Records Management & ARIMS FOIA, Privacy & Records Management Conference 2009 Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Army Records Management & Declassification Agency Records Management & ARIMS Basic Overview Demo Ms. Sharon Bunting Ms. Ada Jackson Army Records Branch Army Records Branch sharon.bunting@us.army.mil ada.jackson@us.army.mil

Why is Records Management Important? Proper recordkeeping ensures… You will be able to quickly locate the information you need. Document your Agency’s accomplishments. Be responsive to official requests for information. Protect the rights and interests of the Army and its employees. Documentation is available for determining personnel benefits (e.g. salaries, retirements, & health).

What is a Federal Record? Regardless of format… Any information created or received by an agency of the U.S. Government that documents agency operations or other activities of the Government and is worthy of preservation. 44 U.S.C. 3301 7

ARIMS Background & Statistics The ARIMS was deployed in April 2003. Major changes to ARIMS were deployed in April 2008—the most significant of which was the Bulk Archive Tool (BAT). Currently 68,060 active registered users Army-wide. Over 305,000 e-records, consisting of 325 GB of data, are stored in the ARIMS Army Electronic Archive (AEA).

What is ARIMS? A web based set of applications and tools to help manage hardcopy and electronic records of the Army. Key elements of the ARIMS are: Records Retention Schedule – Army (RRS-A) Records Management Assist (RM-Assist) Records Input Processing Subsystem (RIPS) Master Index

ARIMS Website Applications Records Retention Schedule-Army (RRS-A) – approved retention and disposition information for all Army records. Records Management-Assist (RM-ASSIST) – combines the RRS-A and the Office Records List (ORL) and provides capability to create hardcopy and electronic folders. Records Input Processing Subsystem (RIPS) – upload and track all e-records submitted to the Army Electronic Archive (AEA) and process hardcopy records to Army Records Holding Areas (RHAs).

ARIMS Website Applications (cont) Master Index – search for hardcopy at Army RHAs or for e-records in the AEA and allows you to request access/copies. Account Admin – allows users to update their profile info, maintain sponsored accounts, request access to other units, and request changes in user roles. Help/Downloads – allows users to submit requests for help, download the ARIMS User’s Guide and BAT User’s Guide, and view the Online Video Tutorials.

The Office Records List (ORL) List of record instructions describing the records created by an office. Average list contains between 20 - 30 record numbers (RNs). About half of the RNs will be office housekeeping and the others will be mission/function based. What is your prescribing directive? Only one ORL per office per year. Most are created by a records coordinator. Remains the same every year unless mission/functions change. I could never understand why the ORL caused such a stir when ARIMS was implemented. It was received like it was some new requirement and a major burden on action officers and records managers in the Army. The fact is that the requirement has been around since the WD decimal system. It was a requirement under both the old TAFFS and MARKS recordkeeping systems. It’s simply a list of the records your office creates on a day to day basis in the course of doing your job…a subset of the 3000+ active record numbers in the Army’s retention schedule The ORL is the cornerstone of effective records management in your office. It may take some research in creating a good one for your office, but it’s worth the time if done correctly. Using a good ORL and ARIMS allows you to correctly identify and label your hard-copy records and also provides the capability to capture your electronic records The ORL not only tells you what you create, but also identifies how long you must keep your records. With the “K” and “T” concept anyone can easily determine which records are long term and must be transferred and which can be managed in house.

Bulk Archive Tool (BAT) The BAT enables registered ARIMS users to store documents locally and then submit them as a batch to the ARIMS AEA. The ARIMS BAT was deployed in Apr 08 and allows for the transfer of more than one record at a time to the Army Electronic Archive (AEA). The ARIMS BAT replaced the Electronic Capture & Store (ECS) Application that allowed for the transfer of only one record at a time to the ARIMS AEA. Electronic Media Emails

How Does it Work? The BAT creates a folder structure on a user’s local drive, a shared drive, or in the email system that mirrors the e-folder structure defined by a specific Office Records List (ORL). E-Folder Structure on User/Shared drive Approved Office Records List (ORL) T 1-1m1 Conferences List of E-Folders Created from ORL

How Does it Work? (cont) Once the e-folders are created, users can store any files in them to either be managed locally (short-term) or eventually uploaded (long-term/permanent) to the ARIMS AEA. The BAT may be executed as frequently as desired, depending on the policy established at each user site since only new or changed files will be uploaded. If the folder structure is set up on a shared drive, then all users in an office can drag and drop their completed records into the folders. Office Property Records (09) Reading Files (09) Reading File (January) Jan Feb

Access to Uploaded E-Records Successfully uploaded records are immediately available to authorized users via the List Folders option under the RM-Assist tab in ARIMS. Uploaded records are also available via a search of the ARIMS Master Index but can take up to 24 hours to be indexed in the system. Access to uploaded records is restricted to users sharing the same office symbol and ORL if they do not contain privacy information. Access to records containing privacy information is restricted to the user who uploaded them and the assigned Records Coordinator, Records Manager, and Records Administrator. Users needing access to records containing privacy information may request access to those records by completing an online request form.

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