To the left are project files in the City’s Planning Division office area. To the right, that’s Gretchen Laven hard at work. In front of her is her computer monitor. To her right is her scanner. Files, computer and scanner. That’s all Gretchen needs to do her job.
Gretchen is helping us with our Document Imaging Project. Our Document Imaging Project is an initiative here at the City of Eden Prairie that involves converting our paper files, of which we have many, into electronic files. We’re doing this project because it will make it easier for us to use this data, and, more importantly, easier for us to share the information.
The paper files are first scanned into an electronic format. Then the data is coded into specific electronic “file drawers” so that we can find it again when we need it. The information in the files which is typewritten is also converted by an OCR (optical character recognition) software into Microsoft Word-formatted documents that we’ll be able to search in the future using a common search engine.
Because we’ll be able to search our former paper files electronically, we will be able to do our research work quicker and better. That’s good. We’ll also be able to share the information quicker and better because we’ll be able to e-mail files to people with questions about a project, or about the City’s past practices or policies.
Gretchen is a Super Temp Worker for the City. She’s worked for us before in our Police Department and in our Assessing Division. The Document Imaging Project is not very glorious, but it is important. The accuracy of the work is important because the old computer database cliche of “garbage in, garbage out” certainly applies to this project. If the information is coded and filed right going into the computer, it will be useful to us later on. If it’s not, it won’t be. Simple as that.
Gretchen is a careful, thorough person. She may be a temp worker, but she knows our systems pretty well here. We can count on her to get it right.
