Lists the basic steps for beginning or improving a program to manage records, including conducting a records inventory, developing a collecting policy, and preparing a needs assessment.

Defines what a record is and is not. Includes information on documentation projects, records management software, and indexing.

Provides advice for scheduling, appraising, and destroying government and non-government records, with links to schedules for counties, municipalities, miscellaneous governments, school districts and BOCES, Boards of Elections, and state agencies.

Describes resources and strategies for making records more accessible internally and to members of the general public.

Provides advice on creating an optimal storage environment, and information on storage options for state agencies, including the State Records Center.

Outlines challenges of managing records in electronic format, including email, voicemail, geographic information systems, and digital images.

Describes components of a historical records program, including identifying, acquiring, making accessible, providing reference to, and preserving records.