,
Guercio, Maria. "Records in an Electronic Environment: Definition, Nature and Functional Requirements of a Recordkeeping System."
unpublished.
Format: Rich Text Format
In a paper aimed at identifying strategies
for the long-term conservation of electronic records, the problem
of defining the "record" and its essential nature unquestionably
constitutes not only the first step but also the basic theoretical
premise upon which the entire study is based and which should,
as such, be able to draw upon the consolidated bedrock of archival
science. In actual fact, however, the task of identifying a common
terminology and shared set of concepts has proved far more taxing
than expected despite the existence of tools both known and used
for quite some time in the international context, including the
Dictionary of Archival Terminology published by the International
Council on Archives (ICA). Paramount among the many causes from
which this difficulty stems is the fact that the technological
development now under way is leading to radical changes also in
the area of record creation and management. The enormous growth
of tools of digital communication is rapidly transforming traditional
records into electronic formats in an increasingly large number
of organizations using common systems and products that are integrated
at both national and international level. Such advances are already
forcing those operating in the sector to apply greater stringency
in formulating a set of common principles and general solutions
capable of going beyond national borders and the diversity of
national legal systems. [abstract taken from Introduction.]
Guercio, Maria (Italian National Archives)
and Stefano Pigliapoco (University of Macerata, Fermo School of
Archival Science). "Identification and control of documentary and business procedures: an integrated model for accountability and transparency in the public sector."
A Case Study from the University of Macerata. unpublished.
Format: Rich Text Format
What we shall seek to analyse in this report
through a case study and with reference to the European context
comprises only one of these functions and the related procedures:
records creation and its close connection with the documentary
and business procedures which guide and regulate the creator's
transactions, their phases, and their intermediate and final results
from a documentary point of view. The aim of this analysis is
to show the importance of the role played by an adequate recordkeeping
system in the electronic environment both as regards officer accountability
and the transparency of administrative activities with respect
to the fragmentation of bureaucracy and its internal organization,
and in the private sector with a view to providing an efficient
and reliable records system to support the decision-making process
and preserve documentary evidence. [abstract taken directly
from paper. content.]
Hedstrom, Margaret, ed. Electronic
Records Research and Development: Final Report of the 1996 Conference
held a the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, June 18-19, 1996.
Sponsored by the School of Information and the Bentley Historical
Library, funded by a grant from the National Historical Publications
and Records Commission (96-12). (Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1997). [http://www.si.umich.edu/e-recs/]
On June 28-29, 1996 seventy-two people participated
in an invitational conference on Electronic Records Research and
Development at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The purpose
of the conference was to bring together archivists, records managers,
educators, information management specialists, and representatives
of funding agencies to evaluate the findings of recent research
on the management and preservation of records in digital formats,
consider the implications of these findings for graduate and continuing
education, and propose topics and methods for future research.
[abstract taken from Executive Summary].
Hofman, Johan (National Archives of
the Netherlands). "The Dutch Experience in the Field of Electronic Records."
Journal of the Irish Society for Archivists (Spring 1997): 37-41.
This paper presents an overview of the experiences
gained over the past five years by the National Archives of the
Netherlands. It also discusses the nature of the Digital Longevity
project, of which the ultimate goal is to "guarantee/safeguard
the enduring accessibility and availability of electronic records
in all their appearances" and addresses future directions.
Hofman, Johan. "Multidisciplinary Aspects of Electronic Documents, Concept of Electronic Documents Life Cycle, Characteristics and Links with Information Flow/Workflow."
earlier version of a paper in Proceedings of the DLM Forum on
Electronic Records, Brussels 18-20 December 1996, Luxembourg 1997.
Format: Rich Text Format
Paper given at the 1996 DLM Forum. This
paper encompasses an exploration of 1) the nature of the information
society as viewed through its developments
and consequences, 2) the recordkeeping domain, by explaining a
framework that "encompasses the domain of record keeping
and a common language or terminology," 3) identifying the
main issues with multidisciplinary aspects and possibilities for
cooperation, and 4) considering what issues, with regard to electronic
records, need to be addressed in future by the European Union.
Indiana University Electronic Records
Project. [http://www.indiana.edu/~libarche/index.html]
In June, 1995, Indiana University began
a two year project funded by the National Historical Publications
and Records Commission (NHPRC) and Indiana University to implement
functional analysis methodology and to test the ideas regarding
functional requirements for recordkeeping and the critical role
of metadata put forward by David Bearman, Richard Cox, and the
project personnel associated with the University of Pittsburgh
Electronic Records Project. Project personnel identified four
stages of development for the project: Stage 1: Functional analysis
of business units, identification of business transactions, and
identification of basic information categories necessary for establishing
evidence of specific business transactions; Stage 2: Identify
and describe existing recordkeeping systems which store data for
the previously identified business transactions; Stage 3: Evaluate
the existing systems in terms of the "Functional Requirements
for Evidence in Recordkeeping" and the Metadata Specifications
Derived from the Functional Requirements" developed at the
University of Pittsburgh; Stage 4: Analyze results and report
on findings. The goal is to complete at least two field tests
of the methodology before the project ends. The first field test
is scheduled to begin at the end of April, 1997, and will focus
on the business area of student financial aid. Project deliverables
will include: Evaluations of results derived from the field tests
of the methodology; an evaluation of the attempt to create recordkeeping
systems from information systems; an analysis of costs associated
with this methodology; rationales for selecting a subset of the
Pittsburgh "Functional and Metadata Requirements;" a
methodology for evaluating recordkeeping systems based on several
field tests. [abstract taken from web site.]
International Council on Archives (ICA),
Committee on Electronic Records. Guide for Managing
Electronic Records from and Archival Perspecitive, Electronic
Records Programs: Report on the 1994/95 Survey,
and Electronic Records Literature Review
(prepared by Alf Erlandsson).
[www.archives.ca/ica/].
The Guide is
designed to help archival institutions reposition themselves to
address the management of archival electronic records. Part I
begins with an overview of the technological, organizational and
legal trends that are having an impact on the ability of organizations,
including archives, to keep and manage records that are in electronic
form. It continues with a discussion of key concepts such as "record"
and "record keeping" describing how these are impacted
upon in the electronic environment, and then proposes strategies
for accomplishing the life-cycle management of electronic records.
Part I concludes by describing - from the legal, organizational,
human resources and technological perspectives - the implications
for archives of repositioning themselves to manage archival electronic
records. Over time, implementing the proposed strategies will
require the crafting of tactics, including standards, which can
be recommended for adoption by archives. Part II of the Guide
represents a first attempt by Committee members to articulate
such a tactical approach. It is anticipated that the contents
of Part II will be expanded over the next year, and that it will
form the basis for development by the Committee of a series of
recommendations to guide archives at the "how to" level.
** The purpose of the survey,
which was generously supported by the Centre des Archives contemporaines
[Les Archives nationales de France] and the National Archives
of Singapore, was to compile a directory of those archival institutions
that have established or are planning to establish a program to
manage electronic records. The directory is intended to facilitate
information sharing and to highlight problem areas that the Committee
should address. It is also intended to serve as a baseline upon
which progress in establishing electronic records programs at
the international level can be assessed through time. As well
as a report on the findings of the survey, the product contains
detailed tables describing information on the organizational and
legal frameworks for electronic records programs, their program
structures, and their technical specifications, information holdings,
and access provisions. ** Based on an exhaustive review of the
international literature on electronic records, Alf Erlandsson
of the International Monetary Fund produced for the use of the
Committee a substantial document that provided an excellent overview
of the evolution that has taken place in the concepts and strategies
related to the management of electronic records from an archival
perspective. The Committee concluded that because the literature
review could help archivists understand
the broad context within which strategies such as those discussed
in the Committee's draft Guide have been placed, it should be
made available more broadly. It is hoped that the literature review
will provide an important tool for use in education and training
programs that focus on electronic records. The literature review
will be updated periodically. [abstract taken from web
site.]
International Council on Archives
(ICA), Committee on Electronic Records. Products of the Committee on Electronic Records.
(April 1997). Format:
Rich Text Format
The ICA Committee on Electronic Records
was created in 1993 to undertake study and research, promote the
exchange of experience and draft standards and directives concerning
the creation and archival processing of electronic records. Based
on this mandate, the Committee developed three products, all of
which were tabled as consultation drafts at the ICA Congress held
in Beijing in September 1996. [abstract reproduced from
publication.]