As mentioned earlier, the Retention Schedule Guideline is not a one-size fit all solution. Each jurisdiction will need to determine how best to incorporate this information into their corporate practice. Conversations across Alberta have led us to conclude that information management practices vary from jurisdictions with no defined records retention schedule to jurisdictions with robust information management practices and dedicated, trained staff. However, most school jurisdiction fall somewhere in between these scenarios. Many jurisdictions have some records management practices in place, but their retention schedules are outdated, or they do not have a full-time records staff member. Implementation strategies will vary in each jurisdiction.

The Work Group has the following resources available to help in the implementation:

Records Management Fundamentals Workshop Resources

Records Management Fundamentals Workshops were held at all four ASBOA Zones during the spring of 2017. The workshops focused on implementing the model records schedule for improved recording keeping and were designed for the school divisions’ records managers and secretary treasurers. Donna Molloy (donnamolloy@live.ca), a records and information management professional facilitated the workshops. Resources include the slides from the PowerPoint Presentation as well as the Action Plan template. The Workshop Resources are available on the ASBOA web site.

Case Studies

Learning from those that have gone before us can smooth the implementation process. The Case Studies Resource include the following 4 Case Studies:

1. Edmonton Public Schools and Retention & Paper Documents
2. Northern Lights School Division and Docushare
3. Peace River School Division's Journey
4. Wetaskiwin Regional Public Schools - Managing our District-wide ECM System - Xerox DocuShare

Thank you to Lea Beeken from Edmonton Public Schools, Joanne Kurek from Northern Lights School Division, Theresa Maggs from Peace River School Division, and Denice Monaghan and Shirley Barton from Wetaskiwin Regional Public Schools for sharing their experiences with records management. The Case Studies Resource is available on the ASBOA web site.

Sample Resources

Records Management Programs require guiding policies and procedures beyond the Records Retention Schedule. The following information is provided as resources:

· Records Management Administrative Procedure

· Request for Records Destruction

· Certificate of Destruction for Schools

· Naming Conventions for Electronic Documents

· Document Naming Conventions (GOA)

· Quick Reference Guide – Naming Conventions for Folders and Documents

Sample Resources are available on the ASBOA web site

Information Management Google+ Community

Need help? Join the discussion group in the Google + Community: https://goo.gl/6FVTBg

This is a closed group, limited to ASBOA members and school board records management employees, so you must ask to join.