>Do you think Mail should be a part of Records Management?
I hope not.
I just spent 5 years running a mail/distribution system. Outside of the
niche "applications" that folks are talking about - IMHO applicable to
fairly limited circumstances - I see a lot involving mail/distribution
that has nothing to do with RM, and vice versa. There are segments of
mail/distribution that interface with records management - and we should
be prepared to deal with those - but other than that I wouldn't consider
it a part of records management (although I think an argument could be
made for integration in organizations that have large mail fulfillment
functions).
Because it is a function that relies to a large extent on routine, yet
operates in an environment likely to throw up constant barriers to that
routine, mail/distribution can be a high maintenance responsibility,
particularly if you are working in a diverse and dispersed organization.
The most appropriate areas of professional expertise involve personnel
management and knowledge of carrier and USPS requirements. The former is
necessary because of the challenges inherent in an often high stress
environment; the latter to take advantage of pre-sort, standard mail,
and other services in a manner that saves (often significant) costs.
Some of it is quite fascinating - I had some involvement, for example,
in the county's vote by mail contract (one of the first in the country).
Nevertheless, I found it to be a time consuming responsibility. Many RM
functions can be backlogged, or put off - Mail/Distribution operates in
a climate where everything starts fresh every morning, and ends
completely every night (resulting in a culture notable for a lack of
long term vision - opposite the RM perspective). Because of this,
already limited resources were often shifted to Distribution to the
detriment of RM, resulting in records backlogs which we are still
overcoming.
If I were to incorporate mail operations into CRM testing or RM
training, I would not focus on the physical work (something any
reasonably trained mail clerk can probably run circles around a records
manager) - rather I would focus on:
- receiving mail into a records keeping system: how to do it, and when
is it appropriate;
- records creation for mail purposes that complies with USPS addressing
and size standards to maximize savings.
Dwight Wallis, CRM
Records Administrator
Multnomah County Fleet, Records, Electronics, Distribution & Stores
(FREDS)
1620 SE 190th Avenue
Portland OR 97233
phone: (503)988-3741
fax: (503)988-3754
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