Publications and Advice Sheets for Government

Click to expand each topic...

Basics of Records Management...

• Benefits of Managing Public Records

• What is a Public Record?

Destroying Non-Archival Records...

• Are Agencies Required to Destroy Their Non-Archival Records?
• Can Agencies Donate Rather Than Destroy Their Records?
• Documenting the Destruction of Public Records

• Methods for Destroying Electronic Records
• Methods for Destroying Paper Records

Developing Records Retention Schedules...

• Checklist for Evaluating New/Updated Records Series
• Checklist for Updating the Front Page of Schedules - ( Visual Guide )
• How Archival Designations Are Determined/Changed
• How Are Records Retention Periods Determined
• How Schedules Affecting More Than One Agency Are Updated

• How to Describe Records Series Using an Excludes Statement
• State Agency Schedule Approval Process
• Who Approves Records Retention Schedules?

Disaster Preparedness...

• Are Fire-Proof Safes/Cabinets Required?
• Basics of Preparing for Disasters
• Benefits of Preparing for Disasters
• Disaster Preparation Checklist
• Disaster Preparedness Worksheet

• How to Find Which Records are Designated as "Essential"
• Selecting Appropriate Records Storage
• Supplies and Services Disaster Response Checklist
• What Does an "Essential" Designation Mean?

Electronic Records Management...

• Appropriate Use of Portable Media (CDs, DVDs, Flash Drives)
• Basics of Managing Electronic Records
• Basics of Managing Social Media Records
• Can Paper Records Be Destroyed After Imaging/Scanning?
• Capture and Retention of Text Messages
• Checklist for Evaluating Records Retention Capabilities in Software
• Considerations for Adopting E-Signatures
• Examples of Retention for Common Types of Social Media Posts
• Factors Affecting the Cost of Digitizing Paper Records
• Hard Drives and Multipurpose Copies/Scanners
• How Long Do Database Records Need to Be Kept?
• How Long Do Emails Need to Be Kept?
• How Long Do Generative AI Records Need to Be Kept?

• How Long Do Migration Process Records Need to Be Kept?
• How Long Do Social Media "Likes" Need to Be Kept?
• How Long Do Social Media Posts Need to Be Kept?
• How to Do a Bulk Email Clean-Up Project
• Keep Electronic Records in Electronic Format
• Keep the Last Email or All Emails in the Thread?
• Meat Cleaver Method for Bulk Email Clean-Up
• Options for Digitizing Large Format Records
• Sampling Analysis for Bulk Email Clean-Up
• Search and Destroy Method for Bulk Email Clean-Up
• Strategies for Managing Retention of Inappropriate Social Media Comments
• Strategies for Managing Social Media Records Retention
• Strategies for Migrating Database Records
• What Happened to the EIS/DAD Approval Process?
• What is Metadata (and Why Does it Matter)?

Improving Agency RM Programs...

• Recommended Policies and Procedures for Managing Records

• What are the Leading Practices for Records Management and Retention?
• Examples of Leading Practices in Action

Microfilming Records...

• Proper Microfilm Splicing
• What's the Difference Between Microfilm and Microfiche?

 

Organizing and Inventorying Records...

• Benefits of Using Washington State Archives' Boxes
• How Often Should Records/Data Be Inventoried?
• How to Order Washington State Archives' Boxes

• Selecting Appropriate Shelving for Records Storage
• When to Use Washington State Archives' Boxes

Transferring Archival Records...

• Benefits of Transferring Records to the Archives
• How to Complete a Digital Transfer Inventory Sheet
• How to Export Calendars from Outlook to a PST File
• How to Fill Out a Records Transmittal and Box Content List
• How to Find Which Records Are Designated as "Archival"
• How to Transfer for Appraisal and Selective Retention
• Overview of Archival Transfer Process for Paper Records

• Overview of Transfer Process for Digital Calendars
• Overview of Transfer Process for Digital Meeting Records
• Preparing Digital Records for Archival Transfer
• Quick Guide to Indexing Archival Audio Records
• What Legislators' Records Are Sent to the Archives?
• Whose Calendars Are Archival?

Using Records Retention Schedules (How Long to Keep)...

• COVID-19 Pandemic Records
• COVID-19 Contact Tracing Logs and Screening Records
• COVID-19 Vaccination Verification Records
• Data Entry Records
• Database Records
• Emails
• Law Enforcement Evidence/Property
• Law Enforcement Misconduct Records
• Law Enforcement Personnel Records
• Law Enforcement Training Records

• Migration Process Records
• Recruitment Records (Local Governments)
• Recruitment Records (State Agencies)
• Social Media "Likes"
• Social Media Posts

Using Records Retention Schedules (Which Schedules to Use)...

• Construction Records

 

Using Records Retention Schedules (Other Advice)...

• Examples of Retention for Common Types of Social Media Posts
• How to Choose Between Multiple Records Series
• How to Determine the Correct Records Series
• How to Navigate Records Retention Schedules
• How to Research Previous Retention Schedules
• Notorious/Historically Significant Case Files/Inmate Records
• Notorious/Historically Significant Court Exhibits and Recordings of Proceedings
• Notorious/Historically Significant Legal Case Files
• Records of Survey Filed with the County Auditor (Paper vs. Mylar)

• What are Personnel Files?
• What are Records Retention Schedules?
• What are Records Series?
• What Does "Exhaustion of Appeals Process" Mean?
• What Does "Until No Longer Needed for Agency Business" Mean?
• What is a Non-Archival Record?
• What is an Archival Record?
• What To Do With Public Defender Case Files and Indigence Determinations
• What To Do With State Publications
• Which Litigation Case Files are "Significant"?
• Why Are Destruction/Transfer Records Kept for 50 Years?
• Why Isn't There Just One "Transitory" Records Series?

Using the State Records Center...

• What is the Difference Between the State Archives and the State Records Center?