The UW President is a Changin', But Records Best Practices Are Not

Spotlight on Educator's Toolkit

Come gather 'round teachers
From whatever town
And admit that the summer
Is winding down
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone
But these records tips are worth a savin'
And you better start organizin’
Or you’ll get behind
For the times they are a-changin'

Everything the UW community creates and receives is considered a public record. To be compliant with state law, every employee has the legal responsibility to demonstrate proper care and management of the records they create, handle, and receive. So as the new academic year approaches, get a real jump on things with our Educator’s Toolkit page. Creating a structure at the start gives you somewhere to put all the materials you will create throughout the year. This is much preferable to waiting until the end of the next academic year and wishing you had organized your student records into folders

NEW! A Guide for a Successful Transition to the Document Management System (DMS)

As summer slowly winds down and we start gearing up for a busy fall, now’s a great time to think about getting your department's records in order.

From coming up with a project plan to keeping things running smoothly, our new guide Ready, Set, Migrate! walks you through moving your records into UW's very own enterprise Document Management System (DMS), DocFinity.

Built around a CORE approach (Clarify, Organize, Reconcile, Establish) with one final S to Sustain, the guide offers practical tips, examples, and even a nod to sparkling apple cider.

Process vs Product Live Zoom Event

We all leave a trail of transitory records in our wake as we work towards our finalized work products. All of these materials can be hard to track and determine the value of, especially if you let a lot of time go by after you moved on from a finished project. Join us for a live Zoom event Process vs Product to learn some records best practices relating to stages of a project, with real-life examples (a substantive record and the bulk of transitory records that it took to get to that point), and practical tips we’ve gathered from relevant situations.

When: September 16, 2pm

Zoom Link: https://washington.zoom.us/j/98643092096

Save it to your Outlook Calendar by clicking on the link to our Trainings page

Summer is Time for a Revamp

We have reached the end of another academic year, the end of a fiscal year, and the end of a biennium. Now might finally be a time to catch our breath, take a look back on workflows from the past year and seek new opportunities for process improvement.

Is it time to clean out that filing cabinet of papers and explore scanning options? Consider filling out our scanning policy builder and evaluate whether you can go paperless by the end of the summer.

Are you looking for a new electronic storage solution but don’t know where to start? Contact our office for insights into the UW Document Management System, SharePoint or other third-party tools that align with your business needs. 

Is there an opportunity to improve the receipt of forms or the approval of documents within your office or without outside groups? Explore the UW eSignatures service with DocuSign.

You’ll Never Walk Alone: Join a BARC Cohort!

Did you know that it is National Emergency Management Awareness Month?

The Pacific Northwest has it all – earthquakes, volcanoes, wildfires, cyber threats and yes, even the occasional rogue rodent. That’s why business continuity planning is essential at the University of Washington and why it should matter to
you and your department.  

The BARC program (Business, Academic and Research Continuity) offers hands-on cohort workgroups where departments across UW can collaborate on real-world continuity plans and exchange ideas. These guided sessions help you identify critical functions and navigate potential disruptions to keep the UW running, even in times of crisis. 

Whether it’s a power outage, natural disaster or a technical failure, continuity planning ensures that classes continue, research stays on track and operations move forward.  

Records Management Services and BARC may have different approaches to building resilience, but we share a common goal: safeguarding the UW and its legacy. 

Don’t have a plan or need to update a plan? Here are steps you can take today 

• Review your vital records
• Contact BARC and join a cohort 
• Explore creating a plan 
• Read the 2024 Annual Report 
• Learn about UW’s continuity policy (APS 13.2)