The MMS Records Officers met in Denver from October 14-17 in the
Columbine Room to continue the process of updating the Records
Management Handbook. Earlier this year, Carole deWitt, MMS Records
Manager, issued an update of the administrative chapters (Chapters 1-8)
of the Handbook electronically to all MMS staff. **If you have not done
so, please print out the new Chapters 1-8, remove the old Chapters 1-8,
and insert the new chapters into your Handbook. (See the bottom of p. 2
for new Handbook chapters.)**

At the October meeting, the Records Officers concentrated on updating
the chapters for program mission records. Offshore's mission records are
found in Chapters 9-17 and MRM's are located in Chapter 18 of the
Handbook.

The Records Team participants (Team) were Carole deWitt, MMS Records
Manager -- Herndon; Nola Freeman, MRM Records Officer -- Denver; Mike
Autobee MRM Records

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**Tina Huffaker (Offshore Records Officer-Alaska), Bill**

**Fellers (Offshore Records Officer-New Orleans), Grace**

**Hawayak (Offshore Records Officer), Clare McDowell**

**(WASC Records Officer -- Denver) reviewing proposed**

**schedule changes being projected onto the wall of the**

**Columbine Conference Room. In the background,**

**Laurie Sletten, Senior Records Analyst, NARA --**

**Denver.**

Management Analyst -- Denver; Grace Hawayak, Offshore Records Officer --
Herndon;

Bill Fellers, Offshore Records Officer -- New Orleans; Christina
Huffaker, Offshore Records

Officer -- Anchorage; Janice Hall, Offshore Records Officer --
Camarillo; Clare McDowell,

Records Officer, WASC -- Denver; and Germaine Hawkins, SASC -- New
Orleans.

Laurie Sletten from the National Archives and Records Administration
(NARA) -- Denver provided information to the Team on a new initiative
from NARA called "Flexible Scheduling." Its goals are (1) to empower
agencies to determine for themselves how to best manage their records
and (2) to streamline the records scheduling and appraisal process for
agencies and NARA.

**[Flexible Scheduling will provide some real benefits for
MRM.]{.underline}**

-   **It will allow MRM to group information or larger categories of
    records in its records schedule.**

Schedule items now have divisions,

subdivisions, and subdivisions of the

subdivisions, which provide narrow

categories for filing. If information does not

appear to "fit" a series description in the

Handbook, then MRM staff may file

records in a schedule item that is "close" or

it will be determined to be "unscheduled."

> It will be easier to locate an appropriate file code or "home" for the
> records with broader groupings or categories of records in the
> Handbook.

-   **It will allow the MMS records control schedule to be "media
    neutral."**

In addition to the Indian/Federal split,

several items in Chapter 18 are further

subdivided into paper, microfilm, optical

disk, and magnetic tape \-- all requiring

different file codes. Each media type has its

own file code.

> Under flexible scheduling, MRM has the responsibility of identifying
> the official record copy without regard for the media of the record.
> The series description and retention period would be the same no
> matter how the information is recorded.

-   **It will make filing and locating information easier.**

The filing system under Flexible Scheduling

will be more straight-forward making it less

time-consuming to file and easier to find

information.

-   **It will pave the way for MMS to use an electronic recordkeeping
    system.**

Electronic recordkeeping systems do not

function well if the records control schedule

has several levels for file codes.

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**Jim Thorpe, great American athlete.**

**(Sac and Fox) Trivia question: Why**

**does he have the "C" on his football jersey?**