The Municipal Clerks Education Foundation (MCEF) has been awarded a $20,163 grant from NHPRC to publish 16 technical bulletins on archives and records administration.  This series will include a revision of 12 of the 13 titles published by NAGARA and the International Institute of Municipal Clerks (IIMC) between 1992 and 2000 and the introduction of four new titles: Selecting and Using Document Imaging Systems, E-Mail Management, Managing Electronic Records, and Preparing for eDiscovery.  NAGARA provided assistance to MCEF and IIMC in developing the project and drafting the grant application.

The project will produce easy-to-understand archives and records administration e-bulletins for municipal and county officials who have responsibility for the care of their communities’ historical records but who have little training, experience, knowledge, time, and few resources available to meet those responsibilities.  There are an estimated 81,000 local governments, nationwide.

During the 1990’s NAGARA, with assistance from the National Association of Counties (NACo), IIMC, and NHPRC, published seven, 20 – 24 page technical bulletins on the basic principles, policies, and guidelines that should be followed in establishing an effective local government records management program. In January 2000, IIMC and NAGARA published a second technical publications series for municipal clerks, each 4 – 7 pages in length.

The proposed technical bulletins (exact titles may change), each of approximately 20 – 25 pages in length, are as follows:

Overview:

Starting a Records Management Program

The Daily Management of Records and Information

Making Your Records Management Program Successful

Managing Records on Limited Resources

Funding Your Records Management Project

Creation, Collection, and Storage:

Identifying and Locating Your Records

Establishing Records Retention       

The Selection and Development of Local Government Records Storage Facilities       

Developing a Records Storage System

Preservation, Promotion, Use and Access:

Archival Programs for Local Governments

Protecting Records

Using and Storing Microfilm

Care, Management, and Preservation of Electronic Records

E-Mail Management

Selecting and Using Document Imaging Systems

Managing Electronic Records

Preparing for eDiscovery

Dr. Julian L. Mims III, CA, CRM will serve as Project Editor.  Dr. Mims is the author of Records Management: A Practical Guide for Cities and Counties published in 1996 by the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and served as editor for Electronic Records Management, published by ICMA in 2006.  A modest stipend of $1,000 is available for the author of each technical bulletin.

If you have an interest in authoring one (or more) of the above technical bulletins, please forward a statement of interest along with a resume and writing sample to: nagara@caphill.com.

Qualifications for the authors include:

Minimum of five years experience in government archives/records management.

Experience in working with local government records and local government officials.

Experience with training of government officials.

Active in archives and/or records management professional associations.

Organized and reliable – an individual who can be counted on to complete the task assigned within the time allotted.

Able to write clearly and succinctly to a non-technical audience.

Project Directors hope to have all authors selected and under contract by the end of August.  If you have specific questions about the publications or the project, please contact Paul Bergeron, the IIMC-NAGARA project liaison, at bergeronp@nashuanh.gov.