Workforce Development Toolkit - Technical training - Records and Information Management
If you experience any technical difficulties accessing the content in this section, contact the WSDOT Records and Information Services team.
Document control (Video, 1 min)
Are you properly storing records to protect them from damage? If you have a water leak in your office, how is handled? Who incurs the cost of the salvage, if possible, of the records? Are they useable records after the pipe breaks? By storing records in the State Records Center, if there is a water leak (which has occurred) they are able to quickly do damage control and freeze the records to stop the spread of moisture. They then take the moisture out of the records, leaving them slightly wrinkled but usable. All recovery is done at the cost of State Archives if the records are stored at the State Records Center.
Document Naming Conventions (Video, 6 min)
This video, by the University of British Columbia, covers the importance of naming conventions and points out how consistency in naming documents will make searching for records easier, as well as bring uniformity across departments and the agency. *(we have already sent in the tip sheet for this topic, so if it is possible to replace it with this version that has the above link included, that would be wonderful!)
Email management (Video, 7 min)
This video, by the University of British Columbia, discusses the importance of managing emails, and gives tips on how to do so. For further information, see the "Email Messages – What to Save" PDF *(we have already sent in the tip sheet for this topic, so if it is possible to replace it with this version that has the above link included, that would be wonderful!)
Email Volume Handout (PDF 107KB)
Email volume adds up when we are not managing our emails, and creates risk of missing records for litigation holds or public disclosure requests. When email volumes become alarmingly high due to not managing outgoing and incoming messages, searchability becomes a struggle as well. We want to be aware of records we create and receive, and managing emails on a daily or weekly basis will help keep the volume down and the risk low!
Lost Records Waste Time (Video, 36 sec)
When records are shoved in drawers and boxes and end up down in the basement forgotten about, they are not being pulled for Public Disclosure Requests and are therefore being illegally withheld, even if accidental. When records are managed, box content lists are made, and inactive records are being stored at the State Records Center, it makes you more efficient in your job and makes locating a responsive record for a public disclosure request quick to find.
Personal Identifying Information - Control It (Video, 1 min)
Before you put information into a document/record, stop to think if the information is absolutely necessary, and if it is, speak with a Public Disclosure Coordinator, Records Services staff member, or IT about the security on the record. We want to protect our own, and other's private information if possible.
Records Management Advanced: Managing Shared Drives (Video, 7 min)
When it comes to managing records, where to start and how to go about it can be confusing. This video, produced by the University of British Columbia, covers the "how to" of managing electronic records on shared drives. This video will assist you in approaching your drive clean-up and organization from creation to disposition so, hopefully, you are only doing the work once.
Records Management Within O365 (Video, 8 mins)
This video, by Matt Wade, provides clarification of which O365 tool to use when for the greatest efficiency when navigating and utilizing Microsoft O365. It will run through the SharePoint Online, Teams, and OneDrive applications, and provide some diagrams to help visualize the uses and connections of these various applications.
Retrievable Records (Video, 1 min)
WSDOT records storage is done at the State Records Center, which is a building located in Tumwater that houses inactive paper records until the end of their retention period. Paper records transmitted to the State Records Center are still in our custody and can be pulled back at any time if they are needed for any reason. They have a very impressive GPS tracking system so they know where each box is located and no boxes are lost.
Trouble Finding an Email? (PDF 90KB)
Since the move of our email to the online archive, many of you have expressed frustration on locating an email. You are certain the email should be in there, but after numerous searches it is not coming up for you. Hopefully, this will help you to understand why and how you may be able to refine your search in order to locate it.