Penn State Intercom......March 29, 2001
University paper trail
leads to electronic filing
By Heather Herzog
Computer
and Information Systems 
An electronic revolution is quietly sweeping the University that has many staff assistants and administrators smiling.
Penn State is now one of a small handful of institutions embracing digital filing or "imaging" -- a process that helps offices decrease costs and boost efficiency, according to the staff members using it. Divisions such as Development and Alumni Relations, University Police, Human Resources, Tele-communications and Undergraduate Admissions have been digitizing large portions of their paper records, and in some cases dispensing with the hard copies altogether.
The imaging process, which involves scanning records such as financial documents, receipts, applications or transcripts into a secure password-accessible database, and then setting up an electronic filing system to manage the documents, is enabling simultaneous information exchanges that wouldn't have been possible in the past.
"We created a Web-based electronic record system in our office to increase accessibility and to make it extremely efficient to share information," said Bruce Kline, assistant director of University Police. "Electronic filing is making it possible for us to instantly and securely share crime evidence with co-workers, departments and even detectives in other states or countries if necessary."
Kline adds that his interest in building an imaging system for University Police began about six years ago when a group, known as the University Imaging Committee, was appointed to evaluate whether adopting large-scale scanning technologies would be cost-effective for the University. The committee found that maintenance of traditional paper filing systems was extremely expensive (for example $900 to $2,520 to maintain one file cabinet), and in 1999 it recommended that the University purchase a software license from Optical Image Technology Inc. (OIT).
Since the inception of the OIT contract many University offices have begun implementing imaging projects; and to date, 13 units have developed fully functioning optical image processing systems.
Although Penn State is one of only a few universities promoting imaging University-wide, colleges across the country are increasingly moving administrative services to the Internet as a way to improve communication with students, increase efficiency and reduce costs. According to a National Association for College Admission Counseling survey conducted recently, online admissions applications were available at 77 percent of colleges last year -- up from 68 percent in 1998. Other institutions, such as Ohio University and Washington State, have joined Penn State in setting up large-scale Web-based document management systems in areas such as accounting, human resources, admissions processing and library services.
"Each year, Penn State has approximately 50,000 undergraduate applicants and each of these individuals has a file that contains between 10 to 50 documents, such as applications, transcripts, recommendations and other forms," said Mark Weaver, director of Information Systems at Penn State's Office of Undergraduate Admissions. "Since it's necessary for our office to store these files for four years and simultaneously make them accessible to admissions counselors across the University -- organization of paperwork was an enormous undertaking for us in the past."
Weaver explains that over the past two years the Office of Undergraduate Admissions was able to greatly reduce the paper management problem by setting up a scanning and indexing process that immediately assigns applicants with a bar code and a digital folder which not only keeps Web-based images of transcripts and other documents, but automatically kicks out notification to potential students that their application has been received by Penn State. Beginning in October last year, the Office took the added step of shredding application records after they digitized them, to help reduce storage requirements and avoid duplication. Elimination of the hard copies resulted in the recovery of more than 600 square feet of premium office space.
Admission counselors at other University locations are especially pleased with the Web accessible files, since in the past they often had to wait a week to receive the contents of an applicant's folder because these were faxed from an off-site storage area at University Park.
"Staff members at University Police Services also often had to go off-site for certain files," added Kline, "so it sometimes took two to three days to retrieve documents that may have been critical evidence in a case. Now anyone with appropriate security clearance has direct access."
Kline envisions that detectives in his office will soon be using imaging to share photos and other evidence with district attorneys and judges -- and, in the not-so-distant-future, juries will only need to connect to the Internet to view video depositions or photos during a courtroom trial.
Other Penn State divisions also have an eye toward the future. Mark Rudloff, senior systems analyst at Development and Alumni Relations reports that an automated "work flow" imaging system he recently implemented with the OIT software made it possible for a significant portion of the data in his office to be processed with minimal human intervention. "As initiatives like the Grand Destiny Campaign result in a tremendous increase in gifts to Penn State," he added, "imaging is a technological solution that allows us to do more with less, so we can continue to expand as the University grows."
Still, according to Karen Schultz, director of Client Services and Administrative Support at the Office of Telecommunications and chair of the University Technical Imaging Group, there are some obstacles Penn State will need to overcome in order for imaging to become widely adopted by offices and departments. For example, although electronic filing saves money in the long run, some units are unable to cover the immediate start-up costs required in implementing imaging software.
But Schultz said that the Technical Imaging Group is currently working with the Office of Administrative Systems (OAS) to create strategies that she hopes will address funding issues for these units, adding that the rewards far out weigh any problems that come up along the way.
"The structure is in place and our licensing agreement with OIT makes it relatively inexpensive for University offices to do this," she said. "Imaging can provide rapid, accurate and secure access to information throughout the University, eliminating a great deal of administrative inefficiency."
To learn more about imaging, visit http://ais.psu.edu/edocuments or attend the Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Expo on April 12 at the Nittany Lion Inn. Visit booth No. 5 to see demonstrations of imaging technology and to talk to representatives from offices which have implemented imaging projects. For information about the demonstrations, e-mail Schultz at karens@psu.edu
Heather Herzog can be reached at heh4@psu.edu