Records Management

Pursuant to 1 V.S.A. § 317a, public records in general and archival records in particular should be systematically managed to provide ready access to essential information, to promote the efficient and economical operation of government, and to preserve their legal, administrative, and informational value.

The Vermont State Archives and Records Administration (VSARA) is charged with administering the Statewide Records and Information Management Program in accordance with generally accepted record-keeping principles and industry standards and best practices to assure public agencies are systematically managing their records according to the law.

Statewide Records & Information Management (RIM) Program

The Statewide Records and Information Management Program or Statewide RIM Program, as defined in 3 V.S.A. § 117, includes the following:

• Developing, issuing, and maintaining statewide records and information management standards and information governance frameworks;
• Performing formal appraisals of public records and issuing record schedules accordingly;
• Ensuring that low-cost, secure repositories and systems for public records, regardless of format, are available at an enterprise or statewide level and managed and operated in a manner that supports compliance with generally accepted record-keeping principles, industry standards, best practices, the Public Records Act, this section, and, where applicable, section 218 of Title 3;
• Assisting public agencies in establishing, maintaining, and implementing active and continuing internal records and information management programs for the effective management of records produced or acquired in the course of public agency business;
• Operating a Records Center to hold inactive analog State public records in accordance with record schedules; and
• Taking legal custody of State archival records, regardless of format, in accordance with record schedules.