Perhaps. Sometimes. It depends upon particular circumstances. Fact is, mail processing/distribution has to report somewhere, and RM may be logically the best in some organizations. I don't see Mail as a core competency for RM, but I do see that a Records Manager may need to be prepared to take on a function or role needed by his/her enterprise -- all County job descriptions end with some lingo that says something about "other responsibilities as may be assigned." It is a core competency to be able to function within the enterprise, as the enterprise needs.

Mail here is part of our Data Center Services. Data Center operates the central printers, operates the mainframe computer (not quite gone, yet), oversees servers, runs and manages backup tapes, collects and redistributes internal mail among certain County locations, and receives outgoing mail for processing and delivery to USPS. Right now, Mail is located next door to the Data Center, staff are cross trained, and Mail is able to conveniently process the periodic mass mailings spit out by the central printers (e.g., notifications to all registered voters of polling places, property assessment notices, etc.). We use our internal mail to distribute most file retrievals to departments. I have been advocating expanding our internal mail capability so that we can use it to ship out empty file boxes to customers, and receive smaller incoming shipments. There are operational linkages between RM and Mail.

We are part of a "can do" division (Division of Information & Operations) that consists of most County central services provided to other departments: VOIP telephone, network, Intranet, Internet, imaging, applications support, help desk, building maintenance, custodial, remodeling design/management, new facilities construction, RM, printing, fleet and mail. DIO provides the infrastructure for other departments to serve the public directly. Sometimes functions and services, especially smaller ones, can be organized in multiple ways, but they have to fit into the chart somewhere. Sometimes the best place may be in RM -- that's how I ended up with the Freedom of Information Officer role and with managing the internal U-Store facility for storing non-records stuff.
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|| Douglas K. King, Records Manager / Freedom of Information Officer
|| Sedgwick County DIO/IT-Records Management Services
|| Sedgwick County Courthouse / 525 N. Main /  Wichita KS 67203
|| 316.660.9846   FAX 316.660.3274   mailto:[log in to unmask]
||  www.sedgwickcounty.org   "Sedgwick County ... working for you"
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