Electronic Records Management Guidelines
Long-Term Preservation
Annotated list of resources
Primary Resources:
Beyers, Fred R. Information Technology: Care and Handling for the Preservation of CDs and DVDs - A Guide for Librarians and Archivists. NIST Special Publication 500-252. Gaithersburg, MD: National Institute of Standards and Technology; Washington, D.C.: Council on Library and Information Resources. October 2003.
This guide discusses the physical characteristics of various optical media, as well as methods for their proper care and handling to ensure longest possible use in any given environment. A useful glossary is included.
Dollar, C. M. Authentic Electronic Records: Strategies for Long-Term Access. Chicago: Cohasset Associates, Inc., 2000.
This book provides a comprehensive overview of electronic records management, with chapters on key concepts, long-term access, best practices, and developing an action plan. The book also includes a comprehensive bibliography, as well as useful appendixes covering such topics as technology for records management, electronic records preservation costs, conversion standards, media life expectancies, and a preservation metadata model.
Lawrence, Gregory W., William R. Kehoe, Oya Y. Rieger, William H. Walters, and Anne R. Kenney. Risk Management of Digital Information: A File Format Investigation. Washington, D.C.: Council on Library and Information Resources. June 2000.
http://www.clir.org/pubs/reports/pub93/pub93.pdf
This publication offers detailed guidance on migration (which is defined to include conversion) as a preservation technique through a risk assessment process. A useful workbook is provided to assist users in applying quantitative risk assessment measurements to their own environment.
Lee, Kyong-Ho, Oliver Slatterly, Richang Lu, Xiao Tang, and Victor McCrary. "The State of the Art and Practice in Digital Preservation." Journal of Research of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. 107(January-February 2002): 93-106.
http://nvl.nist.gov/pub/nistpubs/jres/107/1/cnt107-1.htm
This paper provides a concise survey of a variety of preservation techniques for digital resources, including migration, emulation, encapsulation, and the use of eXtensible Markup Language (XML), as well as some project case studies.
Minnesota Office of Enterprise Technology. Minnesota Enterprise Technical Architecture. Revision 2.02, 2006.
http://www.state.mn.us/portal/mn/jsp/content.do?subchannel=-536891918&programid=536911145&sc3=null&sc2=null&id=-536891917&agency=OETweb
The enterprise technical architecture for Minnesota state government is available in PDF format. Eleven "domains" cover a variety of topics: conceptual architecture, networks, platforms and storage, data and records management, data interchange, applications, middleware, presentation and accessibility, collaboration and workflow tools, security, and system management and reliability.
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Extensible Markup Language (XML).
http://www.w3.org/XML/
The W3C is the international body responsible for the development and ongoing refinement of the XML family of standards. This site provides links to the specification itself, as well as pointers to working groups and other resources.
Additional Resources:
Minnesota Department of Administration, Information Policy Analysis Division. Preserving and Disposing of Government Records. St. Paul: Minnesota Department of Administration, 2000.
http://www.mnhs.org/preserve/records/docs_pdfs/preserving_disposing.pdf
Developed for Minnesota government agencies, this overview of the basic principles of records management includes chapters on defining a government record, taking inventory of your records, developing records retention schedules, preserving archival records, disposing of records, and setting up a records storage area. A list of resources for more information is included, as well as information about applicable state law regarding electronic records management. NOTE: As of October 1, 2002, the Division ceased offering records management services, so references to its activities are no longer valid.
Minnesota Historical Society, State Archives Department. Trustworthy Information Systems Handbook. Version 4, July 2002.
http://www.mnhs.org/preserve/records/tis/tis.html
This handbook provides an overview for all stakeholders involved in government electronic records management. Topics center around ensuring accountability to elected officials and citizens by developing systems that create reliable and authentic information and records. The handbook outlines the characteristics that define trustworthy information, offers a methodology for ensuring trustworthiness, and provides a series of worksheets and tools for evaluating and refining system design and documentation.
Electronic Records Management Guidelines, March 2004, Version 4.
