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The one thing to remember when dealing with Vital Records is that
you
cannot save all the records. But by completing the following
steps you can:
- Protect some records against disaster.
- Lessen the damage caused by a disaster.
- Identify those records which merit restoration if they are
damaged.
At this University, individual offices are responsible for identifying
and protecting their own Vital Records. However, if you
have questions, would like additional information or would like to
discuss any issue in more detail, please contact Records Management
Services at
543-6512.
- Responsibility. Identify the individual(s) responsible for
identifying vital functions and Vital Records in your office.
Responsibility for records identification can lie with one person in a
single or with a team of people. If a team
will be established, personnel included
can be from areas within the same office or from outside of the office.
Interoffice
staff could include budget, payroll, records coordinators, program
assistants, support staff, or computer/information systems
personnel.
Participants from other offices could include Risk Management,
Attorney
General's Office, University Police, Environmental Health and
Safety, or
Records Management.
The individual or team will also be responsible for arranging for the
protection of the Vital Records, organizing recovery efforts, etc.
- Identification. To start identifying
Vital Records, it is necessary
to identify your office's main responsibilities or functions.
Determine
what you will be unable to do if a specific record is destroyed and
how critical this inability is.
Additionally, determine which responsibilities are unique to your office and
which protect the interests of clients or employees of the University
and then
identify what records are created or needed to complete these
responsibilities. These records represent a preliminary listing of your
Vital Records.
You will need to speak with people who are actually
responsible for
the functions identified in order to gain an insight into the daily use of
the
records. The people who work with these records on a daily basis
will be
able to prioritize their importance and identify those which are the most
vital. For
computer systems, talk not only to system administrators, but also to the
data entry personnel and individuals who use the system most often.
Once Vital Records have been identified, a list should be maintained
which identifies their location and if any method is being used to
protect them. The person responsible for Vital Records should
continually update this list and make it available to the rest of the
office.
- Risk Assessment. A risk
assessment will assist you in determining the
appropriate protection method to use for your Vital Records. Risk
assessments identify the potential hazards a record faces as well as how
the records can be damaged by those hazards. Hazards can range from a
natural disaster to spilled coffee, computer crashes to unlawful access.
- Protection and Prevention. Once you have identified potential
risks,
you must determine a protection method for your Vital
Records. Depending
on your office's functions, some of the records you have identified
as
vital may be protected through natural duplication or reproduction.
Arrangements for off-site or on-site storage should be made and the
location of off-site copies should be indicated on a Vital Records List.
Part of protection includes prevention methods.
Prevention measures can be as
simple as not using rolling ink (which is
water-soluble) on Vital Records or as complex as establishing scheduled
back-upa of computer systems or sending Vital Records off-site for
storage. The identification and protection of your Vital Records is only
one part of prevention. It is also necessary to be sure that
identified steps are taken to help increase the probability that your
records will be available after an emergency.
- Recovery Methods. After an emergency there is always the chance
that
your records will be damaged in some way. We have included some short
tips for stabilizing damaged records
until representatives from Records
Management Services arrive to assist you with recovery.
Due to the differences between various media types, recovery efforts will
vary from office to office. But there are a few basic rules that all
offices need to follow after a disaster:
- Do not use fans in rooms which have water damaged records.
- Keep the temperature as cold as possible in rooms which have water
damaged records.
- Keep rooms which have water damaged records well ventilated.
- Bring down temperature and humidity to help the water evaporate.
- If suffered sewer damage, or hazardous waste leakage onto records, call
UW Environmental Health and
Safety (543-7262), as the area will need
to be cleaned by BioHazard specialists.
- If microfilm or electronic media (tapes, disks, etc.) have gotten wet,
keep them wet, do not let them dry.
Coordination of the recovery effort should be done both before and after
a disaster strikes. Before a disaster you should have the following
materials handy (preferably stored in a waterproof container):
- An emergency contact list (personnel, vendors, and numbers for
police,
fire, etc.)
- A map of the location of Vital Records
- Appropriate supplies for use in initial recovery efforts, which may
include:
- Paper towels
- Plastic garbage bags
- Protective masks, gloves, and clothing
- Flashlights
- Plastic sheeting
- Scissors
- Mops and buckets (or location where they can be found)
- Paper, pencils, and water proof markers
- Master keys of offices, storage areas, desks, and cabinets
- Hard hats
- Rubber gloves
- Clip boards
- Camera and film
Records
Management Services should be contacted as soon as possible after an
emergency in which records are damaged regardless of the extent
or severity of the damage.
NEXT: Appendices >>
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