managing electronic records in governmental bodies - National ...

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advise client offices on the technology behind the proper management of web-based
recordkeeping. The National Archives of Australia does however have a
comprehensive guideline for archiving web resources. The publication Archiving
Web Resources: Guidelines for keeping records of web-based activity in the
Commonwealth Government can be accessed on http://www.naa.gov.au. This will
give governmental bodies an idea how to go about managing websites as records.
See also par. 4.3.
6.10 Establish maintenance and migration procedures
Records need to remain accessible and understandable if they are to be used.
Random spot checks should be done to ensure that data degradation does not go
unnoticed. Furthermore a statistical sample of all data sets stored on optical and
magnetic media should be read annually to detect any loss of data. Data should be
copied to new or re-certified tapes at least once every 5-10 years and more
frequently for optical storage media to prevent physical loss of data. To prevent
technological obsolescence of the storage medium, electronic records should be
migrated through changes in software and hardware platforms.
Maintenance of electronic storage media as well as migration to new software and
hardware platforms requires a continued commitment from an office. Offices need to
budget for the expense as well as for the use of the human resources required to
maintain electronic records in a readable format. If the necessary procedures are
established beforehand, the use of resources can be planned to fit into the long-term
strategies of the office. See also paragraphs 4.1.3.2
6.11 Apply for the appraisal of all other records systems
In order to manage electronic records systems other than the correspondence
system efficiently and determine retention periods, a governmental body must
compile a comprehensive inventory/catalogue (See Annexure I) of all electronic
records systems containing a brief description of the purpose of each system. The
general disposal authorities for the disposal of ephemeral electronic and related
records (Annexure D) and transitory records (Annexure E) that authorise the
destruction or erasure of certain categories of electronic records can then be applied
by the governmental body to dispose of non-archival systems.
The inventory/catalogue must be also be submitted to the National Archives to
appraise the remaining electronic systems. The National Archives will require the
office to compile detailed descriptions of the archival systems for the issuing of a
disposal authority as well as for archival management and retrieval purposes. The
schedule must be compiled according to the elements required in the schedule of
electronic records systems (Annexure C).
The precise manner of how electronic records should be scheduled can be
negotiated with the National Archives and Records Service. In some cases it may
Managing electronic records_Policy Guidelines.doc
First Edition
Version 1.1
April 2003