The following two issues, raised in posts on the Archives Listserve
about the list archives deletion, illustrate the difficulties records
and archives practitioners face in this digital age:

 

<Perhaps that is the real problem:  those that are in charge of making
the decisions don't have time to devote to the appraisal process.>  

 

And

<The chief reason people want their postings removed is to prevent
potential employers from discovering their public peccadilloes through a
Google search.> 

 

Also  <Currently there are two requests pending from posters who wish to
remove their posts, one of whom is threatening legal action.>

 

Issue 1 - no time to appraise (or cull, purge, delete, etc.) is the main
reason many organizations do not follow rigid e-mail retention rules.
Even if a clear and logical policy is in place, getting the individual
users to follow that policy is difficult.  Folks just do not have or do
not bother to take the time to make decisions about the value of the
e-mails they receive and send and then take appropriate retention
action.  Some folks delete most everything regardless of value, but most
folks just keep e-mails....and keep e-mails.....and keep e-mails.  Until
the volume is so large that it is almost impossible to find the time to
sort through, make value decisions, and take appropriate action.

 

Issue 2 - writing and sending e-mail before engaging one's brain is a
legal liability not only for the writer but also for the organization
represented by the e-mail address the writer used.  Many folks still
shoot off a quick e-mail in anger or attempts at humor or great
excitement without rereading what they wrote and considering its
long-term impact before hitting the send button.  We find this an issue
during Freedom of Information Act requests, and all we can say to the
writer is "we told you so."  There is an excellent video from
Commonwealth Films (www.commonwealthfilms.com
<http://www.commonwealthfilms.com/> ) called "Say What You Mean
<http://www.commonwealthfilms.com/s/1_11_45.asp> , Creating Documents:
Writing, Speaking, Saving" that discusses how and what to put in the
spoken or written word to prevent just these problems and the
consequences of not engaging one's brain when writing or speaking.  We
used this film for e-mail training and as a part of RIM Month for a
number of years.

 

What legal action can a writer bring to the forum where they,
themselves, sent their written words or opinions?  I'm not a lawyer and
perhaps there are some out there that can explain this, but I have seen
nothing in the current or past listserve instructions or policy that
says posts will be deleted at any time.  Therefore, in my opinion,  the
writer is liable for what they wrote and sent to a public forum, not the
repository of the written word.

 

Ginny Jones 
(Virginia A. Jones, CRM, FAI) 
Records Manager 
Information Technology Division 
Newport News Dept. of Public Utilities 
Newport News, VA 
[log in to unmask] 

 


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