Records Management :: MERETI Default :: MERETI Workshops Default

Missouri Electronic Records Education and Training Initiative (MERETI)

Workshops

Funded by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, the workshop series has been designed to increase awareness of the issues related to the long-term accessibility and preservation of electronic records among Missouri government managers and provide training tools for the state's archivists, records managers, and records custodians.

 

Who Will Benefit from Reviewing These Workshops?

State and Local Government personnel responsible for or interested in the management and preservation of Electronic Records, including:

  • Archivists
  • Records managers
  • Information technology professionals and other records and information specialists
  • State agency program managers
  • Local government officials
Workshop 1 - Information Technology Essentials for Records Managers and Archivists - March 24, 2005

This workshop familiarized participants with basic information about the creation and maintenance of electronic records and provided records and other information professionals with essential knowledge to communicate across functional boundaries (for example, communications between records professionals and IT professionals). Topics included: defining information, data, and records; basic terms and concepts related to hardware, software, media, file formats; maintenance, use, and preservation of electronic records; access strategies for electronic records; record structures, standards and portability.


Workshop 2 - Introduction to Electronic Records - April 12, 2005

This workshop covered major electronic records concepts and issues including: capture techniques for paper and born-digital documents, storage, retrieval, and distribution of electronic records; workflow considerations; quality control and security issues; and electronic records management systems.


Workshop 3 - Managing Electronic Records - May 11, 2005

Participants learned how to manage their electronic records in a manner that best meets long-term needs. Information covered in this workshop included: managing various types of electronic records such as databases, spreadsheets, reports and e-mail; access controls; disaster recovery; retention schedules; inventorying and auditing electronic records; final disposition considerations; and the roles of records management, information technology, and systems administrators.


Workshop 4 - The Trustworthy Information Systems Approach - June 7, 2005

Government information systems must demonstrate accountability through sound information management and documentation of government activity. This workshop offered a practical approach to answering legal, audit, and archival requirements for electronic records by establishing the trustworthiness of the information system as a whole. Participants learned what makes a system trustworthy and why this is important; management policies and procedures to insure trustworthy electronic records; technology considerations when developing these systems; and metadata and migration issues.


Workshop 5 - Authentic and Trustworthy Electronic Records - July 12, 2005

This workshop focused on long-term access to authentic digital information. Participants gained an understanding of what makes a record authentic and trustworthy and what options and strategies are available for providing long-term access from both a theoretical and practical standpoint. Topics included: defining authentic and trustworthy electronic records; discussion of models for authenticating electronic records; and issues for IT specialists, records managers, and archivists.


Workshop 6 - Vital Records and Disaster Recovery in a Digital World - August 23, 2005

This workshop explored the impact of technology on vital records programs and the challenges it presents to contingency planning. Topics included: the elements of a vital records protection program and the processes to effectively establish a vital records program; the concept of disaster prevention and the tasks necessary to develop and implement a disaster prevention plan for electronic records and information; and the elements of electronic records and information recovery and the tasks necessary to restore electronic records and information following a disaster.


Workshop 7 - Electronic Records: Preservation and Access - October 6, 2005

This advanced workshop addressed some of the theories, concepts and tools organizations are using to develop strategies for the long-term preservation and access of their electronic records. Topics included: discussion of why long-term preservation is difficult; long-term access strategies such as museum, emulation, and migration; what to do about images, databases, digital signatures and audio; preservation documentation; reappraisal considerations; and access tools.

Workshop Instructors
Meet the experts who conducted the MERETI workshops.

For additional information about any of the workshops, please contact the Records Management Division at 573-751-3319 or by e-mail at [email protected].