Tacoma Community College Archives: Archives News

2024 Electronic Records Day

Happy 10/10, Titans!

Today is Electronic Records Day! #ERecsDay is a day to raise awareness about the importance of electronic records in our work.

Your friendly TCC Archivist asks you to take a moment today to think about a few things you can do to manage your e-records:

• Save your files in managed, backed up spaces. Use department SharePoint sites to retain, organize, and share your files with your colleagues. Saving files locally to your computer is risky - if the computer breaks, is lost, or you leave TCC, those records may be lost permanently. External media like DVDs or thumb drives are extremely prone to failure. Even if you have files that you don't want to share on a department site, use OneDrive to back up your personal files to the cloud.
• Create and use files with future users in mind. Give your files descriptive filenames so that users know at a glance what the content is. Save files in open formats that are widely used to ensure continued access. Store files where they can be accessed by your colleagues for collaboration. Pay attention to version control - unless you need to retain multiple drafts, watch out for multiple, varied copies of a file proliferating, which can cause confusion about the "official" copy in the future. Design for accessibility.
• Plan for the end of your records lifecycle. Know which files can be deleted once you no longer need them, and which files need to be held onto for longer according to the Washington State records retention schedules. When a project is complete and you no longer need the records, consider reaching out to the Archives for review - your work is an important part of TCC history.
• Email is a record! It is subject to retention rules, and is also a valuable source of historical information. Take the time to delete messages you no longer need, and reach out to the Archives about preserving significant communications relating to projects, events, and other TCC history.