I'm following this discussion (and related topics) with interest and I want
to make the point that "going digital" doesn't necessarily mean not using
paper.
There's an excellent discussion being had at the moment on the Australia
listserv about the paperless office and I recommend that anyone interested
in the topic go to the RMAA site and view the archives on it. (Okay, I
admit I started the discussion.) Or perhaps if people are interested I can
post some of the emails to this site.
In short, my view on this whole thing is that I don't think we can or should
go paperless. Scanning doesn't remove the need to keep the original
according the government/archive requirements. In my view going electronic
makes tracking and distribution/workflow easier, but not much more. I
prefer if the originals go to file and people work from their screens. That
takes training but is worth it. However I don't think we've got anywhere
near the place where we should ever destroy paper except according to our
Retention and Disposal Schedule (or whatever you call it), and that can
include microfilming it, but not scanning (that I know of). The scan is
just a copy and is not the original document and the rules apply to the
original. Any copy is just for working purposes and may or may not become a
separate record (but never a replacement).
Anyway, my (very abbreviated) views and I'd love to see other contributions
on this hot topic.
Grahame Gould
Records Manager
Shire of Wyndham East Kimberley
115 Coolibah Drive
PO Box 614
Kununurra 6743
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08 9168 1677
www.thelastfrontier.com.au
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