A friend once remarked that we would have the paperless office when we had a
paper less bathroom. In 2000 a Japanese manufacturer addressed that problem.
On to more substantive issues.

When scanning documents I always point out that the imaging process is quite
similar to microfilming in that you need to have the same sorts of
documentation to make sure it is legal. When scanning there is a need to
document the process for deciding what needs to be imaged, that it is
covered by a records retention schedule and when and how the analog copies
will be destroyed. Secondly there has to quality control of the imaged
material. Simple set of guidelines of what an acceptable image is and what
is not. The process should delineate the sample size, which escalates if bad
images are found, corrective action and documentation that the quality
control took place. Here in Virginia we have laws which allow imaging of
documents and destroying the original provided guidelines are met.

As far as CDs are concerned I am more concerned about the readers
disappearing before the CDs deteriorate. Several PC manufacturers will no
longer include a floppy drive in their machines unless specifically
requested, many machines now come with hardware and software that writes
data to DVDs. Many organizations no longer bother with CDs but rather store
the images on large Storage Area Networks. Once again the issue is the
migration from one form of hardware and software to another.

We need to position ourselves so that we can assist our managers in choosing
appropriate projects and then help with the tools they need to maintain this
information across their lifecycle. Unfortunately imaging systems are too
often seen as cool toys without reflection on whether this is the proper
activity.

Cheers from a cold and uncharacteristically snowy Richmond VA, USA

Robert F. Nawrocki
Electronic Records Coordinator
Records Management and Imaging Services Division
Library of Virginia
800 East Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23219-8000
804.692.3505
[log in to unmask]

Innovate and Infuriate



-----Original Message-----
From: Clare Cowling [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, February 19, 2003 11:30 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Paperless office...


Can't resist adding my mite...

When I'm approached by EDM companies offering their wares I ask 2 questions:

1. What about legal admissibility of scanned documents?
2. What about medium to long term storage of electronic records?

Usually they say:

1. That's the organisation's problem.  How true, but if we are going to scan
everything and destroy the paper it's a major one.  A Professor of Internet
Law who gave a paper at one company's presentation said that lawyers will
have a field day with scanned documents because it is so easy to sow doubts
about their authenticity.  I know about BSI PD 0008, but are we really going
to have time to scan every document to that standard?  Or are we expected to
keep the paper as well, just in case? What case law has there been so far?
(He also, incidentally, said that hard copies of email would not be legally
admissible in court....)

2. Bung it on a CD because CDs last forever (forever to an IT company, as we
all know, usually means 6 years).  Uh huh.

I expect a bit more awareness about these problems if I'm going to advise
the University to shell out trillions for an EDM system.

When staff here talk about the paperless office I advise them that an EDM
system will require even more records management than paper, because EDM
can't work without proper R/M e.g. we will have to have registration,
standardised terms, version control, email management, retention schedules
etc etc etc.  That usually horrifies them into silence.   I also point out
that we are going to have a hybrid system here for many years yet, because
we don't have the money at present for an EDM system.

More discussion!  It's all been most useful.

Clare Cowling
University of London Records Manager