During the normal course of its business even the smallest organisation will create a significant quantity of information. Likely to be held in a mix of paper and digital formats, this will typically include letters, emails, meeting minutes, photographs, reports and much more. In addition to this will be information contained within systems including finance and HR.
Much of this information is transactional and of temporary value, only a small proportion of all assets created provide key evidence of the organisation and its activities. Identifying which digital content should be retained (and why) and what can be safely deleted are critical considerations. The filing cabinets of old have been replaced by a huge virtual cabinet drawer, with folders replacing drawer labels to help organise the content.
This guidance relates specifically to digital records that are of long-term value to the organisation, including those which have:
- evidential value – including legal documents like contracts, organisation-wide policies and records relating to decisions made (and possibly the reasons why)
- historical value – may offer an insight or further context into the work or activities of an individual or the entire organisation, and may include photographs and promotional material
Later in the guidance we will look at how to identify which records might or should be retained and how to manage these assets so that the information they contain remains accessible in 50 or 100 years time. Digital engagement, including through social media channels, and digital marketing are not covered within this guidance.
Terminology
This guidance uses the following terms:
Records
Records are documents that record information about the activities of an organisation, community or individual. They can be in physical or digital format.
Archives
Archives are collections of records with historical and evidential value that form a permanent record of the work of an organisation, community or individual. A collection can include records in both digital and physical formats.
Born-digital archives
Born-digital archives are archives (see above) that originate in a digital format, such as an email, digital photograph or a word document.
Digitisation
Digitisation is the process of converting materials in physical format, like photographic prints or an audio cassette, into a digital format.
Digital preservation
Digital preservation is a series of managed activities designed to protect the authenticity, reliability and accessibility of digital records and archives.
Paper and digital archives – similarities and differences
The focus should be on the information, not its physical format and for some organisations continuity from paper to digital will be an important consideration.
A key difference between paper and digital archives is the scale of material. Instead of talking about the number of boxes or linear metres, digital material is usually quantified in terms of number of files, and the extent of these digital assets measured in Gigabytes (GB) or Terabytes (TB). Digital material might arrive on a range of media (such as floppy disks or an old laptop), and being able to safely extract content from a range of carriers is another challenge that needs to be addressed.
The challenge of preserving and managing these digital records is both daunting and exciting and one that brings with it new terminology, new opportunities and new perspectives.
Talking with others
The archive and digital preservation practitioner communities are an important source of advice and support, with individuals and services happy to share their experiences. If you already talk with other similar organisations about topics of mutual interest, consider adding digital records to your agenda.
Further information
We have produced guidance on digital preservation workflows and advice on developing a digital preservation strategy and policy. As part of our archive sector leadership role, the Archive Sector Leadership team provides support and guidance to organisations across the UK.
The Digital Preservation Coalition is a non-profit organisation that provides information on digital preservation. This includes a Digital Preservation Handbook, glossary, Business Case Toolkit, and Technology Watch guides, which focus on specific file formats (such as audio, images, moving images, and email). It also provides training through events, webinars and the Novice to Know-How programme.