Changing Recordkeeping Culture at the University of Western Sydney

1. Changing RecordkeepingCulture at theUniversity of Western Sydney Michael Smith ManagerRecords & Archives Mgt Services

2. About UWS • Approx. 4,000 staff • 36,000 students • 6 campuses on 9 main sites • Major restructuring • Broad range of activities/services

3. RM Structure • Devolved • Some central functions • Storage • Destruction • Archives • Training/Support • Legal Documents – storage and scanning

4. Paving the Way • Review/assessment of current practice • Building Relationships • Internal case studies • Records Management Policy • Business Case • ‘Sell’ Records Management

5. The Project

6. The Problem • Multi-site organisation • Email proliferation • Version control • Large number of staff • Lack of attention to recordkeeping in business processes

7. Project • Simple scope • Drivers: • document management • compliance • Know your goals • Admit when you are beaten and find another way

8. The Process • Memo to head of unit • Meeting with key staff • Recordkeeping analysis (DIRKS style) • Training • Go-live (as a unit) • Six month review of progress • Monitoring and on-going reporting

9. User Support

10. Liaison/ Support • Assign RAMS staff to each business unit • Single point of contact – TRIM Coordinator • Build relationships • Understand functions & activities • Personalised service • Recordkeeping analysis

11. Service Centred Approach • attitude of support staff is critical • we are:Records & Archives Management Services • we do not expect ‘them’ to be the experts • we provide a solution • we are not the records police • never refer users to a guideline as a first response

13. Changing Culture

14. [Rogers, E.M. (1995). Diffusion of innovations (4th ed.). New York: The Free Press] Innovators2.5% EarlyAdopters13.5% Early Majority34% Late Majority34% Laggards16%

15. Who are the recordkeepers? • TRIM Coordinators • End users • Managers? • Academic staff • Records management unit

16. RECORD LIFE CYCLE

17. Anne Pederson, “Understanding Society Through Its Records – The Records Continuum” [http://john.curtin.edu.au/society/australia/index.html]

18. Attitudes and Perceptions • It’s just filing. • Yes it’s important but I don’t have time right now. • When I leave it won’t be my problem. • How dare you tell me what to do with my records. • I need access NOW and I’m too important to attend training

19. Integrations

20. Integrations • Student files and locations • Staff files and locations • Student email auto capture (215,000 since March 2008) • Student forms scanning • Complaints system

21. Non-Standard Applications • Art Collection • Capital Works plans • Archives Collection • Historic photograph collection

22. MeasuringSuccess

23. What are the KPIs? • Number of documents registered? • Impact on physical storage? • Staff satisfaction? • Recordkeeping compliance levels? • Vital records identified, captured, managed?

25. Outcomes • Raised awareness? • Raised expectations? • Improvements to business processes? • Changing roles for records staff • Our users know there is a problem with the system before we do

26. Key factors for success • High level project support • Well structured and supported IT infrastructure (esp. standard desktop environment) • Service approach • Managing change

27. Paperless Office?

28. What of the future? • Jedi Archivist: “I hate to say it, but it looks like the system you're searching for doesn't exist.” • Obi Wan: “That's impossible - perhaps the Archives are incomplete.” • Jedi Archivist: “The Archives are comprehensive and totally secure, my young Jedi ... One thing you may be absolutely sure of: If an item does not appear in our records, it does not exist.” [Robert A. Salvatore, Star wars. Episode II. Attack of the clones, based on the story by George Lucas and the screenplay by George Lucas and Jonathan Hales (Ballantine books, New York 2002) 155-160]

29. Questions?