadlines for agencies to complete specific steps toward improving their archiving systems. Agencies must appoint within 30 days a senior official to lead a review of the agency's records management system with an emphasis on the maintenance of electronic records, including emails, social media and data stored in cloud computing-based services. A resulting report should describe the agency's plan for improving or maintaining its record-keeping system. It should identify barriers to improvement and recommend any government-wide policies or programs that would help. Agencies must submit reports to NARA and the Office of Management and Budget within 120 days on the record management review. The memo "sends a very clear message" about the importance of managing electronic records, said Archivist David Ferreiro in a written statement. He said the Archives will conduct discussions with agencies and outside groups on ways to improve governmentwide recordkeeping. The memo instructs the Archives and OMB to develop by next summer a more efficient and cost-effective government-wide records-management framework. NARA and OMB also will direct agencies to take specific steps to transition from paper to electronic records management wherever possible, improve records-retention policies in accordance with their missions, increase accountability through documentation, improve transparency and make sure they are complying with legal requirements. In the process, the Archives will evaluate laws, policies and practices to identify further ways to improve electronic records management. "My staff and I look forward to working with agencies to ensure that they comply with the new memorandum and that we continue a government-wide effort to preserve permanent electronic records that eventually become part of the holdings of the National Archives," Ferriero said. Resources remain a "question mark" As NARA and open government groups have found, agencies' past performance with records management is lacking. In fact, CREW sued the George W. Bush White House for violating records laws and "losing" more than 22 million emails. To settle the case, Obama released thousands of documents and established new email-keeping procedures. Now, "at the White House, everything that needs to be saved is saved," even Obama's Blackberry messages, Weismann said. But, she added, agencies have a significant challenge in matching White House efforts, noting that electronic recordkeeping takes both money and training. "It is resource problem," she said. "That's a huge question mark we have now: How is the government going to deal with that problem?" Leadership and training are keys to success One agency that is doing relatively well warns that the process can be long and difficult. The Government Accountability Office, which had the sixth-best score in the Archives survey, spent four years developing its digital records system. Agency leaders felt having a top records keeping system was vital because GAO reviews other agency's operations, said Catherine Teti, director for knowledge services and chief agency privacy officer. "They understood the importance of effectively managing the material that we were creating and receiving electronically and doing it as efficiently as we could," she said. "Record keeping is just part and parcel of doing business here at the agency." Teti added GAO's staff understands that evidence can take any form. "That was already part of the culture and we could build on that," she said. GAO has a full-time records officer with a small support staff. It continuously offers training to staff on how to assess the value of emails and other materials. Other agencies that topped the 2010 survey include the International Trade Commission, the Federal Reserve, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation, USAID and the Interior Department.

Statement by Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero: Release of Presidential Memorandum on Managing Government Records

The National Archives and Records Administration strongly supports this memorandum from the President, which sends a very clear message to Federal agencies about the importance of managing electronic records. Records management must keep up with the technologies used to create records in the Federal government, and the President’s Memorandum underlines the critical nature of this responsibility. I am delighted that this is a priority of this Administration, and appreciate that the President reiterated what the National Archives has long noted: “good records management is the backbone of open government.”

Statement by Archivist of the United States David S. Ferriero: Release of Presidential Memorandum on Managing Government Records

CREW and OpenTheGovernment.org Statement on Presidential Memo on Managing Government Records | CREW | Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington

This story should be followed by all records management practitioners, especially those working in the Federal sphere.

CREW and OpenTheGovernment.org Statement on Presidential Memo on Managing Government Records | CREW | Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington

Friday, November 25, 2011

Preservation at the National Archives

Really neat information about the National Archives and Records Administration!!!

Preservation at the National Archives

Saturday, October 22, 2011

86 Helpful Tools for the Data Professional PLUS 45 Bonus Tools

This is very good information!!!!
86 Helpful Tools for the Data Professional PLUS 45 Bonus Tools

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Choosing an Electronic Records Management System

Very good article!

Choosing an Electronic Records Management System

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Week in Review - The Most Popular Posts

Week in Review - The Most Popular Posts: Good morning from Maine. I hope this finds everyone well with some fun and or relaxing plans for the weekend. As I do every week I've written a round-up of this week's most popular posts. If you've been too busy to keep up with the posts this week, this list is a great way to see what other educators found useful.



Here are this week's most popular posts:

1. 77 Educational Games and Game Builders

2. Convert PDF to Word for Free

3. 12 Useful YouTube Accessories for Teachers and Students

4. GLEAN Information Literacy Tools

5. Go Social Studies Go - Multimedia Social Studies Books

6. 7 Resources for Teaching and Learning Vocabulary

7. 3-D Tours of the Solar System in Your Browser



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eDiscovery Readiness for Government - eDiscovery Readiness for Government

eDiscovery Readiness for Government - eDiscovery Readiness for Government

Weekly eDiscovery News and Views - September 14, 2011

Weekly eDiscovery News and Views - September 14, 2011: Compiled from online public domain resources, provided for your review/use is this week's update of key industry news, views, and events highlighting key electronic discovery related stories, developments, and announcements.





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SEPTEMBER

 



E-Discovery Readiness for the Federal Government
September 19-21, 2011
Washington, DC
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Third Annual Intermountain eDiscovery Conference
September 22, 2011
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Hybrid Physical & Electronic Records Management | Press Releases @ Your-Story.org

Hybrid Physical & Electronic Records Management | Press Releases @ Your-Story.org

Symantec: Files, Databases Overtake E-Mail in E-Discovery

This is interesting!

Symantec: Files, Databases Overtake E-Mail in E-Discovery

From Paper to Electronic Records: 5 Steps to Modernize - Law Firm Office Management - Strategist

From Paper to Electronic Records: 5 Steps to Modernize - Law Firm Office Management - Strategist

For records management, agencies see clouds in the forecast - FederalTimes.com

For records management, agencies see clouds in the forecast - FederalTimes.com

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

My Presentation for ARMA October 2011 Conference

Check out my Electronic Records Management Presentation!

https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=10lhCdmtqKwjicfABdn_eTvygzpm_JRPPwRPu_iFvn67HT9J75kh8vkU8CVDr&hl=en

Friday, September 9, 2011

Biggest Challenges in the Records Information Management (RIM) World

Biggest Challenges in the Records Information Management (RIM) World

NARA AC 10.2011

Important Report!

AC 10.2011

Records management in an electronic environment

Such efforts as this will move records management from the basement to the forefront of the minds of those who are most capable of bringing about essential changes in this arena!

Records management in an electronic environment

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Content Management Boot Camp - Washington, DC

Content Management Boot Camp - Washington, DC: Presented by National Capitol Chapter



Sep 28, 2011

Venue: Capital Hilton, 1001 16th Street, NW

Washington-DC-United States




Electronic Records Management Job


Sunday, August 28, 2011

Resume Profile: Electronic Records Management Specialist

My latest project:

http://ermschapkenmat.weebly.com/index.html

As I am looking for new assignment!

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Build social networks, not physical ones, for career success -- Federal Computer Week

Very good article emphasizing importance of social networks!

Build social networks, not physical ones, for career success -- Federal Computer Week

Choosing the Right Tools.mp4

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Records Express » Information for Federal Records Officers: Hurricane Irene and Records Disaster Preparedness Plans

Records Express » Information for Federal Records Officers: Hurricane Irene and Records Disaster Preparedness Plans

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Government Agencies Look Within to Solve E-Discovery Woes

The Federal Trade Commission recently launched what's likely to be a broad antitrust investigation of Google. David Shonka, the FTC's principal deputy general counsel, says there is a misperception that government agencies have unlimited resources to shoulder the burden of electronic data discovery costs in big cases like this.

"You have to keep in mind that by the time you take $100 billion in tax revenue and divide it [among] the various shops and departments, the allocation available can be very small," says Shonka, who also heads the agency's E-Discovery Steering Committee. "It is not unusual for the FTC to litigate a company over a product that has a larger advertising budget than our entire appropriation."

Individual agencies find it difficult to keep up with the growing costs and complexity of EDD. A few of the larger agencies do have dedicated EDD staff and processes in place, but many others have neither the experience nor expertise to manage electronically stored information. "It's a tale of two cities, rich and poor," says Jason Baron, director of litigation, U.S. National Archives and Records Admini­stra­tion. "If e-discovery is perceived as a core competency for an agency, it is more likely to get budgeted. But if [EDD] is not seen as an immediate threat, then requests for more advanced software are likely ignored."

According to IDC, a technology research firm, 14 government agencies will experience cutbacks in IT spending between 2011 and 2012. Some cuts will be deep — the Department of Housing and Urban Development plans a 41% cut in IT spending for the next fiscal year (bit.ly/LTN1182b). Last summer the White House asked agencies to cut at least 5% from their budgets by identifying programs that do little to advance their core missions.

A 2010 survey by IE Discovery found more than 40% of government attorneys who are involved in EDD battles say that their EDD burden grew in the past year. Because of budgetary and other constraints, 70% of EDD projects are handled in-house; fewer than 20% are outsourced. "The theory is that government employees have more muscle than the opposition," says Chris May, CEO of IE Discovery. "But I think a lot of times, people perceive resources that just aren't there."

Not only do agencies lack resources, but often vendors are not an option because of statutory prohibitions against sharing information with outside parties. "It's fair to say the government has to find its own way to deal with a lack of resources, because we don't have the option of going into debt," says Shonka. "Even if the budget is there to work with contractors, there are often too many complications to even let that be a consideration."

Agencies operate under new orders to lean heavily on electronic recordkeeping, but without EDD budgets. U.S. CIO Vivek Kundra launched a "Cloud First" policy in 2010; the 2009 Open Government Directive makes transparency and collaboration an explicit rule, regardless of technical hurdles in producing records.

Government litigators often manage EDD without proper software. For example, without automated litigation holds, agency attorneys must contact custodians via e-mail; manually manage documents; and track ESI via spreadsheets.

But there is some good news. Several agencies are trying to incorporate EDD protocols into business processes, such as archiving e-mail to make it more accessible for EDD.

• At the FTC, Shonka and Holly Frost, assistant director, technology and information management, have been building a software suite to manage electronic records through all phases of litigation or records requests.

• Program manager Larry Creech has deployed a system to automate litigation holds for the U.S. Postal Service.

• The Department of Education has built a workflow system for records management, FOIA requests, and EDD, led by Harley Methfessel, senior counsel for IT.

Just as David Shonka has taken on a leadership role in e-discovery, other agencies now have established dedicated EDD attorneys. Patrick Oot (author of this issue's cover story), joined the Securities and Exchange Commission earlier this year as special counsel for e-discovery.

The Department of Justice has Allison Stanton, director of e-discovery for the civil division, and Sarah Montgomery, senior litigation counsel for e-discovery, who fulfills a similar role for the criminal division. Last year, the DOJ's civil division and the executive office for U.S. Attorneys each acquired 12 new positions and millions of dollars in new funding just for electronic discovery and litigation support.

Baron points out that government agencies have distinct missions, so it is impossible to imagine a one-size-fits-all EDD approach. "Every agency must build on legacy platforms," says Baron. "At NARA, we use Groupwise, not Outlook, for our own e-mail, making us different from many other agencies. But you have to work with what you have."

There is no option to ignore EDD, which means government attorneys must deal with the burden. As the saying goes, "necessity is the mother of invention." With the ongoing budget crisis, these agencies will likely have to continue to find ways to conduct e-discovery searches — and production of discoverable data — on their own, with little outside support. Fortunately, insiders say that agencies are developing EDD expertise in-house to manage discovery more efficiently.

Though this is true primarily for agencies that deal with high volumes of data and discovery requests, the growing EDD competence is a real phenomenon. But the question remains: can the government catch up to its private practice opponents? "In some ways government agencies are ahead of the game. A few sophisticated firms in e-discovery private practice are certainly well ahead of many government attorneys in having access to the latest software and technologies, like predictive coding," says Baron. "But you are beginning to see similar capabilities in federal agencies too."



Government Agencies Look Within to Solve E-Discovery Woes

Friday, August 12, 2011

Federal Register | Records Schedules; Availability and Request for Comments

The availability of records information!

Federal Register | Records Schedules; Availability and Request for Comments

Friday, July 29, 2011

Need a Primer for Proper Facebook Conduct? GAO Thinks You Do. - Wired Workplace

This information is worth reading and it will be interesting to see how adjustments are made to such revealing insights!

Need a Primer for Proper Facebook Conduct? GAO Thinks You Do. - Wired Workplace

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Interview with Jason Baron - ECA 2010

Excellent information on this video for those involved in the area of electronic records management.



Speaking @ ARMA Event

I will be sharing an Electronic Records Management Presentation at the ARMA event in October 2011.



Sunday, July 24, 2011

8 Ways To Recruit Startup Talent Using Social Media

8 Ways To Recruit Startup Talent Using Social Media: "




handshake image

Scott Gerber is the founder of Sizzle It!, a New York-based sizzle reel production company and the Young Entrepreneur Council. He is a serial entrepreneur, internationally syndicated columnist, angel investor, public speaker and author of the best-selling book Never Get a “Real” Job: How To Dump Your Boss, Build a Business and Not Go Broke.


The hardest part of growing a blossoming startup beyond infancy is recruiting talent. The right team can take your venture to new heights whereas the wrong one can push it off a cliff.


Even though we are in a “employer’s” market, traditional recruitment channels, such as recruitment firms, may prove too expensive for fledgling businesses. Startups should consider using social media as a recruitment tool.


When executed properly, social media offers recruiting managers a larger applicant pool, more access to information that will enable them to better pre-screen and filter candidates and, most importantly, a more direct line of communication to the potential hires themselves.


It is important to avoid missteps. Spamming people will get your business nowhere fast. It’s a tricky balancing act but by being respectful, honest and human, your next big hire might just come from Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.


I asked a group of successful young entrepreneurs about the best ways to use social media to recruit top notch startup talent. Here’s what they had to say:





1. Achieve Expert Status




wright imageUse social media to help build a strong brand and then let the top talent come to you. The ideal situation is to have others wanting to work with you, whatever the conditions, so by simply being great at what you do and building your brand around that, you shouldn’t have any trouble drawing in top talent (then make them happy they contacted you!).


Colin Wright, Exile Lifestyle





2. Tweet with Hashtags




wong imageWhen promoting any new openings at your startup, tweet out with special hashtags for #hiring, #startupjobs and whatever industry or trade you’re hiring from to get the attention of the right candidates.


Danny Wong, Blank Label Group, Inc.





3. Twitter Is Your Best Friend




saladino imageScout for startup talent using Twitter search with hashtags and terms relevant to your industry. Compile a list of potential candidates and evaluate their Twitter activity by looking at their number of followers as well as the quality of their tweets. Use Follower Wonk‘s “Compare whom they follow” to compare candidates with industry leaders and look at shared connections and “Wonk Score”.


Andrew Saladino, RTA Kitchen Cabinets





4. Pick the Folks You Want




bram imageWhen you’re still early in the startup process, you have to make sure that you’ve got the right team. That means knowing as much as possible before even suggesting that you’re looking … social media makes it easy to find out all sorts of [information].


Thursday Bram, Hyper Modern Consulting





5. Have a Contest




bell imageChoose an important trait you’re looking for and host a contest via social media. Get creative with submissions and guidelines. Share the contest with influencers and hubs and invite them to send talent your way.


Lisa Nicole Bell, Inspired Life Media Group





6. Get a Referral




blaskie imageReferrals are the lifeblood of many a business. It works the same when it comes to recruitment via social media. Ask your Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn contacts for solid leads for the new position in your company. By having someone come pre-qualified, you end up with (usually) a better candidate and someone whom you can trust.


Erin Blaskie, BSETC





7. Listen, Converse and Engage




holmes imageBesides LinkedIn being amazing for recruiting startup talent, I’d say monitoring job trends on Twitter and keeping your job board updated is also a great pull strategy. If you have a current job board and are sending your opportunities through your social media channels, then your message will be heard and re-posted in all the right areas.


Ryan Holmes, HootSuite





8. YouTube Your Vision




margolis imageYou have to get people to believe in your story. Especially when you’re in startup mode. So record a short video where you describe your vision, progress and motivations. Help prospective talent connect with your deeper story. What’s the next chapter they can help to create? Share that video across social media.


Michael Margolis, Get Storied






Image courtesy of Flickr, oooh.oooh


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