ERM vital to TCI success Published May 10, 2007 By Meredith March 66th ABW Public Affairs Hanscom AFB, Mass. -- Electronic Records Management is a term all Hanscom personnel should understand and be practicing before the June Operational Readiness Inspection commences. In concert with the June 9 to 19 ORI, the Air Force Materiel Command Inspector General's team will conduct a Targeted Compliance Inspection, which will require ERM compliance. In December 2005, the Air Force tasked each base with devising an electronic record-keeping system to prevent the loss of official records in e-mail and other digital forms, said Senior Master Sgt. Ginger Thompson, 66th Medical Group superintendent and Tiger Team leader. ERM requires all personnel to populate and submit official records from their e-mail inboxes and personal electronic files and archives to their records custodians' LiveLink inboxes. The records custodians then file the records submissions within the electronic system, making them easily retrievable. This system saves considerable time when, for example, leadership requests all information on a certain topic or person. Employees who have submitted official records to their records custodians do not have to waste work time going through their electronic and paper files; records are already in electronic form -- organized and ready to be disseminated, Sergeant Thompson said. Although Hanscom's ERM system is in place, personnel are not using it nearly as often as they should, Sergeant Thompson said. This may be because either employees do not know what criteria constitute an official record, or they are not certain what their role is within the ERM system. Both questions can be answered by taking the Air Force Records Management General Awareness Level 1 training, located on the Electronic Systems Center's CenterNet and required for all military, civilian and contractor personnel at Hanscom. Further trainings are also required for specific positions, Sergeant Thompson said. All personnel should also have a copy of the General Records Management Awareness for All Employees handout. Copies may be obtained from a functional area records manager. With this training, Hanscom personnel should be able to utilize ERM effectively. "Once you get your program in order, it's so easy to take care of it. The short term goal is the ORI, but the long term goal is to maintain a compliant records management program," Sergeant Thompson said. Those who do not know who their records custodian or FARM is should contact their direct supervisor or commander. For more information on ERM e-mail Lawrence Murphy, 66th Mission Support Group Base Records manager, at Lawrence.Murphy@hanscom.af.mil or call (781) 377-8609. What is considered an official record? Materials made or received in performance of duties; documents determining policy, action, decision or any action or information that has value to a unit or function. Examples of Official Records: - E-mails sent as actions, tasks, policies and business information - E-mails reflecting business decisions (any comments made not pertaining to the mission need to be revised or removed before filing the document electronically - Decision memos - Documents signed at workflow completion - Information or records maintained in a public address system - Guides, plans, pamphlets, handbooks and continuity books - Books, maps, photos, machine-readable materials, multimedia records and other documentary materials made or received by the government - Classified documents should not be submitted without permission What to do with official records: E-mails determined to be official records must be filed it in the record custodian's inbox for entry into the ERM system. Personal copies may be retained, however, for future reference.