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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