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Records managers and municipal clerks hear it all the time: "Stop keeping transitory records." And yet — on every on-site disposition project, transitory records make up at least 60% of what's in the room. So what's actually going wrong? The problem isn't creation. It's retainage. And the solution isn't telling staff to stop — it's training them to recognize transitory records the moment they're created, label them correctly, and let them go before they become someone else's

If I could only give you one piece of advice about records management — which, trust me, would be extremely difficult for me — it wouldn't be about retention schedules. It wouldn't be about folder naming conventions or digital asset management or even compliance. It would be this: get humble and start asking questions. I know. That probably doesn't sound like the riveting records-nerd insight you were expecting. But stay with me. The Book That Changed How I Work When I was wo

If you work with records long enough, you'll see it: boxes labeled "historical" sitting in a basement, or a colleague proudly handing you an old document saying, "This has to go to the archives!" But old does not automatically mean important. And it absolutely does not automatically mean archival. Quick caveat before we dive in: this post reflects lessons I've learned from working with archivists and records professionals. Most of my experience has been in Washington State, s

The old best-practice list is showing its age. Here’s what to use instead — and the one rule that matters more than all the others combined. If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me to write them an “organization-wide nam ing convention,” I could fund a small team to do nothing but fix file names all day. It’s the number one request I get — from clients, from students in my classes, from colleagues who corner me at conferences. “Can you suggest a naming convention?”

In recognition of Records and Information Management (RIM) Month, this post offers five practical, low-effort strategies to help busy clerks and records managers improve organization, reduce risk, and enhance records accessibility—without requiring new systems or additional budget. Through simple, engaging activities, it encourages teams to build momentum, increase awareness, and make records management a more approachable and collaborative part of daily operations.

A Washington Municipal Perspective The question of when a record is officially considered “destroyed” has been at the forefront of my mind lately. I’ve shared my perspective with several clients, but if there’s one thing I can tell you about me, it’s this: if I’m not 100% confident in the advice I’m giving, I will research it into the ground before standing behind it. (Once a ‘Library Scientist,’ always a Library Scientist) So I did. What I found was both interesting and, fra

In this week’s blog, Megan shares her perspective on Laserfiche Cloud versus self-hosted systems, especially as it relates to smaller municipalities.