Hi Tim,

New York and NJ have also done a good job with this. They both have grant programs that fund county and municipal government records management projects, which is a major incentive to the county and municipal governments to start projects. I've been fortunate to have worked on both the grant approval process and the consulting process doing exactly what you're trying to accomplish in both states at various times over the past several years. 

New Jersey: http://www.nj.gov/state/darm/
 
New York: http://www.archives.nysed.gov/aindex.shtml

What you have listed makes sense. A lot goes on to make each step work. From practical experience, you need a champion in an executive management position with the ability to "encourage" participation; for example, the county or municipal clerk and/or administrator. 

In addition, it is important to talk to as many other people as you can to understand the current state of records. Directors of departments may sound logical at first, but you learn more by also talking to those in the departments who currently handle the records. 

Interviews can be followed by or conducted at the same time as records inventories. You should then come up with some ideas based on what you learn. Identify the benefits that each of them will reap from a successful program. You'd be surprised what gets some people motivated (besides handling records in a responsible manner). 

Ask the executive/champion to solicit volunteers or assign a records coordinator who can work with you on behalf of each area. You may or may not have met these individuals during the interviews you've conducted.

Host a meeting with those individuals to discuss their role in the records management program and the current state of records. I find a brief presentation complete with pictures taken at the site sets the stage for conversation. Solicit their input. They have challenges that you need to be aware of. They will also offer some very good ideas for solutions. From that group, you can find a few who are eager to get their area in shape. Those will be your strongest allies. Once you take care of the 'low-hanging fruit' successfully, others will want to come on board. 

From what I've experienced, you can't accomplish everything at once. As with other projects, the human element/culture of the organization is what is missing from a list like the one you have provided. It's up to the project manager to make sure that is considered carefully.

Pat


________________________________
Patricia C. Franks, Ph.D., CRM
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MARA Program Coordinator
School of Library & Information Science
San Jose State University
http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/mara/index.htm

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