CoSA - IPER Project

The Council of State Archivists is leading this project to develop and deliver Web- and CD-based training for state and local governments nationwide. The Intergovernmental Preparedness for Essential Records (IPER) project is made possible by a $2.6 million award from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Competitive Grants Training Program.

Overview of the IPER Project (April 2009) (PDF, 100K)

IPER Project Updates

IPER Courses

Introduction to Records and Information Management. AVAILABLE NOW!
This 90-minute narrated presentation is available online, free of charge. It focuses on the practices fundamental to the efficient and economical operations of any government agency. When disasters strike, state and local governments with effective records and information mangementprograms are more likely to be able to access essential records and resume critical business operations quickly.

Essential Records.
This 6-hour course will prepare participants to
-- identify an agency’s essential records;
-- analyze and prioritize records, assessing specific risks and identifying protection strategies;
-- specify time frames for essential records availability in emergencies
-- develop procedures to ensure access to and security of essential records;
-- outline an essential records plan for inclusion in COOP;
-- become familiar with federal, state, and local COOP regulations and procedures.

Records Emergency Planning and Response.
This 6-hour course will prepare participants to
-- understand the benefits of records emergency planning;
-- relate records emergency planning to COOP plans and procedures;
-- plan, develop, analyze, test a records emergency action plan;
-- assess the damage to records after an emergency and implement a response; and
-- identify federal, state, and local resources and the availability of intergovernmental personnel and support to assist when a disaster occurs.

Leadership and Instructional Team Support

The IPER Project is working with teams in every state and territory who will deliver the IPER Webinars to state and local governments within their borders. These teams are also responsible for identifying materials for their state or territory's section in the IPER Resource Center.

In addition, these teams are being encouraged to strengthen relationships among the three disciplines principally responsible for records-related preparedness and response: archives and records management, emergency management, and information technology.

Teams are encouraged to take advantage of the following:

"Ask IPER" Web Conference Calls
Find out what's going on nationwide. Register for the next conference or view information from previous ones.

What Should Our Team Be Doing?
Suggestions for team building and cross training activities.

Resource Center: Instructions for Submitting Content and Links
Coming soon!

Frequently Asked Questions about IPER
What do you want to know or what do your potential students want to know?

Promotional Materials
Flyers, information sheets, and other items that you can distribute at conferences or by mail to encourage individuals to sign up for the courses.

Related Projects and Resources

The IPER project extends and expands upon CoSA's ongoing Emergency Preparedness Initiative which began in the wake of the 2005 hurricanes.

The CoSA EPI Toolkit points to a number of other important efforts to protect records and cultural resources from disasters.

Until the courses being developed by the IPER are available, there are a number of other sources of training for records-related emergency preparedness.

IPER Summit Conference on Essential Records and Emergency Preparedness

The first major event in the IPER Project was an invitation-only Summit conference, held July 21-22, 2008, in Atlanta GA.

Download copies of handouts and other materials distributed at the conference as well as PowerPoint presentations delivered by Summit speakers.

IPER Contacts

IPER Advisory Board members

IPER Staff Contacts