Program Objectives

• To increase knowledge of the major aspects of public records and information management.
• To develop skills necessary to carry out records and information management functions in state and local government.
• To develop and maintain high standards for public records and information management.
• To increase the professionalism of public records and information managers in state and local government in Georgia.
• To increase leadership and management skills among records and information managers in state and local government in Georgia.

Eligibility

To be eligible to participate in the Records Management Professional Certificate Program, individuals must:

• Be currently employed in state or local government in Georgia with records or information management responsibilities.
• Pay a one time nonrefundable, nontransferable certificate program application fee of $100. This fee is due at the time an individual begins the certificate program and is in addition to the registration fee for conferences or courses. Once payment is made, individuals have five years to complete the certificate program.
• Be a current GRA member. The annual membership fee (January 1–December 31) is $20.00. To become a member, please complete the membership application and follow the subsequent instructions for submitting it to GRA.

Requirements of Certificate Program

Requirements for designation as a Records Management Professional include completion of forty-eight (48) hours of instruction comprised of three (3) six-hour required courses and five (5) six-hour elective courses. Courses offered as part of this program are the only ones that can be taken for credit towards achieving a Records Management Professional certificate.

Under the guidance of both the Georgia Records Association Board and the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, the curriculum as described below will be modified as needed based on the changing needs of records professionals and the dictates of successful adult education practices.

To participate in the GRA Certificate Program, please complete the certificate program application and follow the instructions on the form for submitting it to GRA.

Certificate Completion Process

As a final requirement of receiving a certificate, participants who have completed all course work must write a two page typed paper which discusses how one or more of the courses taught as part of the certificate program contributed to:

• improved performance at work,
• a deeper understanding of self or others relative to work roles,
• better achievement of organizational goals, or
• other forms of individual or organizational improvement.

The required paper will be reviewed by the GRA program manager at the Carl Vinson Institute of Government and feedback will be provided to the participants. The assessment of the paper will be on whether or not the requirements described above are met, not on writing skills.

Continuing Education to Maintain Certificate

Once the certificate program is completed, GRA-sponsored continuing education in the form of Annual Update classes will be required to maintain the Records Management Professional designation. Certificate holders will be required to complete 12 hours of continuing education every two years. Record keeping and monitoring of these hours will be the responsibility of the certificate holder.

Courses Offered

Courses, including Annual Updates, will be offered at the GRA fall and spring conferences.

For Further Information

Please contact Anna D. Boling or Judy J. Wilson at the Carl Vinson Institute of Government.

Anna D. Boling, 706-542-0236, boling@cviog.uga.edu
OR
Judy J. Wilson, 706-542-9525, wilson@cviog.uga.edu

Curriculum for the Program

Course Descriptions

All courses are 6 hours in length and are taught by qualified instructors approved by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia. Attendance in each course will be monitored and verified.

Required Courses

Active and Inactive Records Management: This course covers the fundamentals of records management for both active and inactive records. Topics include records inventories, retention schedules, enterprise-wide records management systems, custodial responsibilities for active and inactive records, establishing a vital records program, maintaining records of historical or archival value, and legally acceptable methods of records destruction.

Imaging, Electronic Records, and Disaster Recovery: This course explores non-paper methods of recording, storing, and retrieving information, including the use of microfilm, optical storage, digitization, electronic capture, and other emerging technologies in the records management industry. Also, policies concerning email and other documents originating in an electronic format will be discussed. In addition, this course covers disaster recovery, the advantages of dealing with non-paper records in disaster recovery, and preservation techniques for paper documents.

Legal Foundations of Records Management: This course will focus on the Georgia Records Act, the Georgia Open Records Act, and the responsibility of records managers under each law. Also, it will include coverage of the complex privacy and security related issues raised by the acts, and will provide an overview of materials and methods that can be used in making a records management program fully compliant with the law.

Elective Courses

Business Writing and Grant Writing: This course will focus on the fundamentals of business writing, including writing effective reports and other standard business documents. Also, it will focus on researching grant opportunities and preparing grant applications. Techniques for gaining community support for grant proposals will be discussed along with the value of partnering with other agencies or organizations in the pursuit of grant funds.

Change Management: In this course, the realities of a rapidly changing work environment will be discussed. The dynamics of change and why people tend to resist change will be considered along with appropriate responses to change. Special emphasis will be given to developing implementation plans, to communicating effectively during times of change, and to other ways records managers can assist their organizations in adapting to change.

Conflict Management: This course will explore conflict in the workplace from beginning to end. Participants will learn to identify sources of conflict, as well as the personality styles of conflicting parties. Also, strategies and techniques for successfully resolving conflict with an emphasis on negotiation and mediation will be discussed.

Effective Leadership: This course will explore the concept of leadership and how leadership ability is developed. Participants will learn about various styles of leadership as well as common characteristics of effective leaders. In addition, participants will identify their personal leadership style along with strategies for improving their ability to lead and motivate.

Effective Presentation Skills: This course will teach the skills necessary for making effective and authoritative presentations. Participants will learn how to develop presentation content, organize ideas for impact, get the attention of their audiences and build rapport with them, design and use visuals (including powerpoint), and field questions.

Governmental Budgeting and Purchasing: This course will examine the budgeting and purchasing processes for local and state governments. In addition, participants will learn how to prepare a comprehensive departmental budget, how to develop an efficient procurement process, and how to purchase goods and services in a legally compliant and fair manner.

Managing Human Resources/Personnel Law: This course will identify state and federal laws which affect personnel policies and practices in the workplace. In doing so, it will address common personnel practices that can lead to employment litigation as well as those that help avoid it. In addition, the course will examine supervisory matters. Topics will include establishing performance expectations for employees, documenting files to include legally defensible performance updates, conducting performance appraisals, establishing disciplinary procedures, and addressing disciplinary and performance issues.

Professionalism and Ethics: This course will address a variety of issues related to ethics in the public sector. Specific topics to be discussed will include moral reasoning and decision-making. Public service values and professionalism will also be addressed. In addition, ethical dilemmas likely to be encountered by records or information managers and the effect of ethical decisions on their personal reputations and on the reputations of their agencies and organizations will be discussed.

Project Management and Time Management: This course will address the issue of project planning. Participants will learn how to determine the scope of a project as well as how to divide it into manageable components and set a realistic timeline for completion. In addition, this course will explore the issue of time management in the workplace. Participants will learn to clarify goals, set priorities, overcome procrastination, and complete workrelated duties in an efficient manner.