When Mark Smith started two years ago at the Division of Finance (within Utah’s Department of Government Operations), there were 219 record series, most of which hadn’t been updated since their creation nearly forty years ago. Luckily for the Division, Mark is smart, meticulous, and organized, and attacked the series clean-up with a vengeance. As the project nears its end, we thought we’d spotlight Mark and the work he’s done.

What is your role in records management and access? What part does it play in your overall job?

I am responsible for bringing the division’s record management policies and procedures into the modern era. The division’s previous record management system was designed to manage paper records. We have been working diligently to transform the system to one that is designed around digital records. To accomplish this, we are rebuilding all of our record series from the ground up, developing an annual procedure for destroying records that have met retention, creating record management policies, and upgrading systems with automated record retention protocols.

Briefly describe the project (for example–its purpose, challenges, keys to success, people involved, the outcome, time it took to complete, benefits, etc.)

Rebuilding a records management system from the ground up is quite an undertaking and has required collaboration with the entire division. To rebuild our record series, I had to meet with each teammate in the division to determine what records they create, how long they need to keep those records, what kind of personally identifying information is in those records, and the federal and state regulations those records are subject to. 

To collect all of this information, I met with each member of a team for a half hour a week for 4 – 6 weeks.  During the later meetings I would review proposed language for the new series and compare the new series we had created with old series we wanted to cross walk and sunset. All in all it would take around 2 months to draft the new series for a team. 20 months later, we have finished the process with the whole division and are in the process of cleaning up stragglers we missed along the way. 

What have you found most challenging about your job?

I think the hardest, and in many ways the most fun, part of this job has been that there is no clear road map about how to accomplish this. A lot of times I had to sit down with a sheet of paper and write through idea after idea about how to make this work. Once I had my ideas, I would seek out advice from division leadership, the Division of Archives, and the Office of Privacy. Their feedback has been invaluable and I’m very proud of the product that came together in the end.

What is your favorite part of the job?

This project has given me a chance to get to know just about everyone in the division and gain a high level view of what everyone does. When it comes to who we are and what we do, I have one of the best helicopter views in the division. It has been very rewarding to collaborate with everyone and gain this insight.

What advice would you give other records officers and managers?

The two most important things you can do are: 1) Get the support of leadership. 2) Get into the weeds with people. Most teammates are busy tackling a huge list of tasks and responsibilities, throwing them a quick survey and asking them to write out everything you think you need isn’t going to work, trust me I tried. You can’t expect people to understand GRAMA and the recent privacy legislation, they don’t have the time. 

If you have the backing of leadership and you are willing to roll up your sleeves, then you can take the time to meet with each person and really figure out what they create. You will create a better product when you collaborate with people and paying this work forward gives you ground to stand on when you need help with the other stages of the process.

Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Remember to have fun and develop friendships as you go. To most, records management is a boring topic. I tell a lot of bad jokes, make funny comparisons, and try to remind people that Utah is at the forefront of privacy legislation. We’re trail blazers. Which means we will make mistakes and we will have to learn along the way. Keeping it light hearted is a must.

BONUS!

Mark is also a talented illustrator and animator! He created an incredible video to share with his Division, which he’s given us permission to share with you. It’s perfect as an introduction to records management.