Washington State Archives

1. Defensible Disposition: Electronic Records Management Washington State Archives Presented by: Scott Sackett Electronic Records Management Consultant, Eastern Washington May 24, 2012

2. Volume of records created and received Number of employees creating and receiving records Variety of formats/platforms: emails, texts, websites, social media… …Less likelihood that electronic records will be treated as “records” in the way that paper is Electronic Records Management: The Wild West? Washington State Archives Documenting Democracy

3. For the purposes of retention and destruction, two criteria: Made or received in connection with the transaction of public business (Chapter 40.14 RCW) Regardless of format For public disclosure, refer to chapter 42.56 RCW. What is a Public Record? Washington State Archives Documenting Democracy

4. Per chapter 40.14 RCW, no public records shall be destroyed until approved for destruction by the Local Records Committee. Per chapter 434-630 WAC, the Local Records Committee grants disposition authority for public records in the form of records retention schedules. When Can Records Be Destroyed? Washington State Archives Documenting Democracy

5. Digital storage may seem cheap, but: Records remain subject to public records requests, litigation, discovery Harder to find what you need (the Google effect) Ongoing data migration costs; need for monitoring of system/application/version compatibility Why Not Keep Everything? Washington State Archives Documenting Democracy

6. Bring consistency to the records management (RM) and disposition process for all records Be able to demonstrate that records are lawfully and systematically destroyed/transferred Paper Born-digital Scanned records Agency Goal:Defensible Disposition Washington State Archives Documenting Democracy

7. First Key: Development of RM Policies/Procedures • Clarity for employees – RM roles and responsibilities • Basis for training, compliance checks • Crucial evidence that agency is aware of and following retention requirements on ongoing basis Washington State Archives Documenting Democracy

8. Second Key: Collaboration Between IT, RM and Legal • Silo effect – separate mandates = divergent understandings of the problem/solution • Policy/procedure development must involve all three groups • Cross-training is GOLD Washington State Archives Documenting Democracy

9. Retention schedules already exist Focus on end users of system, creators of records Mirror your business workflow, rather than creating a new business process Mirror successful paper RM filing structures throughout electronic environment Third Key: Building on What You Have Washington State Archives Documenting Democracy

10. Implementation - Pilot project in one office/department (usually Finance) Automate as much as possible – de-duplication, drag-and-drop… …But auto-delete and auto-classification are blunt instruments Other Strategies and Trends Washington State Archives Documenting Democracy

11. Defensible Disposition and Scanned Records Agencies wishing to scan paper records and then destroy them before their required retention has been met must meet or exceed State Archives requirements as set forth in the document Requirements for the Destruction of Non-Archival Paper Records After Imaging. http://www.sos.wa.gov/archives/ RecordsManagement/ DestructionofPaperRecordsAfterImagingScanning.aspx

12. For advice and assistance: recordsmanagement@sos.wa.gov Subscribe to listserv for the latest updates: http://www.sos.wa.gov/archives/RecordsManagement/ You Are Not Alone

13. Thank You! Washington State Archives: Partners in preservation and access. http://www.sos.wa.gov/archives/recordsmanagement/