Washington State Archives Presented by: Russell Wood – State Records Manager Kerry Barbour – Digital Archivist Electronic Records Retention & The Digital Archives

This session will cover: Records retention requirements Putting it into practice How we can help you Washington State Digital Archives Overview

But first… Get to know your Washington State Archives

“ To centralize the archives of the State of Washington, to make them available for reference and scholarship, and to ensure their proper preservation...” (RCW ) Mandate of the Archives

State Archives Building

State Archives Collection

Archives Collection Total Cubic Feet of Documents Pages at Archives Electronic Records Microfilm Images in Vaults Pages at Records Center Records In Our Custody 650, ,230,000 80,667, ,916, ,672,500 as at March Billion!

Regional Branches Repositories for Archival Public Records and Advice for Local Governments Northwest (Bellingham) Puget Sound (Bellevue) Southwest (Olympia) Eastern (Cheney) Central (Ellensburg)

Digital Archives Cheney, Washington

Basics of Records Retention

What is a Public Record? For the purposes of retention and destruction, two criteria: 1.Regardless of format; 2.Made or received in connection with the transaction of public business (RCW 40.14). For public disclosure, refer to RCW

What needs to be kept? No public records shall be destroyed until approved for destruction by the Local Records Committee. (RCW )

Who is the Local Records Committee? Established under RCW Comprised of: 1.State Auditor representative 2.Attorney General representative 3.State Archivist

Approval for Destruction Local Records Committee grants approval in the form of records retention schedules. Records retention schedules describe: –Type of records approved for destruction; –Minimum period for which they need to be retained; and –Which records also have archival value.

What happens next? For non-archival records: 1.Retain for the minimum retention; THEN 2.Destroy. Records subject to current public disclosure requests or litigation (current or reasonably anticipated) must not be destroyed.

What are Archival Records? Records determined by the State Archivist as having permanent and enduring historical and/or legal value. Typically only 2-5% of records have archival value. Listed on Records Retention Schedules.

What do I do with Archival Records? Archival records must not be destroyed. Agencies must either: a)Keep the records themselves indefinitely; OR b)Transfer the records to Washington State Archives (at no cost).

“Born Digital” Records Electronic records must be retained in electronic format … for the length of the designated retention period. Printing and retaining a hard copy is not a substitute for the electronic version. (WAC )

Why Printing Doesn’t Work Metadata associated with “born digital” records establishes and preserves the authenticity of the record which is the evidence of the transaction it documents. Printing electronic records (e.g. s) preserves the informational content but not the authenticity of the record.

Digitized Records Conversion to an imaging system does not automatically authorize the destruction of the source documents for which images have been created. Requires “Electronic Imaging System (EIS)” approval. (WAC )

In Summary… Agencies need to: 1.Retain all public records for at least the minimum retention period as listed on the approved Records Retention Schedule. 2.Continue to retain or transfer to Washington State Archives, all archival records

Applying Records Retention Schedules “Putting it into Practice”

Records Retention Schedules Port Districts use both: 1)Local Government Common Records Retention Schedule (CORE); AND 2)Local Government General Records Retention Schedule (LGGRRS).

CORE Retention Schedule Covers records common to all local government agencies: 1.Agency management; 2.Asset management; 3.Financial management; 4.Human Resource management; 5.Information management.

General Retention Schedule Covers records unique to port districts, such as: –airport certification; –cargo handling and storage documentation; –landing fee reports; –vessel logs.

Example

Applying to Electronic Records Don’t try and mange each record individually. Group “like” records together into folders and manage retention at the folder level. Base folder structure on the record types used in the records retention schedules.

Applying to Database Records Retention applies to records within the database, not the database itself. Is the database the primary record or a finding aid to other records? Are updates to database records actually destroying records?

Applying to Websites Retention is based on the content and function of the records not the format. Websites typically comprise many different types of records with different retention requirements.

Applying to Websites (cont.) Some web content may be considered: –secondary copies of records held elsewhere (in hardcopy, within databases, etc.). –advice relating to the agency’s mission and core business. –other records series relating to the core business of the agency.

Website Spidering Digital archives will … copy state and local government web sites that are determined to have archival value either annually or more frequently. (WAC ) Archival snapshots. May not satisfy all legal and other requirements to retain records of websites.

Applying to Blogs, Twitter, etc Four key considerations for posts and comments on social networking sites: 1.Is there a transaction of public business? 2.Are these copies of other records? 3.Can the record be kept? 4.Does another record of the transaction need to be created?

Get Rid of What You Don’t Need Transitory / non-records / secondary copies (use CORE GS50-02). Destroy non-archival records at end of their minimum retention period. Transfer archival records to Washington State Archives.

How We Can Help You

Records Management Advice Website: Electronic Records Consultants: –Eastern WA: Scott Sackett –Western WA: Coming Soon Questions:

Notification Service Subscribe to notification listserv for: –Training opportunities –Retention schedule changes –Records management advice Link on website: – Currently only 8 ports subscribed

Records Management Training Training Calendar online Classes and seminars across the state Contact us for special needs Recent PowerPoints available online

Records Retention Schedules Available online Searchable database Revisions and modernization underway

Local Records Grants Available again for Focus on digitization and online access for archival records: –Minutes –Ordinances –Resolutions –County Auditor Recordings (esp Deeds) –Court Records

Disaster Preparedness Imaging Services able to scan & microfilm –New Service: Images to 35mm microfilm Storage of Security Backups (no charge) –Security Microfilm Vaults –Digital – Disaster Recovery Service

Digitization Imaging Services – providing scanning and microfilming services Electronic Imaging Systems (EIS) applications for approval for the early destruction of source documents after digitization

Preservation of Archival Records Storage, preservation and access provided by professional staff (at no cost) Paper and electronic records Regional research rooms and