electronic record files

RockyR - Time to get a good shredding machine!! : ) You present an interesting challenge to many associations; the efficient storage of association related documents. Even if you had 1 page per SF home that would be an enormous amount of information to scan. Seems to me the first step, prior to scanning is to eliminate unnecessary material based upon a preset criteria. Such as any material that pre-dates a certain date or any material that pertained to more than two previous owners of the same parcel, or something to that effect. If the information is tax related in any way you would have to base the criteria upon tax law. See my point? After you accomplish that first step I would create a spreadsheet in Excel and write any relevant information in a table of some sort.

JanP1 - You disagree with what? You think it's necessary to keep outdated files, ARC changes, and materials that aren't relevant to current ownership or the association? I wasn't suggesting anyone destroy relevant documents, if you read I was stating that a criteria be established for keeping records. At some point however, a "thinning out" becomes necessary, and a shredder is the most appropriate so as to protect names, etc. To suggest otherwise means that an association must keep all records to infinity. That's unrealistic and one big storage facility. Even electronic files degrade or can be deleted by accident over time. Even most real estate brokers are required to keep documents of closes and non-closes for certain periods of time. With all do respect your scenario of a nasty board member isn't really relevant to this non-hostile situation and methodical question and suggestion.

JanP1 - In your scenario the ARC approval was 10 years old. If it were up to me the criteria would be to document the ARC approval in a spreadsheet, or keep ARC approvals and denials on file. Those are critical matters even when ownership changes. However, the new owners by purchasing the home also inherit the existing alterations that required ARC approval. The transition of paper to electronic creates an interesting, delicate, and methodical balance. One way or another someone is going to have to literally wade their way through the material, paper or otherwise. It's very easy to do that in an excel spreadsheet or database, but the info is only as good as it is entered. Might be more wise to just keep what exists in paper form and move forward creating everything electronically, and slowly convert the paper to digital over time with some dedicated objective (unbiased) volunteers with clear instruction. Sorry to hear you encountered a board member with an obvious bent towards being controversial!! : )

We are a small 77 member community who have converted all our documents to PDF files on computer. Some were discarded, but most were scanned with a document feeder on an office Multifunction machine. It took an afternoon twice, to scan a bit over 8,000 documents. They consume about 300 MB on a disk. We have extensive backup, and off site storage of backups as well. As secretary, I did all the work and maintain it all now. I distribute copies of all documents each month to each board membe on a cd or a flash drive. They are organized by various folders in a sensible manner that works for us.

The originals were shredded. The management company also has a copy of all documents as well.

Is is quite easy to find an older document and print it as needed. We have 12 years of records on this system.

Good luck.....

Thank you one and all. I've been advised by legal not to discard anything. Each file,has about thirty sheets of information, about 285,000 total, ranging from 8 1/2 x 11 to landscape plans of about 23 x 35 inches. There has to be a company out there that can convert this information. If not, maybe I've found a nitch to develope. As a former Board member, and now a Director, converting these files makes a lot of sence. If I do find a sorce, I'll pass it on. Rocky

We simply used meaningful folder names. Resident Issues, Quotations, Facility Problems, Meeting Documents, etc. Then used meaningful filen names. Letter to board by XYZ 11-15-07, etc..

Good luck! Your attorney was the wrong person to ask about document retention. A better source would be your accountant or auditor. There are a number of websites with good guidelines on this issue. Other than deed related items, or payroll, you really don't need to keep everything. Besides, as another poster pointed out, scanned records are kept records. Many attorneys seem to be willing to offer excessively conservative opinions on subjects of which they have little knowledge. I presume it covers their butts.

RockyR - I've a degree in Environmental Planning and began my major in Landscape Architecture. Even if you convert the landscape plans to digital, I strongly recommend you keep them in their original paper form. They are drawn to scale and here in the northeast can be costly to have reproduced.