About the Grant Project
printable version Preserving Georgia's Historical Data: The Executive Clemency Online Application and Verification System as a Case Study in the Preservation of the Historical Records of Georgia E-Government
Executive Summary
The accelerating growth of e-government and the delivery of state government services electronically mean new opportunities and new challenges for government and for record keeping. Individual and workgroup-based office automation tools create and move documents of all sorts. Uses include communicating with email; using specialized application programs for specific business functions; searching and updating databases; and making services and information accessible through websites, networks, and kiosks. These digital-born materials often have no analog backup and are at risk of loss virtually from the moment of their creation. Acquiring, preserving, and providing access to these digital historical records is 'mission critical' for the Georgia Archives. In partnership with the Board of Pardons and Paroles, the Georgia Technology Authority, and the Georgia Document Management Association, the Georgia Archives is taking the first steps towards development of a Digital Archives for the historical electronic records of the state.
For the past two years, the Office of Secretary of State, Georgia Archives and the Georgia Technology Authority (GTA) have worked together to create and issue standards and guidelines in the areas of document management, digital imaging, document workflow, and privacy-access to records. These efforts have formed the groundwork for a long-term strategic cooperation to more effectively manage the state's data resources and to plan for the preservation of historical records in digital form. The current project takes these efforts a step further. The Georgia Archives is working with the Board of Pardons and Paroles to apply retention schedules to its electronic information by installing a DoD 5015.2-STD certified records management application (RMA). As part of this process, the Board's retention schedules are being reviewed and long-term information analyzed to determine what will be preserved as the historical record. This record will be transferred electronically to the Georgia Archives and become the first accession into the Digital Archives.
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The goals of the project are five fold:
- To elicit discussion of the conceptual, economic, and technological restraints on electronic records management and preservation with other state agencies;
- To cooperate with the Board of Pardons and Paroles to implement an RMA and to devise processes for the secure transfer of reliable archival information to the Georgia Archives;
- To publish a case study as an example to Georgia government;
- To issue policies and procedures regarding the transfer of archival information for use by state government agencies; and,
- To develop a preservation strategy for archival information in the custody of the Georgia Archives.