1. Launching E-Records with a PERPOS: The Presidential Electronic Records PilOt System 2005 NAGARA Annual Meeting

2. Stephannie Oriabure Laura Spencer George Bush Presidential Library

3. Dr. William Underwood Georgia Tech Research Institute Georgia Tech Research Institute

4. The PERPOS Project Funding provided by the National Archives Funding provided by the National Archives Computer research and system software development by research team at Georgia Tech University, led by Dr. Underwood In collaboration with the archival staff at the George Bush Library

5. The PERPOS Objective To conduct research and develop a prototype system that would enable archivists to gain intellectual and physical control of the user- created files contained on the PC hard drives from the George H.W. Bush administration

6. The Many Processes of PERPOS Accession Preservation & Storage ArrangementReviewDescription Creation of a reference collection Researcher use of the electronic reference collection

7. PERPOS Tools Archival Repository Tool (ART)  Accession  Description  Processing Management Archival Processing Tool (APT)  Filtering  Arrangement  Preservation  Review

8. Accessioning Accession number Accompanying documentation Password protected or encrypted files Files or hard drives? Files or hard drives?

14. Preservation Preservation copy? Data integrity Software formats and related issues

17. Filtering: separating system files from user-created files The PERPOS processing tool contains a computer software filter that can be applied to each file system.

18. Filtering Issues Files not recognized by computer filter Files that are both system and user-created Capability to revise or change filtering decisions Storage of filtered system files Obligation to researchers

29. Arrangement File directory order is not analogous to paper folder order Files in root directory Imposition of order?

33. Review Requirements of FOIA processing  Case tracking: ability to associate necessary info with file  Redactions & closures: electronic markers; flexibility  Storage: separate storage for open and closed records

50. Description Measuring extent of electronic records  No more cubic or linear feet  Take a byte instead

51. Description Finding aids  Electronic or hard copy  Storage Extension of directory and file names

62. Still to Come Researcher use of electronic records Search capabilities Artificial intelligence

63. Parting Thoughts It can be done! Archivists must lead the way.