New York Association of Local Government Records Officers

"Preparing for the Future, Preserving the Past"

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THE ART OF
RECORDS
MANAGEMENT


JUNE 4-7, 2023
ITHACA, NY













2023 NYALGRO SCHOOL


MONDAY, June 5, 2023

8:30 AM – 9:00 AM  New Member/First Time Attendee Orientation
                              June Patterson, NYALGRO Board Member, Town Clerk, Town of Highlands
                              Matthew Shaler, NYALGRO Board Member, RMC, Madison County

                              New member?  First time attending a NYALGRO conference?  Come to this session to get a 
                              quick orientation about NYALGRO and what we offer to you as a member. Meet other
                              first-time attendees and network.

9:00 AM – 10:30 AM  FOIL – Freedom of Information Law
                               Kristin O’Neill, Assistant Director, Committee on Open Government

                               This session provides an opportunity for attendees to learn more about a government 
                               agency’s rights and responsibilities in relation to the Freedom of Information Law.  The 
                               class will focus on the areas of concern most relevant to you, so bring your questions, 
                               concerns, and unusual situations to discuss and to receive advice and guidance from 
                               the Committee on Open Government.

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM  Your Records After COVID
                                 Monica Hauck-Whealton, RAO, NYS Archives

                                  Local government records documenting their response to the COVID-19 pandemic
                                  may 
contain valuable information of interest to government leadership,
                                  emergency 
management staff, and researchers. Ensuring that these records are
                                  retained appropriately is complicated not only by the increased relevance of certain
                                  common record types but also by the shift to telecommuting for many staff and
                                  resulting storage of records in employees’ homes.

                                  This session will discuss applying appropriate retention schedule items to
                                  records 
documenting pandemic response, identifying records of enduring historical
                                  value, and managing records in a remote environment.

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM  Paper Treasures: Information Contained in Historical Documents and Preservation for Public Use
                                 Tricia Noel, Executive Director and Curator - Yates County History Center

                                 This session will cover the kind of information one can obtain from historical documents 
                                 and the best practices for storing and retaining them, and how they can be of use to
                                 the 
public for genealogical, architectural, or other types of historic research.

1:00 PM – 2:30 PM  Electronic Document Records Systems (EDRS) and Laserfiche
                             Colleen Rathbun, Deputy Town Clerk, Town of Queensbury
                             Desiree Potvin, NYALGRO President, Town/Village Clerk, Town/Village of Woodbury

                             “Many people believe that an electronic content management system (ECM) is merely an
                             electronic document imaging system, but it is actually a software system that allows for the
                             creation, indexing, management, and retrieval of documents in various formats through
                             a single interface.”  (NYS Archives)

                             This session will walk you through a content management system, starting with the basics
                             to the more elaborate records management program.  You will learn how to organize your
                             records and manage digital records retention. 

1:00 PM – 2:30 PM  Back to Basics - Records Management 101
                             Dina Falcone, NYALGRO Board Member, Town Clerk, Town of Lysander
                             Jessica McClennan, NYALGRO Board Member, Deputy Village Clerk, Village of Woodbury

                             Are you a new Records Management Officer (RMO)?  Records Management is a method for
                             controlling the creation, maintenance, acquisition, and disposal of information regardless of
                             its format. This session will focus on the best procedures and practices for maintaining,
                             storing, indexing, and destroying your records as well as offering hints to make the job 
                             a little easier.


3:00 PM – 4:30 PM  Municipal Breakouts - Round-Table Networking
                              NYALGRO Board Members and NYS Archives RAOs

                              Attendees will break out into groups based on municipal type – county, town, village/city,
                              fire district, school district.  Each group will have personal access to NYALGRO members
                              and RAOs from the NYS Archives.  An interactive opportunity to ask questions and share
                              ideas on records management specific to your type of government. 

 

TUESDAY, June 6, 2023

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM  LGRMIF Ins and Outs - Key Considerations in Writing Your Grant Application
                                Michael Martin, RAO - Towns, NYS Archives

                                This session will provide some guidelines for the application process of the LGRMIF 
                                grant program. This program provides funds to improve the management of records.
                                This can range from a first-time inventory to an intricate content management system.
                                The session will include some suggestions to help attendees write a successful grant
                                application.

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM  Creating, Modifying, and Applying a Records Management Policy
                                Desiree Potvin, NYALGRO President, Town/Village Clerk, Town/Village of Woodbury

                                When was the last time you reviewed your records management procedure policy? 
                                Do you have a records management procedure policy?  This session will provide you
                                with suggestions and guidance on how to create or maintain a records management
                                procedure policy for your municipality that will ensure the lifecycle of your records is
                                followed consistently, from start to finish.  A sample policy used by the speaker will be
                                provided.

10:30 AM – 12:00 PM  Schoharie County’s Recovery from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee
                                 Hon. M. Indica “Indy” Jaycox, Schoharie County Clerk

                                 Schoharie County and the surrounding area sustained heavy damage when Hurricane 
                                 Irene and Tropical Storm Lee pounded into the area within ten days of each other in
                                 2011. Several feet of water poured into the lower levels of several county buildings.
                                 This session will detail how Schoharie County recovered from this records management
                                 nightmare.

10:30 AM – 12:00 PM  Inherited Records Mess? - Tackling Records Management Messes
                                 Maria McCashion, Records Advisor, NYS Archives

                                 It’s easy to get overwhelmed dealing with a room full of stacked boxes, a network with 
                                 no filing system, or poorly arranged records series.  Faced with all three, you might want
                                 to change careers!  This session will help you form a plan of attack.  It will look at
                                 some common records messes and provide tools and ideas for you and others to help
                                 identify issues and build a road map to make and implement changes.

1:30 PM – 3:00 PM  Navigating a First Amendment Audit
                             Lori Mithen-Demasi, General Counsel, Association of Towns

                             First Amendment auditors are individuals who use recording equipment and smart phones 
                             to record public property, government operations and interactions with public officers and
                             employees.  In this session we review basic First Amendment principles and case law
                             associated with the use of recording equipment on public property.  In addition, we’ll
                             discuss some considerations for creating reasonable time, place, and manner rules regarding
                             the use of recording equipment and suggestions for interacting with individuals seeking to
                             use recording equipment in public facilities.

1:30 PM – 3:00 PM  Leadership – How to Promote Yourself and Your Purpose
                             Connie Brown, Former President/CEO United Way of Greater Niagara
                             Megan Sokolow, Records Management Inventory Supervisor, Livingston County
                             Vicki Switzer, Operations Manager, Burn Boot Camp

                             Recent scientific studies suggest that leadership is 30% genetic and 70% learned. 

                             As records managers we find ourselves in many roles; being a leader is one.  You may
                             find you are supervising staff, running a meeting, or initiating record management policies,
                             to name a few. 

                             In this panel session three leaders will discuss their experiences cultivating and promoting
                             their programs by reaching out and motivating staff and stakeholders.  Each will explain
                             their trials and tribulations in each phase of their careers.  One panel member is a
                             seasoned leader with years of knowledge and experience; one is new in her position of
                             leadership and is in the process of learning and developing their skill set; and one is a
                             novice records manager who successfully has begun to regenerate a dying records
                             management program. This truly awesome team is open for questions and experiences
                             that you may wish to ask or share.


 
 
 New York Association of Local Government Records Officers