Project Overview
- Client: City of The Dalles, Oregon
- Industry: Local Government
- Services Provided: Document Digitization & Records Management Solutions
- Pages Digitized: Over 1.2 million (including 21,000+ Large Format pages)
- Final Cost: Below Projected Budget
- Project Length: 8 Months
Background
The City of The Dalles, with historical documents dating back to the 1800’s, manages an extensive archive of municipal records. These include City Council journals, public records, and various departmental files—many of which were stored in the basement of City Hall, a building constructed in 1908. While historically significant, this storage method presented significant operational challenges for city employees.
The Challenge
Before partnering with DocuDriven, accessing historical or operational records was a time-consuming and inefficient process.
“One of the main challenges was the time required to locate and organize records,” said City of The Dalles City Clerk, Amie Ell. “Accessing many documents meant staff had to go down to the basement of City Hall to search through bankers boxes of records. This process was time-consuming and inefficient, with many records improperly stored, some showing signs of damage from water or moisture. Additionally, some records were being kept beyond their required retention period, resulting in unnecessary volumes to search through.”
The City needed a modern, efficient, and secure method to preserve historical documents, ensure compliance with retention policies, and improve public accessibility.
The Solution
After meeting with the City to assess the documents and the facility, DocuDriven was able to provide a comprehensive document digitization service tailored to their needs. The team developed a unique process to ensure smooth and efficient scanning while maintaining access to necessary records throughout the project. The tailored process produced high quality results that saved both time and money for the City.
“The DocuDriven team were extremely helpful in identifying a process that worked for each department’s unique needs,” Amie Ell explained. “When a record that had been taken for scanning was needed, their team quickly provided a digital copy. They were flexible with pick-up and drop-off, making a large and overwhelming job feel manageable.”
Results
Digitization with DocuDriven delivered immediate and long-term benefits for The City of The Dalles:
- Significant Time Savings – Staff now spend far less time locating records.
- Searchable Digital Files – Documents are indexed and searchable, enabling instant retrieval.
- Improved Public Access – Many records are now available for citizens to search themselves.
- Preservation of Historic Records – Even the oldest City Council journals from the 1800s were successfully scanned and preserved.
“We’ve significantly reduced staff time spent searching for records. Searchable digital formats make retrieving information much faster,” said Ell. “We’ve also improved public access and ensured the long-term preservation of important documents.”
The DocuDriven Difference
By partnering with DocuDriven, The City of The Dalles modernized its records management system, safeguarded historic documents, and greatly improved operational efficiency. This transformation not only benefits city staff but also enhances transparency and service for the community. When asked if she would recommend DocuDriven to other organizations, Ell stated: “Yes. The team was friendly, personable, and helpful throughout the process. They delivered digital files at the quality we expected and were consistently responsive to our needs.”
About DocuDriven
DocuDriven is a Business Process Optimization (BPO) company specializing in data and document management, based in Vancouver, Washington. We offer tailored products and services designed to enhance your organization’s business processes, available both on-site and remotely.
