A STUDY IN LEGAL ADMINISTRATION AND RECORDS SHARON ...

wmputer industry is still capable of inventing much better solutions ta the
problems of electronic record keeping and archiving.
The extemal and intemal appearances of electronic containers (diskettes,
CD-ROMs, DVD tapes) are just as important as that of paper-based containers
(registers, ledgers, case files). Exterior titling is critical, and, for electronic
records, should include the physical environment of creation. A diskette, for
example, should indicate the broad formatting type (e-g., IBM or Mac), the
general application (e-g., spreadsheet), the specific application (e-g., Excel), and
the contents title. Rational intemal arrangement and exclusive labeling are also
vital for efficient access.
Document formatting usually reveals the tastes and skills of the creator.
At its best, fonnatting plays a prime role in making clear the meaning of a
document. Good formatting presents an eye-catching and an eye-pleasing
product. For court and legal, business, medical, and many other documents,
forms and templates are a useful means of standardizing both the appearance
and contents of information. This is advantageous when documents are in active
use, semi-active use, and, finally, archivai use.
The records, no matter in what medium they occur, are always the result
of directed activity. An individual document, such as the petition of the Estate of
William Inkster, answers a particular purpose. A type of record, such as the
decree, serves the functions of a certain court procedure. An aggregate of
records, such as the Records of Queen's Bench In Equity, carries out the