Records Quarterly
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Contents
- Managing Email Messages as University Records
- Case Study: DAAP Student Records
- Spring Workshops Scheduled
- Records in the Cloud
- Campus-Wide Shredding Event Scheduled
- Program News
- Records in the News
- Leg & Reg
- University Archives News
- About Records Quarterly
- UC Records Management
Managing Email Messages as University Records
Email is a strange bird when it comes to records management. I feel safe saying that at times it can even be a monster. People tend to think of email as a specific type of record that can be handled the same way across the board — “How long do I keep my email?” is a common question — but unfortunately when it comes to records retention it is not that easy. The question that I can answer is “How do I manage my email?”
Electronic mail is a means of communicating information from one person to another, just like postal mail, telegraph, telephone, fax, or carrier pigeon. An email message can contain correspondence, invoices, reports, meeting invites, spam, notifications, conversation, etc., etc., etc. The decision whether or not an email message is a university record lies with the user at the desktop level. Let’s look at some ways to help you make that decision.
Does your email contain record material?
When deciding if an email message is a record, you need to ignore the fact that you received it via email and treat it just as you would any other business document or communication. Think about this—if you received the same document via traditional mail or fax, what would you do with it?
A good deal of your email will probably be transitory, similar to phone calls, junk mail, post-it notes or spam. Much of what is left may be correspondence. General correspondence should be maintained for one year while executive correspondence should be maintained for three years and then transferred to the Archives. For all others, check the message content against your approved records retention schedule to determine what type of record material it may contain.
Another thing you need to determine is whether the message is the record, or the attachment is the record, or both. Often times, the message acts like an envelope. If you need to document when and from whom the attachment was received, keep the message as well. Otherwise, it is not necessary to retain the message itself, only the attachment.
Who should retain an email message as a record?
Should the receiver or sender be responsible for retaining an email message as a record? The decision will need to be made on a per-message basis. These guidelines apply to all kinds of records, not just email.
If you are the creator/sender of the message or if you received the message from a sender outside of the University, you should retain it. Many times our outbox is invisible to us, because we work mainly in the inbox, but don’t forget those messages that you have sent yourself. There can be some important record material in there.
If the message was sent to you by a sender inside the University, apply a few tests to the message to see if you should retain it. Was it something that you require the sender to submit? According to your records retention schedule are you the official record keeper of that type of record? Was it in response to a message that you previously sent or information that you requested?
If you were copied on the message, you probably don’t need to retain it.
If messages are part of a thread, it is not necessary to keep all of the individual messages. You only need to retain the last message as long as each message in the thread was repeated.
How can email be organized and saved?
Now that you have determined that you have a record, and you have decided that you should retain it, you will need a way to organize and save that record. There are several ways that you can do this, but what you do not want to do is just keep everything in your inbox. That is just like opening your postal mail, putting things back in the envelope, and stuffing it all back in your mailbox.
Determine where you are going to store messages. You can store them just as you would any kind of electronic document, such as Microsoft Office documents. Some options include:
- Create folders in your email program based on subject, date, document type, etc. This is not ideal, but it is better than keeping everything in your inbox.
- Save messages in folders on your hard drive or a network server. This will allow you to save all electronic records related to a project or in the same records series in a central place. If it is important to be able to identify that a record was received as email, create a dedicated folder within the project folder strictly for email messages.
- Save messages in an electronic document management system (EDMS). If your area uses an EDMS for electronic documents, you should be able to store email messages there as well. Check the documentation for your EDMS to see if you can integrate with the email system to make capturing and organizing easier.
- Print messages to hard copy. We know it works.
In what format should you save email messages? Again, several options are available.
- Save in the native format of your email program. For example, Microsoft Outlook will save messages with a .msg file extension. These can only be read by Outlook, but they will be easily identifiable as native email messages if that is important.
- Save as a Rich Text Document, pdf file or HTML file. To create an .rtf or .html file, use the File → Save As menu option in Outlook. To create a .pdf file, check with the software you use for PDF. Adobe Acrobat generally puts a menu option within Outlook, making it very easy to generate a file.
- Under the right circumstances, creating a PDF Portfolio is a very good way to organize and store your email messages. You can create one file that stores and indexes all messages in a folder. The option is very proprietary, however, and you do need to have the full version of Adobe Acrobat to create and read the output. You can create a portfolio by selecting the messages to include, right clicking the messages, and then choosing “Convert to Adobe PDF.” Try it out and see if this is an option that will work for you.
- Print and file in hard copy format.
When saving email, it is important to capture the sender, receiver(s), time and date of the message.
UCMail
It is also important to understand how UCMail works. UCMail is based on a Microsoft Exchange server. The server is backed up daily and each backup is retained for 30 days. This is only a disaster recovery backup in the event of system failure—you cannot access your own mailbox from a backup, so you should not count on this backup for your records retention needs. This is a good argument for saving records sent as email messages outside of the email system.
Your messages can reside on either the server or on your local machine according to the way your client is configured. A “client” is the software you use on your machine to get your email, such as Microsoft Outlook. Detailed instructions on how to configure your client are available from UCIT. If messages are kept on the server, you will be able to access them using Outlook Web Access. If messages are kept on your local machine, you will only be able to access them when you are logged in to your machine.
You do have a limit on space. Each user gets 2 gigabytes of space free with the option to purchase more. For more information about UCMail, see UCIT’s website.
Controlling Your Email
Like I said earlier, email can be a monster. But there are things you can do proactively to try to tame it.
- Picking up the phone for casual or brief communications will eliminate much of the clutter in your outbox.
- Set up project space in a collaborative environment such as SharePoint, which has messaging capabilities and use that for committee, department, and project communications.
- Refrain from giving your email out if it is not necessary and opt out of mailing lists suggested by online vendors.
- If you are on listservs or mailing lists, create separate mailboxes and rules to have those messages routed out of your inbox to make it more manageable.
- Do not use your UCMail for personal reasons. There are many freely available email services out there that you can use for personal business.
It is important to keep up with you email and not let it get out of control. Just take a few minutes at the beginning of your day to clean your inbox and your outbox and you will be able to tame that email monster.
Case Study: DAAP Student Records
The College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning’s Office of Student Affairs has initiated a new procedure for managing the College’s undergraduate student files. DAAP consists of four academic units, the School of Design, the School of Architecture and Interior Design, the School of Art, and the School of Planning. Previously each school maintained undergraduate files for students enrolled in their specific programs. Additionally, Student Affairs would maintain a “master” student file for each student in the College. Documents were copied by schools and sent to Student Affairs to be placed in the master file.
A few issues with this system were cause to consider an alternative way of recordkeeping. Student Affairs found that some of the documents that were being placed in their master file were actually documents that were readily available on electronic systems such as UniverSIS. The schools’ practice of copying documents for placement in the Student Affairs master file created duplicate paperwork, wasting time, resources, and space. While not a chronic problem, at times critical documents needed by Student Affairs to serve a student were not forwarded for placement in the master file.
Additionally, with the onset of semester conversion, Student Affairs determined that a central advising center in conjunction with faculty advisors would benefit students. Three new academic advisors were added to the Student Affairs staff to assist with scheduling, maintain DAAP’s degree audits, guide students through semester conversion, advise on DAAP policies, help with academic and personal concerns, complete degree certification, and more. Faculty advisors are available for major and career specific advising, and other academic services. This new plan created a sort of hub in Student Affairs for advising and recordkeeping.
Under the new system, undergraduate student records are maintained centrally in the Office of Student Affairs. Records available in electronic systems are no longer printed for placement in the files, creating a paper-less if not paperless environment and supporting the University’s sustainability initiatives. The new procedure eliminates duplicate paperwork, reduces staff time previously devoted to student record keeping in the schools, and makes records necessary for student advising easier to maintain, locate and access. The four schools still maintain some student records, including scholarship files and all graduate student records.
Assistant Dean of Student Affairs Amberly Maryo says that the new recordkeeping system helped DAAP make modifications to their advising procedures and it provided a better, more streamlined way of organizing information while still providing access to everyone who needs it.
With the onset of the new system, records retention schedules needed to be updated to reflect the new procedures. Student Affairs and the four schools are now working with Records Management to streamline schedules.
Centralizing files is a good way to reduce staff time, expense, and space required for maintaining records. If you have concerns or issues with your current recordkeeping system, contact Records Management for an evaluation of your current system.
Records in the Cloud
Whether you realize it or not, there is a good possibility that you are working “in the cloud.” Cloud computing has grown tremendously in popularity due to ease of use and reduced costs to businesses. But when you are using a cloud environment to create, transmit, and store university records, there are some very important things that you need to consider.
What is Cloud Computing?
Cloud computing is the use of applications, services or storage space on non-company owned remote servers via a network connection, usually internet, as opposed to traditional IT environments, where a company purchases servers and software. Cloud systems generally operate outside of an organization’s firewall. A good analogy when trying to understand a cloud environment is the use of a self-storage facility. You rent a certain amount of space in a larger building to store your stuff, but you don’t own the building or the land on which it sits. You have 24-hour access to your own unit, which is secured by a key that only you hold, but you can’t get into anyone else’s unit. You might also have access to equipment and services provided by the storage facility, such as moving equipment and security services. If you look at it this way, it may be easier to see the risks and benefits than thinking about it in a virtual world.
Publically available services like Dropbox, Google Apps, Hotmail, Doodle, Evernote, and Flickr are all examples of cloud systems. If you have ever used one of these, you have been in the cloud. While these are free services, organizations are increasingly using fee-based services as well, from simple storage areas to complex data management systems.
Important Considerations for Working in the Cloud
While the cloud can offer some good benefits, there are many things to consider when making the decision to use it for university records. The UC Office of Information Security (OIS) suggests looking at the following:
- Data protection – How is the data secured and separated from other customers’ data?
- Authentication/authorization – Who controls access to the application/data/OS within the cloud?
- Physical access – Where is the cloud located; who has physical access to computer resources?
- Data ownership – Does the cloud provider own our data?
- Privacy – How is sensitive data protected? Is our data shared with any third-parties? Does a provider collect information about our users, their habits and activity within the cloud?
- E-Discovery – How is that done?
- Compliance Concerns – FERPA, HIPAA, export/import and PCI
- Activity Logging – How do we access web traffic logs, application logs, user activity logs, etc?
A good way to determine answers to these questions is to examine the cloud provider’s user agreement. Even when you sign up for a free service, you will be asked to agree to the provider’s terms. DON”T gloss over this; it is very important to understand how your data will be stored, managed, accessed, and maintained.
When dealing with cloud service providers, it is important to have an audit clause in a contract that allows UC to perform annual security audits, and requires cloud providers to furnish the university with any third party audit reports (ex.: SAS-70 Type II or Systrust) that they may have.
As you can see, the requirements for maintaining university records in the cloud can be daunting, so if you have any doubts as to the security of your data in a cloud environment, contact OIS for advice. When considering cloud service providers, UC faculty and staff should consult OIS, who will perform security reviews of those providers at no cost to departments.
Guidance for Cloud Computing
The UC Office of Information Security is working on guidance documents and a podcast on the topic of cloud computing.
Assistant Vice President for Information Security Kevin Mclaughlin cautions that, “Cloud computing comes with its own set of business risks and concerns. None of the risk are insurmountable but they do require thought and due diligence.” He maintains that for organizations like UC that contend with many compliance and legal issues, the cost savings connected to cloud computing could actually be minimal.
Information Security Officer Bo Vykhovanyuk says, “An important thing to keep in mind when considering cloud service providers is the university’s data protection policy. Per the policy, restricted (SSN, HIPAA, FERPA, transcripts, etc.) data may not be stored on non-UC own equipment. Thus, cloud providers should not be used when dealing with the restricted data.”
The Ohio Electronic Records Committee has established a subcommittee to study cloud computing and create a guidance document for managing records created in the cloud. The subcommittee is currently in an information gathering phase, but progress on the guidance document will be announced Records Quarterly.
UC Options for File Sharing and Storage
Before going to the cloud, you should consider applications that are already available to you here at UC. Faculty and staff do have efficient, secure options for file sharing and storage provided by UCIT.
SharePoint is a widely-used collaborative software product that allows users to collectively view and edit documents and perform version control. It also has a calendar control, task lists, wikis, and discussion boards. For more about UC SharePoint visit http://www.uc.edu/ucit/email/sharepoint.html.
Every UC student, faculty and staff member has an account on UC FileSpace. It offers file storage, a personal website, blogs, and wikis. It can be used for both individual and group access. For more information about UC FileSpace visit http://www.uc.edu/ucit/storage/ucfilespace.html.
Kevin Mclaughlin and Bo Vykhovanyuk of the UC Office of Information Security contributed to this article.
Campus-Wide Shredding Event Scheduled
The UC Office of Information Security will hold a campus-wide shredding event on Thursday, May 3. Records due for destruction according to your retention schedule can be taken to McMicken Commons between 9:00 a.m. and 1 p.m. Shredding services are being provided by Shred Safe. Please remove all large metal from your records, including binder clips, large paperclips, hanging files, and file fasteners. Small paperclips and staples are acceptable. Details about the event can be found on the event flyer.
Remember to complete a certificate of records disposal each time you dispose of university records and send a copy to records management. The form can be found on the records management website in both pdf and Word format. If you do not have an approved records retention schedule that allows you to dispose of records, contact records management before you do any shredding.
Program News
Schedule Development
New Schedules:
• Internal Medicine
• CEAS Library
• A&S Communication
Updated Schedules:
• A&S Economics
• Purchasing
• DAAP Student Affairs
Draft Schedules:
• Counseling Center
Records Transfers
Netwellness Collection
Accession No. UA-11-18, 2 boxes
Publications by and about NetWellness, documentation of expansion, commercialization and advertising, photographs of special events, correspondence, and case studies. Virtual tours, demos, discussion groups, press conferences, news broadcasts, and more on CD, cassette, and VHS, 1994-2004
Faculty Senate
Accession No. UA-12-01, 3 boxes
Committee records, minutes, subject files, and by-laws, 1998-2008
College of Music of Cincinnati—CCM Historical Records
Accession No. UA-11-19, 1 box
Commencement bulletins, programs, student rosters, and minutes of executive, financial, and stockholder's committee meetings, 1878-1967
College of Business
Accession No. UA-12-02, 4 boxes
Materials from the College of Business boxes with information on a variety of items ranging from curriculum development to student groups, 1976-2007
Department of Business Administration
Accession No. UA-12-03, 1 box
Records of funds, endowments, scholarships, and gifts from the UC Department of Business Administration,1898-1960
Department of Philosophy
Accession No. UA-12-04, 3 boxes
Handbooks, enrollment statistics, degree requirements, assessments, honors courses, colloquiums, 1960-2010
“Sears” Building Storage to be Eliminated
Word is out that the Campus Services Building on Reading Road (also known as the Sears Building) will be closing its doors and the Surplus Equipment and Central Storage departments will be moving to a new facility. Along with this change comes the elimination of records storage services currently offered by Central Storage. Asset Management is working hard to make sure that the transition out of the current building into vendor-provided or other campus storage is as smooth as possible. If you have records that will need to be relocated, follow these steps for an efficient transition:
1. Check the records you have stored against your approved records retention schedule to see if you can dispose of anything before transferring boxes. If you do not have a records retention schedule, contact Records Management as soon as possible. Asset Management is arranging for shredding services for records that have been approved for destruction.
2. Research storage vendors for the best services and price to meet your needs. The State of Ohio has a contract with Cintas, who will be working with Asset Management to pack and move several current tenants. If you prefer to use a different vendor or another storage option, make sure that it is approved by the UC Office of Information Security. Storage facilities should be secure, dry, free of pests, and have a moderate to cool temperature.
3. Organize before you move. Repack boxes that are damaged. Label boxes with their content and take an inventory of what you have. Mark disposal dates on the boxes to make later disposal easier. If you are not using a vendor, consider putting barcodes on the boxes and investing in a small barcode scanner to keep track of your boxes.
If you need any advice about your records in storage, contact Janice.
UC Records Manager to Present at 2012 ARMA International Conference
UC Records Manager Janice Schulz will be presenting at the 2012 ARMA International Conference to be held September 23-27 in Chicago, IL. Her topic, “Managing a RIM Program With Limited Resources,” is geared towards records managers who operate with little to no staff or budget. The presentation will focus on developing strategic relationships with other organizational departments, streamlining processes and procedures, and empowering users with decision making.
Are You “Spring Cleaning?” Don’t Forget Your Certificate of Records Disposal.
With the coming of spring, I have seen a few shredding trucks during my walks across campus. As you are doing your spring cleaning, please remember to complete a Certificate of Records Disposal and send a copy to Records Management whenever you dispose of university records. If you are having a third-party shredding vendor destroy your records, also ask your vendor to provide you with a certificate of destruction. The vendor’s certificate does not need to be a detailed list of items, just a verification that records were destroyed and on what date. These are both important legal documents to prove that we are following our policies and that we are legally destroying records.
Ohio Auditor Releases 2011 UC Report
On January 12, 2012, the Ohio Auditor of State released UC’s independent audit report for the fiscal year July 1, 2010—June 30, 2011.
Spring Workshops Scheduled
The next campus-wide Introduction to Records Management workshops will be held May 15 and 17, 2012.
Each session is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and will cover the same material. You only need to attend one of the sessions. The workshops are free, but registration is required. An online registration form is available.
Introduction to Records Management
During this workshop we will discuss the benefits you will receive from efficiently managing your records, UC’s records program, your role as a keeper of public records, the definition of a "record," how to perform records inventories, the development of records retention schedules and proper means of records disposal.
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This and other workshops can also be brought to your department. To set up your own presentation, contact Janice. If you have interest in a more advanced records topic, please let us know and we may be able to design a workshop for you. Also available are:
Electronic Records
During this workshop we will discuss the unique characteristics of electronic records, retention of electronic records, recordkeeping systems, special considerations for websites, databases, and business applications, and disposal of electronic records including transfer to the University Archives.
Managing Email
During this workshop we will discuss how to determine if an email message is a university record, retention of email, the characteristics of UC's email system, managing the inbox, and storage methods.
Records in the News
The links to stories provided here were active at the time of publication. News links tend to expire quickly due to Associated Press regulations. Apologies for any dead links.
State of Ohio and Local
Hospitals exchanging electronic records
Middletown Journal, November 13, 2011
The region’s health community is one of a select few in the country working on step two of the adoption of electronic medical records for sharing patient medical information.
Identities Compromised After Documents Not Properly Discarded
Ohio News Network, November 22, 2011
A long-time counselor who works for the state to help people with disabilities find jobs, finds himself at the center of an investigation by the Ohio Inspector General's office.
Newspapers fight casino-records bill
Columbus Dispatch, December 15, 2011
The public will see less information about casino companies than it now can learn about applicants for teacher and barber licenses if gambling legislation is left untouched, newspapers warned yesterday.
Attorney who sued city over records request won't get appeal heard
IndeOnline.com, January 18, 2012
The Ohio Supreme Court has declined to hear the appeal of a Cleveland attorney who sued the city of Massillon two years ago over a public records request.
Court again protects personal information
Columbus Dispatch, January 19, 2012
The Ohio Supreme Court is continuing a trend of rulings that declare personal information in government records as exempt from release under the state's public records laws.
Lawsuits accuse Lima Energy of falsifying records
LimaOhio.com, February 10, 2011
A litany of allegations and legal actions against Global Energy Inc., its affiliate USA Synthetic Fuel Corp., and company founder Harry Graves, were reported Friday by the Business Courier of Cincinnati.
White Hat must give records to charters
Columbus Dispatch, February 10, 2012
A Franklin County judge has ordered the state’s largest for-profit manager of charter schools to turn over detailed financial records, including tax returns, building leases and transactions with its subsidiaries, to show how it spent millions in tax dollars received each year.
See also White Hat fights order for financial records, Columbus Dispatch, February 16, 2012
DARE officer faces felony charges
Cincinnati.com, February 16, 2012
She was indicted on three felonies: tampering with records, securing writings by deception and forgery. She said she taught DARE classes and signed time sheets indicating she taught them when she hadn't, said Julie Wilson, spokeswoman for Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters.
Cuyahoga County posts copies of medical mart contracts online, fulfilling promise
Cleveland.com, February 17, 2012
Cuyahoga County on Thursday kept a years-old promise to publicly post all contracts related to the $465 million, taxpayer-financed medical mart and convention center under construction in downtown Cleveland.
Public wins in Ohio Supreme Court ruling
Chillicothe Gazette, March 1, 2012
In an 7-0 decision, the high court ruled real estate title documents are indeed public records and also slammed the public agency keeping those records for charging $2 per page for them.
Rhodes: How to keep property records private
Cincinnati.com, March 13, 2012
Ever since the advent of the Internet and searchable databases, there has been an understandable concern among those in sensitive positions or situations that they could be more readily “found” than before.
Ohio auditor slams responses to public-records requests
Columbus Dispatch, March 13, 2012
Ohio Auditor Dave Yost figures that if his office can’t quickly obtain public records, “Joe Average Citizen isn’t going to fare very well.”
See also Licking County cities comply with records request, Newark Advocate, March 13, 2012
Push for electronic records pains independent doctors
Cincinnati Business Courier, March 16, 2012
For Greater Cincinnati physician practices seeking to hold onto their independence, it’s a tough new world. If they don’t upgrade to electronic health record systems this year, they’ll lose out on federal incentives worth $18,000 per doctor.
Higher Education
North Carolina To Gain Access To NCAA Documents On Agent Activity
Business Insider, November 30, 2011
The State of North Carolina and the NCAA have been busy fighting over access to documents regarding findings from the NCAA’s investigation of past NFLPA agent activity on the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill’s campus.
Scandal could alter Pa. open records law
The Temple News, December 5, 2011
A proposed amendment to an existing law would require Temple to further disclose its financial information and other records to the public.
University hands over required merger documents
WLKY Louisville, December 13, 2011
The University of Louisville handed over records about the proposed hospital merger.
UMass discarded meeting records from botched presidential search process
Boston.com, December 15, 2011
The University of Massachusetts acknowledged today that it discarded original records from the closed-door search for its new president, a process which was previously found to have violated the state’s open meeting law.
Boston College Must Release Oral-History Records, but Court Will Review Them First
The Chronicle of Higher Education, December 19, 2011
A federal court has denied Boston College's motion to thwart a government request for sensitive oral-history records. But the court will review those records confidentially on Wednesday before it decides what, if anything, must be handed over to federal authorities.
State University System demands FAMU hazing records
Orlando Sentinel, February 7, 2012
The State University System is demanding an assortment of records from Florida A&M University as an inspector general investigates FAMU's response to hazing before and after the death of marching-band member Robert Champion.
UI (Iowa) releases Hunninghake emails, documents
KCRG, January 11, 2012
An information technology staffer at the University of Iowa reported seeing a former UI doctor looking at child pornography on his university computer, according to documents the university released Wednesday.
UH Fire Jeopardizes School's Financial Documents, Student Loan Records
KITV Honolulu, February 13, 2012
Late Sunday afternoon University of Hawaii officials said employee pay checks were not burned in a fire that destroyed a building on the University of Hawaii Manoa campus.
Greg Stumbo seeks to review Morehead spending records
Courier-Journal, February 23, 2012
House Speaker Greg Stumbo has submitted an open records request for expense documents from Morehead State University — the latest salvo in a debate over making the privately operated University of Pikeville part of the state’s public college system.
Lindenwood University's suspension list posted on Twitter
KSDK, March 7, 2012
Confidential student records belonging to Lindenwood University that were made public on Twitter were removed overnight. The list was made public on Twitter Monday around 5:30 p.m. and included names, grade point averages, cell phone numbers and email addresses of students.
Leg & Reg
Legislative and Regulatory Affairs Affecting Records and Information Management
Federal
NARA Calls for Ideas to Improve Federal Record Keeping
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) has announced the launch of an IdeaScale site in support of the Presidential Memorandum on Managing Government Records that was released last year.
State of Ohio
2012 Ohio Sunshine Laws Manual Available
The 2012 Sunshine Laws Manual is now available on the Ohio Attorney General’s website, where it can be viewed and downloaded. You can also request a print copy by completing the form on their contact page. The manual is updated annually to reflect new case law and legislation. Several updates have been made to this year’s manual:
1. Responsibility for Providing Copies
Chapter I, A.4. - Only the public office that actually has responsibility for the records is responsible for providing copies in response to a public records request. In several cases heard in the courts of Ohio during 2011, requestors were denied a writ of mandamus compelling agencies to produce public records because the request was sent to the wrong agency, or because all of the records listed in a request were not housed in the single agency where the request was sent.
2. Amended Laws for Destruction of Records
Chapter V, A.3.a., b.- ORC 149.351 was amended on September 29, 2011. It sets a cap for the forfeiture amount in a civil action regarding destruction of records at a maximum of $10,000, requires clear and convincing evidence that the person bringing the civil action was truly aggrieved by the destruction of public records, and sets the statute of limitations for civil actions of this kind at five years after the day of the alleged violation.
3. Penalties for Frivolous Conduct
Chapter IV, C.1. - A party adversely affected by frivolous conduct of another party may move for an award of court costs, attorney’s fees and other expenses. This new section cites ORC 2323.51, which is not a new law, but which was brought to light in the public records case State ex rel. Striker v. Cline, 130 Ohio St.3d 214, 2011-Ohio-5350, decided on October 19, 2011.
House and Senate Bills
New Bills
The bill would give student members of the board of trustees of state universities voting power and the authority to attend executive sessions. Introduced November 11, 2011. Assigned to the Education Committee.
The bill would define "final discharge" for purposes of the law governing the sealing of criminal records when used in connection with an offender who was convicted of an offense involving misconduct in public office. Introduced February 14, 2012. Assigned to the Judiciary Committee.
Bill Updates
Senate Bill 226
The bill has been assigned to the Judiciary Civil Justice Committee. The bill would exempt video footage of the killing of a police officer taken by law enforcement from release under Public Records Laws.
Other bills we’re watching:
• House Bill 33
• House Bill 113
• House Bill 170
• Senate Bill 178
• House Bill 328
• Senate Bill 221
• Senate Bill 224
Public Records Cases
Strothers v. Norton, Slip Opinion No. 2012-Ohio-1007
A writ of mandamus to compel the City of Cleveland to turn over public records is rendered moot as the records had already been made available to the requestor and a previous order granting the requestor statutory damages is reversed.
Decided March 15, 2012
State ex rel. Watson v. Mohr, Slip Opinion No. 2012-Ohio-1006
A writ of mandamus was denied because the requestor did not pay copy fees for the records provided.
Decided March 15, 2012
Documents recorded in a county recorder’s office are public records under ORC 149.43, rather than third party instruments as the Cuyahoga County fiscal officer claims. The recorder cannot charge a $2 per page “photocopying” fee to records provided electronically on a CD, but must provide the CD at true cost of production.
Decided February 29, 2012
State ex rel. O’Shea & Assocs. Co., L.P.A. v. Cuyahoga Metro. Hous. Auth., 131 Ohio
Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority is compelled by writ of mandamus to provide questionnaires and medical release forms concerning households investigated for lead but are able to redact personally identifiable information.
Decided January 19, 2012
State ex rel. Dawson v. Bloom-Carroll Local School Dist., 131 Ohio St.3d 10, 2011-Ohio-6009
Itemized attorney invoices represent attorney-client privilege and are not accessible under public records laws.
Decided November 29, 2011
State ex rel. Striker v. Cline, 130 Ohio St.3d 214, 2011-Ohio-5350
Requestor was again denied attorney fees due to frivolous conduct under ORC 2323.5.
Decided October 19, 2011
Governor Kasich’s Budget Plan May Eliminate Declaration of Material Assistance Form
An item in the proposed Ohio budget would remove the requirement that employees complete the Declaration of Material Assistance form, created in 2006 by Ohio Homeland Security to combat terrorism. Spokeswoman Lt. Anne Ralston said that the process behind the form was ineffective and time consuming. The bill (HB 487) was introduced on March 16, 2012, and is currently being discussed in the Finance & Appropriations Committee.
University Archives News
Gifts to the University Archives
Robert T. Howe papers
Accession No. UA-11-20
Robert T. Howe was a professor of Civil Engineering at the University of Cincinnati. Howe was a graduate of the University of Cincinnati, completing a CE in 1943 and an MA in 1955. He received his PhD. from Purdue University in 1959.
Howe served with the Navy Seebees during World War II. He began teaching at UC in 1946 as an instructor in Math. For thirty years, he taught almost all of the surveying and transportation courses in the College of Engineering. From 1979-1982, he served as Assistant Dean of the College of Engineering . Howe was the first professor at UC to teach computer programming. He is the author of numerous publications including several on mass transit and urban transportation. He served on the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA), and the Charter Committee of Greater Cincinnati. He retired from the University of Cincinnati in 1983.
The two-box collection includes research and publications on urban transportation, mass transit, and Cincinnati history.
Plans Are Underway to Celebrate UC’s 200th Birthday
2019 might seem like a long way off, but time passes quickly. In just seven short years, the University of Cincinnati will celebrate its bicentennial, acknowledging two centuries of education, service, and innovation. In 2011, President Gregory Williams appointed a Bicentennial Commission, led by Tom Humes and Buck Niehoff. Both individuals are not only UC alums, but have served as Board of Trustees members and as benefactors to the University’s fundraising efforts as well. And, both are highly-regarded in the Cincinnati community for their philanthropy and involvement in civic affairs. In their capable hands, the planning is nicely underway with involvement from the faculty, staff, administration, students, alumni, and friends of the University of Cincinnati.
Sub-committees are established that focus on the history of UC, the medical heritage, various bicentennial celebration events, educational innovations, and lasting legacies. Of particular note is the focus on the University of Cincinnati’s role in the years to come, an emphasis that looks at our future in global engagement, continued collaborations with the City of Cincinnati, and student involvement. The ideas generated by the committees have been coming fast and furiously, so the entire process is exciting and invigorating.
In the months – and years – to come, dozens of individuals will contribute to creating a birthday worthy of UC’s heritage. But beyond celebrating the past 200 years, the University will also build a tangible legacy for the decades on the horizon.
Kevin Grace
University Archivist
Archives & Rare Books Library Gets a Makeover
Through a grant from the Schott Foundation, the Archives & Rare Books Library on the eighth floor of Blegen Library is receiving a facelift. New carpet, lighting, and window treatments along with fresh paint will brighten up our reference and reading areas and staff offices. Additionally, a new custom-made reference desk will greet visitors as they enter the library. The renovations were completed the week of April 23, so stop by and check out our new digs!
Greg Hand’s History of UC Series Now Available from the ARB Website.
In January, 2012, UC Assistant Vice President and University Spokesperson Greg Hand began a series of lunchtime talks focusing on the history of the University of Cincinnati. At the inaugural presentation, Hand noted that the dozen or so talks he plans to give will be a good way to get people thinking about the University’s bicentennial celebration in 2019. The UC Foundation has agreed to record and post each lecture and make them available on the web. The first two, “Cincinnati’s Efforts to Create a University: 1800 to 1870” and “An Overview of UC History from 1870 to 2010” have been posted and are linked from ARB’s University Archives page.
The talks are held the third Thursday of each month at 12:30 p.m. in TUC’s Main Street Cinema. The remainder of Hand’s talks this academic year includes:
• April 19 – Student Pioneers: First Alumni
• May 17 – Origin of UC Regalia & Symbols
The University Archives page offers many links to information about UC’s history and is a great starting point for researchers interested in UC’s story.
About Records Quarterly
Records Quarterly is the newsletter of University of Cincinnati Records Management and is distributed electronically via the Records Management website. Subscribers to the Records Management Listserv will receive notification of new issues automatically. If you are not a member of the listserv and you would like to receive these notifications, please email Janice Schulz at Janice.Schulz@uc.edu with your name and email address and you will be included on a separate distribution list.
All content is written by Janice Schulz unless indicated. Permission to use any content must be obtained by contacting UC Records Management via the methods above. Contributions to Records Quarterly can be made by emailing content to Janice.Schulz@uc.edu.
URLs included in this issue were current at the time of publication.
Records Management Program
The University of Cincinnati Records Management Program is administered by the University Archives in compliance with UC Rule 10-43-10.
Janice M. Schulz, CRM
University Records Manager and Archives Specialist
Office Location: 806 Blegen Library
Mail Location: 113
Email: Janice.Schulz@uc.edu
Phone: 556-1958
Fax: 556-2113
Website: http://www.libraries.uc.edu/libraries/arb/records_management/
Mailing Address: Archives & Rare Books Library,
University of Cincinnati, P.O. Box 210113, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0113