Managing digital records

Records Managers’ Forum 30 March 2009

Why create the guidelines?Needed to:

• address immediate and pressing IT challenges

• improve business

• protect businesses and Government

• protect rights and entitlements of clients

• avoid litigation

• protect digital heritage

• assist public offices with an ‘action plan.’

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The 5 key strategies

1. Make digital recordkeeping achievable for your organisation

2. Keep digital records in recordkeeping systems

3. Use recordkeeping metadata for digital recordkeeping

4. Effectively manage the migration of your digital records

5. Target specific record formats that are causing you problems

1. Make digital recordkeeping achievable for your organisation

The guidelines encourage you to be proactive e.g.:

• limit the number of file formats used in your organisation

• use open formats

• destroy digital records when appropriate.

2. Keep digital records in recordkeeping systemsThe guidelines explain:

what a recordkeeping system is

what is NOT a recordkeeping system

how to purchase or reconfigure systems to become recordkeeping systems

how to tailor the solution to your specific needs.

3. Use recordkeeping metadata for digital recordkeeping

The guidelines discuss:

the value of metadata

how to create metadata schemas for your business systems

key points when developing and implementing metadata schemas

how to facilitate preservation with metadata.

4. Effectively manage the migration of your digital records

The guidelines:

highlight essential characteristics of records that must be preserved

promote migration to preserve the long term stability of records

discuss planning, issues with contractors, pre and post migration testing, making records

recommend keeping source records for at least 6 months

include a Checklist for migration.

5. Target specific formats that are causing you problems

Currently the guidelines include a discussion of issues associated with managing:

email

‘born’ digital images: still photographs

CAD records

web records.

These can be added to over time.

Feedback on the guidelines

under constant review

feedback through our blog on the Future Proof website at: http://futureproof.records.nsw.gov.au/

add to the discussion under ‘Latest Posts’