Colleagues,

We are sometomes inundated with e-mails by a group or by groups interested in a topic. These mailings are not in response to a request for public comment.

For public e-mail (and paper mail and faxes for that matter) in response to requests for public comment, the items are all carefully tallied, stored, and all are replied to.

For the general e-mails, we do not feel compiled to respond to each e-mail separately and are seeking a method to avoid storing these e-mails, especially in paper. We are in "print and file" mode for e-mail.

How does your agency respond to and manage such e-mails (and paper mails and faxes) for that matter.

Ted Weir Bureau Records Administrator Bureau of Land Management Department of the Interior Voice: (202) 452 7793 Fax: (202) 452 5002

-- Anonymous, July 15, 2002

Answers

Here at the Department of Agriculture, we have been looking at similar issues with the processes for our Quality of Information guidelines. Obviously, as federal agencies, we are on the receiving end of the mass mailings that are facilitated by e-mail. (It doesn't matter what decision you make, by having made a decision there is an alternative that was not selected. This means that someone's alternative was not chosen. In a country the size of ours, the potential for "someone" to be an organization of multiple members is very real.)

When it becomes apparent that there are multiple letters, with identical text, it is reasonable to print out one letter. Prepare a tally page showing the number of identical letters received, and any pertinent organizational information (if it is apparent from the text or the signature blocks). If the topic merits a listing of the correspondents, select and copy the email address/signature block of the correspondent, and past the information on your tally sheet. Your file copy should show a single copy of the response you have sent.

Bette Fugitt, Departmental Records Officer, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Voice: 202 720-8020 Fax: 202: 690-2767

-- Anonymous, July 15, 2002