I'm sorry it took me so long to get last meeting minutes on the web, but I had read the e-mail sent to me a long time ago and moved it into another folder and couldn't find it at first. But know it is on the web, for everyone's viewing. Take a look at it. Thank you.

-- Anonymous, September 10, 1998

Answers

Steve,

In a conversation today with Mr. Charlie Barth, DON CIO office, he told me that I may want to check out the website for the DON Records Management Group. I went in there today and read the minutes of the meeting on l9 Aug 98.

Since I am not a big proponent of doing work twice, I thought I would pass something on to you.

In those minutes, para 3(i) states that the first task is to compare the SSICs in the SSIC manual with the disposition manual to identify SSICs for which there is no record series disposition. Well, Barbara Norris and I already did that. I had even prepared a draft memo that I had planned to send to all the sponsors of the SSICs telling them to provide disposition instructions or the SSICs would be eliminated in the next version of the manual. The mark up should be with either the working papers for the SECNAVINST 5212.5D or with the working papers for revising the SSIC manual.

When I left there I had left it with MS Norris to incorporate as the SSIC quick reference in Appendix G of the manual. I notice that apparantly that was changed and the Appendix G just lists them in blocks.

At any rate I thought I would pass this on to you as it seems like alot of people are doing what I already spent a great deal of time doing. Now, if you can't find it, I guess that's another story but I wanted to make you aware that it had been done.

I don't mean to get in your business, I just hate to see rework if it isn't necessary.

Have a great day,

Helena

-- Anonymous, September 15, 1998

Everyone, I read Helena's coments on the SSIC's. I have some responses. First of all, none of us were around when she and Barbara Norris did their draft of SSIC numbers without SECNAV links, so we are not exactly re-doing old work. It should be remembered that this is merely the first step in a process that will eventually result in a merged and revised SSIC/SECNAV documet that is a combined file plan and retention schedule as the term is defined in the DoD 5015.2 standard. We're going well beyond merely eliminating SSIC numbers that don't have disposition guidance attatched to them. We want to eliminate the persent need to refer to two or three different instructions with regard to the filing and disposition of individual Navy records. We want a single, usable, dynamic document that can be accessed across the enterprise via the web, that works well with electronic recodkeeping tools that also meet the DoD standard, and that can be updated periodically to reflect changes in the way the Navy and Marine Corps use their records.

Helena's comments call to mind a certain frustration most of us share with regard to the Navy's records management office. Good ideas like the one she mentioned seemed to never make their way beyond the draft stage. They never got down to the command or activity level where they might have been useful. In this case, Helena and Barbara are both long gone and any good ideas they may have had died when they left. The Navy records management office has never had the authority or the professional staffing to serve as an agency program office for records management. That's a big reason why this working group came together.

-- Anonymous, September 16, 1998