We are living in the information age. The frontiers between different paper formats (text, map, photograph) and traditional analog electronic formats (sound recording, film), are becoming increasingly blurred because digital technology can combine all the above formats in a single record. Also, Treasury Board Secretariat has indicated that electronic commerce is the preferred means for the government to conduct its business. Those are two of the reasons why organizations are moving towards automating their information systems and creating more electronic documents. Other reasons are the speedier access to the information, the facility to share it worldwide, and the decreasing cost of storing the information electronically.
Does this means paper records will disappear? Of course not. But now we live in an hybrid world in which electronic records will become more and more dominant.
Electronic media is used for storing information in different formats (text, image, sound), just like "paper" is a medium for storing information in different formats (text, map, photograph).
Before we define what an electronic record is, let's go back to the basics.
There is only one criteria which makes a record, an electronic one. An electronic record contains machine-readable information, as opposed to a paper file which contains human-readable information. Machine-readable records cannot be read without the proper hardware and software. A coding process of the information (converting the data into an electronic signal) makes the record machine-readable.
Once an electronic document has been printed, the print-out is not an electronic record, since the information is now in human-readable form.
There are two methods of information coding
Since computer technology predominates, the trend is to label as "analog" everything that is not produced by computers or digital electronics.
There are three widespread electronic media:
The development of less costly recordable technologies for optical disks have reduce the usage of magneto-optical technologies as a medium.
There is a fourth electronic medium that is now obsolete:
Paper: Key-punched card, punched paper tape (even though the medium is paper, the information is in machine-readable form).
Is microform an electronic medium? Is a microfiche an electronic record? Microfilms and microfiches are not electronic records, because the information is not coded (converted into an electronic signal); the information is just reduced in size. Even though, we still need a microform reader (or a magnifying glass) to read the data, it is considered human-readable information. We do not need special equipment to convert the data from machine-readable back to human-readable form.
From this point on, we will be talking about the digital method of coding information, or digital electronics, or computer technology.
There are four main types of electronic files based on the type of information they contain:
With each file type, the information may be recorded in a proprietary or non-proprietary format. Proprietary format is also referred to as "native format". One of the major non-proprietary format for text files is ASCII. An ASCII text file is also referred to as a flat file because it contains no text attributes or formats.
Most word processing programs use the ASCII text file format as the base for a document, and apply their own proprietary format to the text. The file extension identifies the proprietary format of a specific application (e.g. document.wpd, the extension identifies the file as having the proprietary format of WordPerfect). Major word processing software comes with special import/export filters to display documents created with other word processing applications.
On the Internet, text editor and web authoring software (Front Page 98) apply the HyperText Markup Language (HTML) to a ASCII file (flat file), to generate a document with standardized format codes, so that any browser (Netscape Navigator, MS-Internet Explorer, Mosaic, etc.) can display the document in the same fashion.
The information elements relates to the medium and the format used to record or store the information.
What coding method is use to create the electronic record?
1. Analog 2. Digital
What medium is use to store the information?
What kinds of files are we dealing with?
* Initially most logical formats are proprietary. Once they become widely used, they become a de facto industry standard; such is the case for the TIFF, bitmap, MPEG, GIF, and other formats.
The technology elements relates to the hardware and software used to read and manipulate the information recorded or stored on a given medium.
Refers to the electronic equipment used for producing information in bits and bytes (1 byte = 8 bits). There are four categories of computer systems (relating to their physical size, and computing/processing power):
Refers to the different programs (set of instructions) used to process the information created in bits and bytes. The four broad categories of software are:
It is not the goal of this document to cover the different network topologies and protocols. From an information management point of view, we need to know where the records are stored: online, nearline or offline (see Information Retrieval).
The three major levels of information retrieval are:
First of all, a record is a record regardless of the medium.
Records management concepts and principles developed for paper records, equally apply to electronic records.
Electronic records like their paper counterparts, must be organized for timely retrieval, effective storage, and proper protection.
Electronic records are also subject to the life cycle of information, from creation, to distribution, use, maintenance, storage, and disposition or preservation.
The first step in a Records Management program is to perform a complete inventory of the organization's records. Electronic records must be part of the inventory process. They must be identified, described comprehensively, and linked or associated with the other records.
The best and most used method to conduct an inventory of electronic records, is to identify and analyze the automated information system with which the records are associated.
Electronic records are typically inventoried at the records series level, and then by program unit.
At the inventory stage, identification and protection of essential electronic records is imperative. For organizations which the technology infrastructure is not part of their Essential Records program, it is a prudent practice to print their essential records, to have them in human-readable format, and to store them off-site.
Electronic records must have retention periods established. The retention schedule must list all of the following characteristics of electronic records:
Properly formulated retention schedules ensure the availability and use of electronic records for appropriate periods of time, while preventing the accumulation of obsolete records. Retention schedules also promote the efficient use of electronic storage media.
Product obsolescence and the discontinuation of technologies imperil future access and use of electronic records.
File compression softwares are used to reduce storage space on hard drives or back-up units, and bandwidth (amount of information transfer in a unit of time) on network systems. However, data compression adds another layer of software dependency to the management of electronic records. To minimize future problems, file compression should not be use for electronic records intended for long-term retention.
ASCII text files minimize software dependance, and provide some protection against product obsolescence. Records managers should always consider the ASCII text format, instead of or in addition to, proprietary formats for electronic records needing a long retention period.
Even though Email messages are usually written in a less formal fashion than letters or memos. They are potentially important records for the organization.
Email is increasingly used to circulate draft documents for review, or to disseminate official documents. This kind of documentation constitutes a record.
Typically, the IT people have the responsibility for making decision about email use. The IM and IT people have to work together to create and revise the organization's email policy, so it contains sound records management principles.
The National Archives will not accept Email messages from electronic mail programs. It will accept the Email messages only if they are part of a computer-assisted records management system (CARMS) such as ForeMost of RIMS.
The above statements should help us deal with the techno-jargon, and the ever changing technology associated with electronic records.