Piles of Files? Organizing Your Records

1. Piles of Files?Organizing Your Records University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Archives and Records Management Services Wilson Library| CB# 3926 919-962-6402 | phone recman@unc.edu

2. Agenda Why is organization important? Analyzing your Files Selecting an Organizational System Maintaining your Organizational System

3. Why is organization important? Could this be your desk? Efficient access to records Opens system to colleagues Eases records management

4. Organizational Efficiency Self Test Over a 10 day period, I spent 30 minutes a day looking for records in my office to do my job 30 minutes x 10 days = 300 minutes 300 minutes x 24 weeks [48 work weeks a year] = 7200 minutes each year 7200/480 minutes [8 hours/day] = 15 days, or three full weeks searching for files Yikes.

5. Organizational Efficiency Self Test x 24 = Minutes During Work Year Total 10 Day Time Minutes During Work Year ÷ 480 = Searching Days in One Year

6. Analyzing your Files Which files do you use the most? Which files do you not use? How do you retrieve files? Do you have multiple copies of the same record? Conduct an inventory

7. Conducting an Inventory Inventories help you: See where records are located. Understand how they’re currently arranged. Identify opportunities for improvement. Track records during reorganization.

8. Description • Date • Type • Size Sample Inventory Location Name

9. We file in order to retrieve! Selecting an Organizational System Alphabetical Chronological Categorical

10. Implementing your System Rely on your inventory You can use more than one type of scheme Reorganize in sections Use your records retention and disposition schedule to retain, destroy or transfer Document changes to the system

11. Maintaining your Organizational System • Review your system every five years • Ensure filing system still supports the retention and disposition schedule • Make sure system is still conducive to completing your work

12. Piles of Files?Organizing Your Records University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill University Archives and Records Management Services Wilson Library| CB# 3926 919-962-6402 | phone recman@unc.edu