Guest post by Andy Resto
This is the final blog post I’ll be writing as the student records management assistant with the RMO at UBC. The past two years have been very rewarding and have provided me with invaluable experience in digital information management, and hopefully I have been able to leave behind some impactful resources during my time.
Being able to stick around in the position for an extended time has allowed me to see and help develop building blocks of information governance. Using the new UBC records retention schedules as a basis, I helped create model file plans to be used by units to structure their content systems. We were able to prove the effectiveness of the plan by working with Woodward Library on a digital records governance project. They adapted their file directories in line with the model plans, which helped them to get rid of over 80% of their digital record overload.
Once the file plans were in place, it was time for a revisit and revamping of the Records Management Manual. The old version was overhauled to incorporate info on the schedules and model file plans. This revitalized manual is a digestible way for anyone working at UBC to have a crash course on sound recordkeeping.
These projects laid the groundwork for an exploration of a challenging field in digital archiving – email. The majority of my past year has been focused on this work, as part of the Email Working Group at UBCV and UBCO. I’ve conducted a survey of archival institutions, completed a literature review, researched and tested email archiving tools, and given a presentation on the status of email archiving at UBC. It is something that I have become oddly obsessed and simultaneously frustrated with. The topic of email in archiving introduces an array of questions which pertain to not only the field of records management, but also the broader field of information studies in areas such as privacy, metadata, database design, and acquisition, arrangement and description. I am leaving my position at UBC having set up workflows and tools for the eventual operationalization of email archiving, which is an accomplishment yet feels incomplete. This topic is something I will continue to pursue, first in a poster presentation at the ACA Conference 2023, and by potentially carrying this knowledge through to future positions.