managing electronic records in governmental bodies - National ...

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means that it takes up very little storage space, while statistical data can be more
easily utilised. Raw data collected for one purpose can be electronically reanalysed
for another, while a similar operation might be cumbersome or impossible on paper.
The possibility also exists of linking electronic records with common data elements
from different files, which would increase the value of such records.
4. The importance of records management and preservation in the
electronic environment
Records management forms the basis for sharing and re-using of information as well
as for providing access to understandable records. Sound records management
principles help governmental bodies to file records in order to enable them to easily
retrieve the records when they are needed. It also helps governmental bodies to
know which records to destroy, and when to destroy them. In a networked
environment, records can be located in centralised databases, in a shared network
filing space and on the hard drive of an individual's PC. The ability to keep
information in several places makes it more difficult to control the creation, revision,
distribution and deletion of records. The same records can also exist in paper-based
form. As a result, governmental bodies must manage their records in a much more
disciplined manner than they have in the past.
Government envisages a society where information is managed as a strategic
resource, a culture of sharing and re-using of information exists and where the public
has access to information. Government also envisages the implementation of e-
government as the best way to enable the public to gain access to information and to
transact with government. This is only possible if governmental bodies capture
accurate and reliable records and manage their records in an integrated manner.
By classifying records and by establishing retention periods in advance, it is more
likely that the public will gain access to the right information at the right time and less
likely that documents will be inadvertently destroyed while they might still be needed
for functional, legal or historical purposes.
4.1 Unstructured systems
As document creators, most public servants have no real mandate, and very little
incentive, to concern themselves with the care and management of documents after
they are done with them. Records managers/archivists however have a mandate to
preserve the documents for the remainder of their life-cycle. Records managers are
concerned with a core set of tasks, e.g. classifying records, storing them in a logical
fashion, tracking their location, retrieving them when needed for business reasons
and destroying them or moving them into archival custody when no longer needed.
Flowing from this, just some of the things that have to be applied to electronic
records for the remainder of their life-cycle are:
- For all documents, it must be clear how long they have to be retained, and
whether they are to be destroyed or archived;
- Documents of a sensitive or other special nature must be clearly identified
Managing electronic records_Policy Guidelines.doc
First Edition
Version 1.1
April 2003