You have a ton of paper records that are hard to search and take up valuable space. Maybe you are thinking about having them scanned to electronic format.  But where do you start?  You start by taking a look at the big picture and work on making a realistic project plan.   Start off by thinking of exactly what you are trying to accomplish by scanning your records.  Freeing up office space and making records more accessible are two major goals for many organizations. Others are looking for ways to decrease the amount of time needed to search and produce records in a way that also supplements their disaster recovery plan. 

Next, think about the types of records that need to be scanned and which ones should take priority in the scanning process. If the goal is to free up office space, start by scanning the documents that take up the most valuable space.  On the other hand, if the goal is to provide increased access and cut down on manual document research time, then start with your most commonly requested records.

Finally, in terms of the big picture, consider how you will go about scanning the records. Are you going to handle the scanning in house with current staff or is outsourcing a more feasible option?  This can be a difficult decision and you should take the following factors in to consideration:

 In House Scanning

• Does current office staff have the time needed to accomplish your project goals?
• Is your current staff trained in scanning procedures?
• Do you currently have the equipment needed to complete the project?
  • Document Scanning Software
  • Document Scanning Hardware
• What are the costs association with scanning in house?
  • Employee salary
  • Cost of equipment
  • Cost of software

 Outsourced Scanning

• Vendors can typically provide faster project completion times than compared to scanning in house. 
• Vendors should comply with high quality standard given their specialization in these services. 
• Many vendors utilize special equipment for handling a wide variety of document types and sizes.�
  • Large format documents
  • Permanently bound books
  • Microfilm/fiched documents
• Ask your vendor what costs are associated with outsourced scanning?
  • Pick up and delivery
  • Document preparation
  • Cost of scanning & indexing
  • Cost of media

Now it is time to make your final plan and put it in motion. Happy Scanning!!