IPER

IPER is the Intergovernmental Preparedness for Essential Records. The beginning of IPER can be traced to 2005. Motivated by a devastating hurricane season that included Katrina, CoSA committed to responding to a dearth of unified training for emergency and disaster preparedness for state and territorial government archives and records management centers. CoSA convened concerned experts in the field that launched the Emergency Preparedness Initiative (EPI). In 2007, CoSA published Safeguarding a Nation’s Identity, an assessment of the preparedness of strengths and weaknesses of the states and territories archives and records management programs. Another outcome of the EPI project was the development of the Pocket Response Plan (PReP) template and envelope.

The breadth and recommendations of the EPI project led to IPER. CoSA secured $2.6 million in funding from FEMA for a three-year project that ran from 2008-2011. The focus was the development of training specifically for those records that are essential to the resumption of government operations following a disaster, recognizing that those essential records are a critical part of continuity of operations (COOP) planning and response.

Over the course of the 3-year project, CoSA adapted an existing training - Introduction to Records and Information Management - that could serve as a prerequisite and created two new trainings that were certified by FEMA: Essential Records (ER) and Records Emergency Planning and Response (REPR). The course development was not done in a void. The IPER project relied heavily on existing NARA training for federal employees and then adapted it to address specific procedures and needs in state and local governments. The courses also allowed individual states the flexibility to include guidance and information that is directly applicable to its own government agencies.

To be sure of widespread adoption, the initial grant also included Train the Trainer sessions and sent teams of individuals to all 56 states and territories for on-site instruction. Even more than a decade later, many in CoSA still remember participating either as a trainer or in the trainings at their institutions. After the trainings launched in 2011, there was a 100% participation rate in the states and territories.

IPER was always designed to build networks of support between government agencies and sometimes private entities. In addition to collaboration with NARA and FEMA, sibling state associations like NASS, NASCIO, and NEMA made every effort to include other government agencies. Trainings often included CIOs, emergency management offices, local records leaders, and other critical government agencies. Several states used these trainings to create joint response networks to be sure that when disaster strikes, efforts were conducted in a collaborative rather than a disjointed way.

For many years, IPER continued to be a strong program. The courses were in-person for years following the initial grant. Many states adopted and adapted the content as part of their core training offerings. CoSA also created a self-guided module with recorded trainings, resources, and handouts. Unfortunately, the videos - Flash files - and educational platform - a proprietary build - become obsolete in the early 2020s. Up into 2023, individuals - mostly in the local government realm - still contacted CoSA to request the scripts and handouts so that they could complete the courses. But the neglect of the courses was apparent.

In 2023, the CoSA Education Committee prioritized the review of IPER. The group found the architecture of the courses to be sound but the content to be dated. The Committee recognized the labor necessary and recommended to the Board of Directors that CoSA pursue funding to support a comprehensive review, revision, and re-release. Conversations around emergency response in 2024 led to additional funding in 2025 for a 2-year project to review and refresh IPER to respond to today's emerging disasters while also planning for the long-term sustainability and maintenance of this impactful program.

Since the initial development of IPER, much has changed in the government archives and records management world. Analog materials are no longer the center of the conversation as electronic records and digital assets continue to grow at exponential rates. We know more clearly that disasters are not just caused by nature. Burst pipes, file degradation, severe budget cuts, and cyber attacks are also disasters that need to be addressed more urgently in training. We also know that sustainability is crucial - both the maintenance and care of the content of a program like IPER but the continued passing of this knowledge and training as leadership changes and new staff are hired. Emergency response training is never once and done - these lessons must be learned and practiced regularly to be most effective.

• Compiled by Joy M. Banks, April 2026