Records Update, December 2007
Public Records Policy
The University of Cincinnati’s new Public Records Policy has been released by the Office of General Counsel. The policy specifies procedures for requesting public records for both public and staff. Below is the Triple-D announcement regarding the policy.
From: Mitchell D. McCrate
Interim General Counsel
To: Deans, Directors and Department Heads
Date: November 28, 2007
Re: Public Records
The Office of General Counsel has adopted a public records policy in accordance with university rules and in compliance with recent amendments to the Ohio Public Records Act. This policy is available online at the web address below.
In general, the Ohio Public Records Act requires that records that document the organization, functions, policies, decisions, operations, or other activities of the university be made available to any member of the general public upon request.
The new policy encourages requestors to submit requests directly to the Office of General Counsel.
The policy also informs university personnel that:
- requests need not be in writing, though a written request provides the benefits of memorializing the when and what of the request and reducing confusion;
- the identity of the requestor and the intended use of the records may not be required as a condition of disclosure; and
- no request for university records by the public, however it might be made, should be ignored or refused.
The policy directs university personnel to:
- forward public records requests to the Office of General Counsel;
- be familiar with the university records management and retention policies, as well as the specific policy applicable to their own university unit; and
- ensure that the records retention schedule of each university unit is readily available. (For a copy of the records retention schedule of your unit, or to create a new one, contact the Office of University Archives, at 556-1958 or janice.schulz@uc.edu.)
For the full public records policy, see: http://www.uc.edu/af/documents/general_counsel/PublicRecordsPolicy.pdf.
Contact the Office of General Counsel at 556-3483 with any questions.
Shred-It Days
Information Security, in association with Records Management, recently sponsored a successful shred-it day at the College of Arts and Sciences. A story about the event can be found at http://www.uc.edu/ucit/ucitnow/Volume_34/winter_08/shred_it.html. During a shred-it day, Information Security will arrange for a shredding truck to go directly to your location and colleges have the opportunity to dispose of records that have reached their retention periods and are due for destruction. To get more information about shred-it days, including how to schedule your own, contact UC Information Security at 558-ISEC.
Get Organized Month and Clean Off Your Desk Day
With the coming of the New Year and resolutions, each January the National Association of Professional Organizers sponsors Get Organized Month. For them it’s a way to promote the services of a professional organizer, but for us it’s a great time to step back and take a look at one of the goals of UC Records Management – promoting efficient offices. During the month of January, consider taking a look at some of the things that help you to run an efficient office:
- Active Records Systems: Is your active records system working for you? Does it allow you to find the records that you need do you your job quickly?
- Inactive Records Storage: Are you purging inactive records and storing them in more economical areas until their retention period is up?
- Copy Management: Is your office creating unnecessary copies? Remember, the more you have the more you need to manage. Consider evaluating your document creation procedures.
If you think you need some help getting organized, Janice is available to help you analyze any of these areas.
Clean Off Your Desk Day is celebrated on the second Monday of January and was the idea of the daughter of Mr. Chase of Chase’s Annual Events, who apparently kept a very messy desk. So mark you calendar for January 14th and do a little cleaning, a little straightening and a little filing.
ARMA International Meetings
The Greater Cincinnati Chapter of the Association of Records Managers and Administrators (ARMA) offers monthly presentations on the latest records management issues. Guests are always welcome to attend the presentations.
December 11, 2007: Forensic Data Collection with Matt Stippich of Ibis Consulting
January 8, 2008: E-Discovery with a representative from SALIX
Meetings are held from 11:15-1:00 and are $20.00 for non-members. The fee includes lunch. To register for a meeting or to get more information, please contact Kay Swisshelm at kay_swisshelm@cinfin.com or 870-2000 ext. 4777. Meetings are usually held at Cincinnati Insurance Companies, 6200 South Gilmore Rd., Fairfield.
Legislation
The Drug Enforcement Administration is requesting comments for changes in DEA Form 222, used to order schedule I and/or II controlled substances as proscribed by 21 CFR 1305. The proposed rule would change the form from a three-part carbon to a single sheet form with enhanced security features. The change is designed to make the form easier to use for DEA and registrants. Comments are requested by January 28, 2008. The proposed rule can be found in Federal Register Vol. 72, No. 227, dated Tuesday, November 27, 2007. The Federal Register can be searched at http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html.
Questions about your schedule?
Contact the University Records Manager
- Email: Janice.Schulz@uc.edu
- Phone: 556-1958 or 556-1959
- Fax: 556-2113