Press Release - State Agencies Offering Training to Protect Essential Records from Disaster Impacts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ann Jenks
October 13, 2011
(701) 328-2090

BISMARCK – The State Historical Society of North Dakota, joined by the Information Technology Department-Records Management and the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services, is offering training to assist state and local governments protect essential records before, during and after disasters. The Intergovernmental Preparedness for Essential Records (IPER) training will focus on records that protect the health, safety and property of residents, and those that are essential for the continuation of government operations after a disaster.

“The 1997 floods in the Red River wreaked havoc on the ability of many local governments to retain important records and hindered their capability to restore these vital documents for government operations,” said Merl Paaverud, Director of the State Historical Society. “This year’s catastrophic floods and our state’s persistent flooding amplify the need for local government, tribal government and state government to protect critical and essential records.”

Two free webinar courses are open for registration and are on a first-come, first-served basis. Attendance is limited to 30 people. Training will be conducted through a series of presentations. Attendees are encouraged to participate in the entire series for each course.

• The Essential Records course teaches participants to identify and prioritize critical records, assess risks to their records, and mitigate those risks to protect records. The class is conducted in four two-hour segments on November 8, 10, 15 and 17.

• The Records Emergency Planning and Response course will prepare participants to relate records planning to Continuity of Operations planning, develop and test a Records Emergency Action Plan, and develop a response plan to recover damaged records after an emergency. The class is conducted in four two-hour segments on December 6, 8, 13, and 15.

The IPER project is a nationwide effort to develop and deliver training to state and local governments on how to identify essential records, how to plan for their safekeeping prior to an emergency and how to recover records after emergencies. The IPER curriculum is based on existing National Archives training designed to address requirements and circumstances unique to state and local governments.

To register, or learn more about the IPER Project, visit www.statearchivists.org/iper, or contact State Archivist Ann Jenks at the State Historical Society of North Dakota at (701) 328-2090 or ajenks@nd.gov.

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Bismarck, North Dakota 58505
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