US report sheds light on electronic records problems

The US Council of State Archivists (CoSA) has issued a report, ‘Toward a Common Understanding’, which outlines the findings of research into inter-agency transfer of permanent electronic records.

The report was undertaken by CoSA, sponsored by Preservica and supported by the US National Association of State Chief Information Officers.

The study focused on the backlog of electronic records evaluated for permanent retention and transfer to state archives, but “still within the custody of the records-owning agency or in centrally managed systems”.

“Our goal was to identify gaps in processes, guidance and accountabilities impacting records transfer between state agencies and state archives,” said Michelle Gallinger, CoSA’s State Electronic Records Initiative coordinator.

“The survey identified significant gaps in understanding and coordination between the responding agencies regarding the requirements, timing and methods for transferring permanent electronic state government records,” added Lori Ashley, Preservica’s Industry Market Development Manager.

The report will be of interest to records producers, IT support staff and archivists, and can be downloaded from the CoSA website.

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