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 systems3. Use recordkeeping metadata for digital recordkeeping4. Effectively manage the migration of your digital records5. Target specific record formats that are causing you

problems

1. Make digital recordkeeping achievable for your organisationThe 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 recordsThe 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 problemsCurrently 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’