April is Government Records and Information Management Month

Gov. Whitmer has proclaimed April as Government Records and Information Management Month in Michigan. The proclamation recognizes the essential role good records and information management practices serve in the effective and efficient operation of government. These practices help minimize risk by assuring that information is readily available as required through established policies, procedures, and practices. As a result, retention and disposal schedule compliance promotes government transparency and the responsible use of taxpayer-funded resources.

The Michigan Department of Technology, Management & Budget (DTMB) Records Management Services (RMS) team has overseen the state’s records since 1952, when legislation was enacted following a disastrous fire on the seventh floor of the State Office Building, now known as the Elliott-Larsen Building, in downtown Lansing.

RMS serves all three branches of state government in Michigan, as well as local governments and public colleges and universities. They maintain paper documents and digital files and oversees 664 approved retention and disposal schedules for state government records alone.

With the changing working environment, document imaging has become a popular request among state and local governments.  The RMS document imaging services team assists customers with saving storage space, which in turns, saves money. Paper records can take up a lot of office space and often can be difficult to search. One four-drawer filling cabinet full of documents typically contains 10,000 single-sided pages. For most document imaging applications, a single CD-ROM disc can hold the same number of images. Similarly, the contents of two file cabinets will fill one gigabyte of magnetic disk storage when scanned.

The RMS team administers a contract for document imaging services and works to ensure customers receive a quality product for a fair price. Both state and local government agencies are eligible to use this service. RMS customers using the contract receive free consulting services that include the following:

• Analyzing the records to determine if digital imaging meets their needs.
• Analyzing the business process to determine when in the record lifecycle the scanning should take place.
• Assisting the agency with cost-justifying the need for the imaging application.
• Developing an agreement that is signed by the customer and the vendor to ensure that a quality product is created.

For more information regarding imaging, please view the RMS brochure or contact DTMB Records Management Services at 517-335-9132 or DTMB-ImagingServices@Michigan.gov.