Digital Imagery Good News and Bad News for Public Documents Druscilla R. Simpson N.C. State Archives

The Scene: More efficient methods to create, store, and retrieve public records needed Government agencies experiencing budget cuts, staff reductions Results are varied information systems for managing information and records

The Good about Digital Imagery Multiple users with simultaneous access Remote access across networks Multiple copies at original quality Multiple formats available Reproduction enhancements can reduce effects of aging and use

And More Good News... Good tool for preserving access to deteriorating materials Storage is relatively compact and getting cheaper

The Bad... Can impair physical access –May not be a complete copy of collection –May be in a different arrangement –May be a collation of many different collections, perhaps across multiple repositories

On-screen viewing of digital images –Hard to read Different screen sizes Slow modems Phone lines –Inadequate searching capabilities technologically

Media difficult to copy –Equipment at home or in library may be insufficient to copy Copyright issues No good cost models Relatively short life span Sabotage from new directions

More Bad News... Bankrupt vendors Meeting the public’s needs vs. practical solutions

The Ugly? Text and images we can’t read in a very short time Poor cataloging to electronic text and images which actually increases research time instead of decreasing it Loss of public records through poor planning and the destruction of originals

So What Do We Do? Adopt –New attitudes –New partners –New processes

New Attitudes Encourage the development of computer- based archives Develop clearinghouses Accept conversion as a fact of life Redefine preservation Encourage hardware and software standards

New Partners Cooperate with hardware and software developers Cooperate to make digital image documents widely accessible

Think in Terms of Life Cycles Permanent storage of digital images is not an end in itself Reformatting should be a common way of life Hardware and software must be renewed as well

Choose Projects Carefully Selection should be based on use or potential use of material Begin with the simple Adopt an incremental approach Avoid customized approaches or solutions

What Guidelines Are There? Performance Guidelines for the Legal Acceptance of Records Produced by Information Technology Systems Association for Information and Image Management 1100 Wayne Avenue, Suite 1100 Silver Spring, MD (301)

Are Digital Records Admissible in Court? Federal Rules of Evidence Uniform Business Records Act Uniform Photographic Copies of Business and Public Records as Evidence Act Uniform Rules of Evidence

Document, Document, Document! The admissibility of a copied record is based on its legibility, accuracy, and completeness. The best way to achieve admissibility is with careful documentation of all procedures followed in the creation, transfer, or conversion of the record.

Formal Training Programs Presence of formal training program with written materials, attendance records, certifications of training implies that all procedures are correctly followed.

Procedures Manuals Procedures that show a systematic quality control, all audit procedures, and proof of operational oversight by a person with detailed knowledge of the process and system.

Audits Audits confirm that all processes or systems are producing accurate results. They compare the documentation with the actual results. They can be used to identify the accuracy of the information.

Other Documentation Needed: All hardware and software documentation. All reviews of procedures and programs. All previous versions of other documentation. Documentation reviews, updates, and replacements.

Timeliness It should be noted that the life expectancy of the actual media the record appears on has no bearing on the admissibility of the record. The shorter the time between the activity and the production of the record the better.

When There is Digital…What About the Originals? North Carolina General Statutes (121-5(b) and 132-3(a) prohibit the destruction of public records Records Management Program for the selection and preservation of permanently valuable public records and their copies

The records must be scheduled through current records retention and disposition scheduling procedures The agency must provide documentation relating to the electronic records The pertinent retention/disposition schedule must be revised and approved.

North Carolina Guidelines for Managing Public Records Produced by Information Technology Systems Suggests certain methods and procedures in the preparation of electronic records that are designed to increase their reliability and accuracy Includes a self-warranty form

Self-warranty Form Strictly volunteer Self-evaluation tool Based on guidelines procedures Signed by agency’s records officer Retained by the originating agency Made available to records analysts and auditors

Limited in scope –Does not authorize the destruction of records –Does not change the retention/disposition scheduling procedures –Is simply a checklist to validate the the authenticity and accuracy of the creation of records

A signed and dated self-warranty form is the originating agency’s assurance that a particular series of electronic records is prepared in accordance with the suggested guidelines.

The Archives and Records Section cannot certify authenticity and accuracy of any records, whether originals or reproductions, produced by the originating agency.

The Division of Archives and History recommends against the destruction of original papers constituting permanently valuable documents such as deeds and vital records and will prohibit this practice as it applies to materials currently designated for deposit in the State Archives.

What About Recommendations? The Division of Archives and History, nor its parent department endorses, warrants, certifies, or approves any particular hardware or software product or product combination used to produce digital objects.

Written copies of the guidelines suggested by the Division of Archives and History may be obtained from: North Carolina Dept. of Cultural Resources Division of Archives and History 109 E. Jones Street Raleigh, NC (919)

Always Remember: –Microfilm is still satisfactory for long- term preservation –Digital imagery can improve access for modest increase of cost –Researchers will demand digital access increasingly –Will need to develop further technological advances such as OCR