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Spring Cleaning – but for your Email!

Judalyn Leung — Fri, 09 May 2025 14:59:18 +0000

As spring begins to make itself felt here in Manitoba, why not take some time to clean up your Email account? If you are feeling bogged down searching through meeting invites from 2017, it’s time to spend a little time getting on track. Think of it as part of campus beautification for fall – but instead of the gardens outside, it’s your digital workspace that needs a little TLC.

40-80% of your email is likely transitory. Transitory emails could look like newsletters, mailing lists, meeting invites, and responses. Email conversations have a lot of redundancy – all those copies in the threads that get forwarded on over and over.

Outlook actually has a tool to help with that! Did you know that there is a “Clean Up” tool in the ribbon:

Click here to open your options – you can clean up a folder, folder and subfolders, or just clean up a long conversation!

The Outlook tool evaluates the contents of emails in a conversation thread, and if the earlier message is found in its entirety in a later email, it will delete the redundant, transitory emails – just make sure to configure your settings first.

It works in the background while you continue your work. It can eliminate a few hundred redundant emails in a folder in just a few seconds!

For more information on this tool, and some other ideas to scale back your email footprint, check out the resources on the Records and Information Management Intranet Site (UM log in required).

Introduction to Records and Information Management course

Judalyn Leung — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 20:56:14 +0000

How long will it take you find a file on your shared drive and identify the FINAL version of the file? What records should be kept? Where should you safely store these files and how long should you keep them? These are just some of the challenges that we often face in organizing and managing complex business records and information as it can be a little intimidating.

This course offers a practical information to implementing the vital elements of records management. You will learn why records management is important, identify and manage business records and understand the system of records retention. This course also offers helpful guidance on how to better manage email and other electronic records, know the most appropriate tools for file storing and sharing, and learn who to call.

Rachelle Ross will be leading the course. She is the Records and Information Officer at the University of Manitoba, working out of the Access and Privacy Office. Rachelle has a MA in Archival Studies, and over 15 years’ experience working in archival and records management roles in public and private institutions in Manitoba.

Join us on a new session of the Introduction to Records and Information Management course next week!

Date: Thursday, February 20, 2025

Time: 1:30 to 4:00 PM

Location: Archives & Special Collections Classroom, 330 Elizabeth Dafoe Library, Fort Garry Campus

Registration closes: Wednesday, February 19, 2025

To register, please contact fippa [at] umanitoba [dot] ca.

Records, Information and Data – Oh My!

Judalyn Leung — Mon, 28 Oct 2024 19:11:38 +0000

Are your file shares haunted by the ghosts of WordPerfect past? What is a business record? When is data a record? When is information a data? Where should you keep and store all the things to keep them safe and accessible?

Does finding a file on your shared drive involve such a detailed investigation that you feel like Sherlock Holmes catching Moriarty when you find the final Final FINAL draft?

If you are unsure of where and how to start managing your office’s records and information, join us for this half day session. You’ll be introduced to the approved retention rules for university business records so you learn what information needs to be kept, and what can be destroyed, and the University-managed options for storage. You’ll learn where to find helpful guidance and tips and tricks, and learn who to call.

Introduction to Records and Information Management course

Fort Garry Campus:

Date: Thursday, November 21, 2024

Time: 1:30-4:00 PM

Location: Archives & Special Collections Classroom, 330 Elizabeth Dafoe Library

Registration closes: Monday, November 18, 2024

Bannatyne Campus:

Date: Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Time: 1:30 to 4:00 PM

Location: Neil John MacLean Health Sciences Library, Room 385 Boardroom

Registration closes: Monday, November 25, 2024

To register: Contact fippa [at] umanitoba [dot] ca. Please send your full name and the date of the course you are attending. Our office will notify you on your registration.