International Council on Archives Submits Report on E-Records to UNESCO
09-01-2004 (Paris)
Harvey Christensen works on the Oregon State College Electronic Analog Computer, ca. late 1950s.
© Oregon State University Archives
Archives needs to be repositioned to manage electronic records and deal effectively with archival automation" states the International Council on Archives (ICA) in submitting the findings of a research work on e-records commissioned by UNESCO. The project came as a response to the challenges posed by e-records to the international archival community and to archives users.
The work carried out by ICA experts in the second half of 2003 consisted in three steps:
The preparation and production of a practical workbook on managing, preserving and providing access to authentic electronic records
The preparation of a global survey on the status of the authenticity of electronic records, with particular attention to developing countries, and report results with recommendations
The organization of training seminars to educate and raise awareness of archivists on the issue of preserving authentic electronic records, with particular attention to government archives in developing countries
Practical workbook on managing, preserving and providing access to authentic electronic records
The manuscript of the ICA practical guide on managing, preservation and providing access to electronic records, titled Electronic Records: A Workbook for Archivists, was completed in December 2003 by the ICA Committee on Current Records in an Electronic Environment, a group of 34 specialists from over 25 countries. The lead editors are Andrew McDonald (UK), Kimberly Barata (UK) and Ivar Fonnes (Norway). Authors include Kevin Ashley (UK), Niklaus Bütikofer (Switzerland), Ivar Fonnes (Norway), Michael Millar (USA) and Michael Wettengel (Germany).
The Workbook presents tactical approaches to records management in electronic office systems, including networked environments, from an archival perspective, and covers all types of electronic records and all phases of the life cycle/records continuum. The Workbook is intended to help archival institutions that are re-orienting their policies and programmes in order to safeguard the quality and integrity of current records and to ensure that archival records in electronic office systems are identified, captured, preserved, and made available to users. The aim is to provide practical guidance and advice on how to implement the concepts and strategies outlined in the 1997 ICA Guide for Managing Electronic Records from an Archival Perspective.
This manuscript will undergo final editing in January-February 2004 and will be published in print and online and distributed by ICA to its member archival institutions around the world. Three workshop sessions on how to implement the Workbook are included in the preliminary programme for the 15th International Congress on Archives, in Vienna, Austria, 23-29 August 2004.
Global survey on the status of the authenticity of electronic records, with particular attention to developing countries, and report results with recommendations
ICA commissioned the International Records Management Trust (IRMT) to prepare a desk study on the current status of the electronic records question, extending the analysis of the 2002 ICA study with particular attention to developing countries, drawing on their substantial experience in this area from initiatives undertaken in 2002/2003. A report was completed for ICA and UNESCO by Laura Millar (Canada), representing the IRMT, in December 2003.
The study reviews major global studies and initiatives on authentic electronic records undertaken by ICA and IRMT in the past year. The central question asked is: what measures are necessary for records and archives professionals, especially in developing countries, to ensure the authenticity of electronic records and so ensure the preservation of, and continued access to, society’s documentary memory? On this basis, the following are identified as significant challenges to electronic records’ authenticity:
The low profile of record keeping and lack of recognition of records/archives as evidence
The weakness of legislative, organisational, and policy frameworks
The absence of technical and operational standards and guidelines
The absence of education and training
The need for a strategic approach to capacity building in records/archives management
Eleven recommendations are made for strategic action by UNESCO, the archives/records profession and ICA to address these challenges. These recommendations are now being considered by the leaders of ICA’s regional branches and professional committees working in the area of electronic records. This study will feed into planning of ICA’s strategic priorities and actions in the period 2004-2008 in the area of electronic records. It provides several openings for further cooperation between ICA and UNESCO in this important area.
Training seminars to educate and raise awareness of archivists on the issue of preserving authentic electronic records
Two regional training seminars were completed in July and September 2003, building the professional capacity of over 230 archives/records professionals in over twenty countries in Africa and the Arab world to identify and address the challenges of electronic records’ management, preservation and access.
Practical workbook on managing, preserving and providing access to authentic electronic records
The manuscript of the ICA practical guide on managing, preservation and providing access to electronic records, titled Electronic Records: A Workbook for Archivists, was completed in December 2003 by the ICA Committee on Current Records in an Electronic Environment, a group of 34 specialists from over 25 countries. The lead editors are Andrew McDonald (UK), Kimberly Barata (UK) and Ivar Fonnes (Norway). Authors include Kevin Ashley (UK), Niklaus Bütikofer (Switzerland), Ivar Fonnes (Norway), Michael Millar (USA) and Michael Wettengel (Germany).
The Workbook presents tactical approaches to records management in electronic office systems, including networked environments, from an archival perspective, and covers all types of electronic records and all phases of the life cycle/records continuum. The Workbook is intended to help archival institutions that are re-orienting their policies and programmes in order to safeguard the quality and integrity of current records and to ensure that archival records in electronic office systems are identified, captured, preserved, and made available to users. The aim is to provide practical guidance and advice on how to implement the concepts and strategies outlined in the 1997 ICA Guide for Managing Electronic Records from an Archival Perspective.
This manuscript will undergo final editing in January-February 2004 and will be published in print and online and distributed by ICA to its member archival institutions around the world. Three workshop sessions on how to implement the Workbook are included in the preliminary programme for the 15th International Congress on Archives, in Vienna, Austria, 23-29 August 2004.
Global survey on the status of the authenticity of electronic records, with particular attention to developing countries, and report results with recommendations
ICA commissioned the International Records Management Trust (IRMT) to prepare a desk study on the current status of the electronic records question, extending the analysis of the 2002 ICA study with particular attention to developing countries, drawing on their substantial experience in this area from initiatives undertaken in 2002/2003. A report was completed for ICA and UNESCO by Laura Millar (Canada), representing the IRMT, in December 2003.
The study reviews major global studies and initiatives on authentic electronic records undertaken by ICA and IRMT in the past year. The central question asked is: what measures are necessary for records and archives professionals, especially in developing countries, to ensure the authenticity of electronic records and so ensure the preservation of, and continued access to, society’s documentary memory? On this basis, the following are identified as significant challenges to electronic records’ authenticity:
Eleven recommendations are made for strategic action by UNESCO, the archives/records profession and ICA to address these challenges. These recommendations are now being considered by the leaders of ICA’s regional branches and professional committees working in the area of electronic records. This study will feed into planning of ICA’s strategic priorities and actions in the period 2004-2008 in the area of electronic records. It provides several openings for further cooperation between ICA and UNESCO in this important area.
Training seminars to educate and raise awareness of archivists on the issue of preserving authentic electronic records
Two regional training seminars were completed in July and September 2003, building the professional capacity of over 230 archives/records professionals in over twenty countries in Africa and the Arab world to identify and address the challenges of electronic records’ management, preservation and access.
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· 2004
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· Mozambique: News Archives 2004
· Tunisia: News Archives 2004
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