University Archives and Records Management offering remote services

Happy Records and Information Management Month!

What a spring this has been already! With all the upheaval and uncertainty this quarter, records management is likely the furthest from your mind right now. However, it is Records and Information Management Month this month, so we wanted to take a moment to remind you that University Archives and Records Management (UARM) is still available for records related questions that may come up — even if our physical location is closed! Tony Kurtz and Rachel Thompson are generally available by email and Teams chat 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday – Friday, for records related questions any Western employee may have.

Additionally, in honor of Records and Information Management month and of working remotely, UARM has also put together a couple of remote training resources – especially helpful if you are looking for some professional development opportunities to fill your time at home:

• Introduction to Records Management Canvas module. (Please note that this will enroll you in our course “WWU Records Management.” As we add modules to this course in the future, you may be notified of updates.) · Digital Records Management *live* webinar on Thursday, April 30 at 3 p.m. (You won’t need a microphone or camera for this.)

We also want to take the chance to remind you of all the great things University Archives and Records Management (UARM) can offer you all year round, and in spite of COVID-19!

Retention schedules: University Archives and Records Management is responsible for maintaining and publishing approved records retention schedules for the university, helping you determine how long to keep your records. Retention schedules governing common university records can be found on our Records Retention Schedule page. Retention schedules covering records unique to specific offices can be obtained by contacting UARM.

Consultation: UARM staff are available via Teams and email during University business hours (see above). Feel free to contact us with questions you may have about records; we’re here to help! Training: UARM training can be found on Canvas and the WWU Training Portal (right now we only have the Digital Records Management webinar scheduled for this quarter, but more may be coming). UARM also provides tailored training to individuals and program units upon request (and can do so remotely).

Storage: The University Archives and Records Center provides storage for paper records, both archival and non-archival, and for digital archival records. For question relating to physical records stored at the Records Center, contact Rachel Thompson. For questions relating to digital records storage, contact Tony Kurtz.

• Please note that until further notice the Records Center is not currently accepting new records and not providing retrieval services, unless there is an emergency that requires access to records stored in the Records Center.

Archives: UARM is also the official repository for preserving the historical records of WWU (paper or digital). We also provide expert assistance in accessing the University’s historical archives. Contact Tony Kurtz to determine if your records need to be transferred, or if you need to do historical research in the archives.

• Please note that physical access to the University Archives is currently closed until further notice; however, we are happy to answer any questions that we can remotely!

For more information about retention schedules or other services offered by University Archives and Records Management, please contact Rachel Thompson via Teams or email.