In general terms, doesn't the National Archives and Records
Administration's (NARA) guidance on electronic federal records focus on
content more than medium? NARA certainly seems to use the terms
"regardless of medium" frequently and I like that approach. Do private
sector records managers use a similar approach in explaining management
of electronic records? I would guess so, although, as a Fed and a List
newbie, I'm afraid I'm not as familiar as I should be with the language
used in private sector records guidance.
If something was a record 30 years ago, when it was recorded in a
typewritten memorandum rather than a computer generated e-mail message,
then a similar communication potentially would be a record now, even
though the format and transmission are electronic. (And if 35mm
photographs of certain subjects have permanent retention value, then
digital photos of similar subjects do, also.) Back in the old days,
records managers had to consider additional unique information recorded
in hand annotated copies of memorandums, etc. Nowadays, the challenge
lies in dealing with forwards, replies, attachments, etc.
At least for federal employees, some of these issues have been driven
by litigation, such as Armstrong v. Executive Office of the President.
For an interesting presentation by a NARA lawyer, which gets into e-mail
audit trails and the impact of Armstrong, see
http://www.erpanet.org/events/2004/antwerpen/presentations/erpaWorkshop-Antwerpen_Baron.pdf
I think the same presentation also is available in Powerpoint, just
google "All the President's e-mail" and "Baron" for the link.
Mr. Baron's presentation refers to an audit report by GAO which
discussed some Clinton administration e-mail issues. If you would like
to read the GAO report, please see
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d01446.pdf
I find this thread very interesting and informative, thanks to all who
are posting on it!
Maarja
Maarja Krusten
GAO Historian
Office of Qualilty and Continuous Improvement
[log in to unmask]
>>> [log in to unmask] 3/2/2005 10:28:18 AM >>>
"An email message is a record if its contents or attachments meet the
definition of a record as determined in the records policy. This may
include
content that the organization has legal, operational, or regulatory
obligations to preserve.assistance."
List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html
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