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Proposed Rules for Preservation of Electronic Public Records Digital Archives Eastern Washington University Cheney, Washington Archival Records The mission of the Washington State Archives is to preserve and protect archival records • To centralize • To make widely available • To ensure permanent preservation Gone forever There are electronic records that are now extinct and gone forever • Governor Gardner’s administrative files (Wang system, erased) • Governor Spellman’s reports and letters (Mag Cards, unreadable) On the endangered list How many floppy disks, CD’s, tapes, DVD’s, or other soon-to-be obsolete media contain records of enduring value that are not well preserved and in danger of being unreadable and inaccessible? What does archiving mean for electronic records? To protect and preserve machine-readable records of enduring legal, historical or fiscal value from loss, alteration, deterioration and technological obsolescence in an environment independent from that which produced the record Why a Digital Archives? • To comply with statutory and regulatory mandates – The law requires preservation of certain public records, (regardless of their format) that have enduring historical, legal or fiscal value • Using platform-neutral formats to prevent loss, and for access & retrieval 50 to 100 years from now – As technology changes, the older media, formats and platforms become obsolete • To improve public access to these records – By centralizing these electronic records in one location and making them available online, the Archives can provide access more quickly and easily - ‘one-stop shopping’ WAC 434-662 Pursuant to the provisions of chapters 40.14, and 42.56, and 43.105.250 RCW, the rules contained in this chapter are intended to ensure that electronic public records are securely preserved for present and future access and/or are transferred to the Washington state digital archives for permanent retention so that valuable historical records of the state may be centralized, made more widely available, and insure permanent preservation Using what you have… • Can use your existing resources • Do not need to purchase additional technology to manage your electronic records • Policies and procedures, education and training are key to preserving electronic public records How to keep… • Identify key records series • Create classification and file structures • Develop naming conventions (controlled vocabularies) • Determine best storage method for your agency needs • Educate and train users, use desk guides and “cheat sheets” Process to transfer to Digital Archives • The WAC gives guidance on the process • Transmittal agreements between agencies and the Digital Archives formalize the arrangements for transferring records on an individual basis for each agency • Digital Archives staff are available to assist with training Costs • Costs associated with keeping electronic records are already being imposed on agencies due to public disclosure and e-discovery (Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Dec 1, 2006) • The costs increase as long-term electronic information has to be migrated or recopied over time – “technology happens” to keep up with demands for accessibility and storage Reducing Costs The WAC actively seeks to reduce the existing cost burden on state and local agencies. Digital Archives will maintain and preserve archival electronic records for agencies and provide mechanisms to transfer archival records to the Washington State Archives. Where to From Here? • Drafting responses to comments, suggestions and questions received • Editing language in the proposed rules • Developing a cost benefit analysis • Compiling working group to advise on implementation Thank you! Washington State Archives Partners in preservation and access www.secstate.wa.gov/archives