Apparently I sent this directly to Mr. Reid instead of the list ... 
 
Didn't it used to automatically put the listserv address in the To field on Reply, or am I just imagining that?  Ah well, c'est ma vie, at least!
_____
 
The original question was regarding law firm scanning, and in my experience with law firms, much of what finds it's way offsite stays there for all eternity, never to be touched again (ha ha, a little law firm humor!).  

For us, a small percentage is ever recalled, and the material that will make up that percentage may be difficult to anticipate.  So, the PRISM panelist's numbers might closely resemble reality for many law firms.  

The value proposition for scanning in law firms can be very different than in other industries.  For example, many companies are scanning material for archival purposes and disposing of the paper thus avoiding offsite storage costs.  As custodians of the "client's file", we don't have the ability to do that (or at least that is the general stance on this issue - I realize there are those out there that will disagree).

In general, the sweet spot for scanning can be found by evaluating these three basic criteria: 1) frequency of access, 2) multiple users requiring simultaneous access, and 3) volume of paper.  If any one of the 3 areas are your major concern, then you probably can justify the scanning costs pretty easily.  If not, then you need to analyze your particular situation and determine those instances where the 3 criteria hit at the same time and image that material only (or at least first).

I realize that is a pretty simplistic analysis tool, however I have found it to be useful and it has helped to avoid over-spending on scanning.  Of course if money were no object, the "paperless office" wouldn't necessarily be a pipe dream and this conversation would be moot!

Happy Thursday to all! 
Julie 


Julie Colgan
Manager of Records Services
Arnall Golden Gregory LLP
Tel: 404.873.8164
Fax: 404.439.1811
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