Resiliency in Records Management: Disaster Preparedness and Protecting Essential Records

Connecting the Docs: True Stories from the Old North State

As the conclusion of our Resiliency series, this episode shifts our focus from stories of the resilience of individual North Carolinians to information on how the State Archives can help government agencies throughout the state remain resilient in the face of disasters. In this episode, Records Description Unit Supervisor Josh Hager welcomes Records Management Consultant for Disaster Preparedness and Essential Records Kayla Leonard and Reference Archivist Katie Crickmore to the show to discuss the essential role that the State Archives has in helping agencies prepare for the effects of disasters on their records. You'll get the chance to play along as a records manager as Kayla and Josh lead Katie on a tour of the basics of identifying essential records and planning for disasters. We’ll discuss how to identify what’s essential (hint: it’s not always the most historically significant records). We’ll also play a game where you get to identify the hazards to records in an everyday workplace. You'll learn that a COOP isn’t just for chickens but is instead a critical step in disaster preparedness. Finally, you’ll learn what basic steps you can take immediately after a records disaster.

Find the Hazard Game:

If you cannot access the images, please visit our blog: https://ncarchives.wpcomstaging.com/2023/10/11/resiliency-in-records-management-disaster-preparedness-and-protecting-essential-records/

Additional Resources:

Contact Kayla Leonard at [e-mail]

Records Management Tools: https://archives.ncdcr.gov/government/rm-tools

Disaster Preparedness Resources: https://archives.ncdcr.gov/researchers/preservation/disaster-preparedness

Essential Records Overview: https://www.statearchivists.org/programs/emergency-preparedness/essential-records-er-course/handouts-essential-records-er-course/