Peg Eusch, driving force behind records management, set to retire

After nearly a decade as the gatekeeper for the Records Management Program at UW–Madison, Certified Records Manager Peg Eusch is ready to go off the record and into retirement.

“My career at Madison has been rewarding,” says Eusch. “It’s come full circle. As a graduate with deep family roots here, I’ve loved my time at Madison even more. I’m looking forward to the next phase of life, whatever path that takes, but I will miss my colleagues. I have moved the program forward, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.”

Eusch has nearly four decades of records and information management experience, and she’s been the sole individual behind organizing and advancing the main recordkeeping structure at UW–Madison since 2009.

“I have a unique position because I’m the only one on campus with this specific responsibility,” Eusch says. “I consult campus-wide and advise on a variety of records management issues.”

Her role includes everything from creating, updating and shepherding the University Records Schedule through the Wisconsin Public Records Board for approval, to developing systems and training materials to keep up with changing demands brought on by technology. Eusch is the person charged with ensuring the employees of UW–Madison understand proper records creation, management, retention, and overall life cycle.

“I oversee recordkeeping best practices by utilizing the Eight Generally Accepted Recordkeeping Principles,” explained Eusch. “Documentation is important in how we function as a campus and state agency. Our records sustain our day-to-day work and answer questions about past decisions. They must be organized and accessible to meet our legal, audit and retention obligations, while preserving our institutional memory.”

Eusch points to the growing focus from the State through Executive Order 189, which emphasizes compliance training for public records. This includes utilizing the Records Management Guidance for Departing Employees, which was endorsed by the University Records Advisory Group in 2016, and ensures appropriate steps are taken to organize records when employees leave campus.

“This past year has been especially rewarding. I was given the opportunity to mentor two students from the School of Information Studies who were interested in Records Management. I provided them projects in the form of a Shared Drive Re-organization for the School of Education Deans Office, and creating Vital Records Guidance for use with University COOP plans,” Eusch says. “This was later endorsed by the University Records Management Advisory Group in May. The projects provided the students with experience to move their careers forward, assisted the Records Management Program in organizing electronic records, and provided guidance to campus.”

As she prepares to depart on June 8, Eusch is coordinating the hand-off of her tasks with another individual with deep records knowledge: University Archivist David Null. Null will serve in Eusch’s position on an interim basis until her replacement is hired.

“Peg has truly raised the visibility of the program, and she did a great job of going through our records schedules, cleaning them up, working with campus and the State Records Center to get everything in compliance,” Null says. “We’re in a good place going forward, thanks to Peg’s tireless work.”

For more on Eusch’s extensive career, visit the Libraries news page. To learn more about University Records Management Program and how it impacts you, please visit the University Archives and Records Management site.