My e-mail on e-mail (!) seems to have been misunderstood! In theory, an
e-mail is a record - this is the prescribed approach of National Archives -
at least in South Africa (NARS). What they advise, is to follow a prudent
approach (and practical) approach to start off with, especially in
Government and then to index those e-mails for its enduring business value.
Below is an excerpt from the SA National Archives Services on this topic:
This implies that an electronic record (including an e-mail) like any other
record should be managed in such a manner that it is available, accessible,
and rich in contextual information. By implication electronic records
(including e-mails) should be managed in proper record keeping systems and
the disposal of electronic records (including e-mails) should be documented
and executed with the necessary authority.
http://www.national.archives.gov.za/rms/NARS_DMLIB-4878-v1-Managing_electronic_records_Policy__principles_and_Requirements_April_2006.PDF
Document:
http://www.national.archives.gov.za/rms/NARS_DMLIB-4878-v1-Managing_electronic_records_Policy__principles_and_Requirements_April_2006.PDF
Home page: http://www.national.archives.gov.za/
Focusing only on business-related e-mail, certain business rules would
still have to enforced to lower the risk of losing valuable e-mails. Too
often the user will simply regard the attachment as the record and save
that, but neglect the content of the e-mail as context and not indexing
that as a whole. Sometimes the threads are the true value of the e-mail
which must be indexed. If the attachment alone is regarded as a record and
only that is indexed, then any value that has been added to that in the
e-mail itself by way of comments are 'thrown away'. This defeats the whole
purpose.
A well configured EDRMS that integrates with an e-mail application is a
good option, whereas the e-mail management system in a government
environment will ensure e-mail is copied and sent to users whereas the
master copy is kept on a separate server to ensure its integrity. This
untouched e-mail can then be presented at a court of law as evidence.
I am sure the last word on e-mails won't be spoken for a very long time
yet! It remains a thorny issue.
Regards
Sharon
Sharon van Biljon, BA (Hons), PDIM, TED, MPhil
GBS SA Information & Knowledge Manager
(Senior Business Operations Specialist)
IBM GBS (SA) IC2G
70 Rivonia Road, Sandhurst
2196, Sandton
South Africa
Postal : Private Bag X9907, Sandton, 2146
Fax: +27 (0) 11 302 8878
Mobile: +27 0827847548
Office: +27 11 302 8830
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dedication to every client's success
Innovation that matters, for our company and for the world
Trust and personal responsibility in all relationships
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Tinsley, Chris"
<chrisTinsley@WIL
TSHIRE.GOV.UK> To
Sent by: The UK [log in to unmask]
Records K
Management cc
mailing list
<RECORDS-MANAGEME Subject
[log in to unmask] Re: Capturing all emails (as well
.UK> as records)?
2008/06/06 09:24
AM
Please respond to
"Tinsley, Chris"
<chrisTinsley@WIL
TSHIRE.GOV.UK>
Are all e-mails records?
"Peter are you in today"
"thanks for the holiday snaps"
"can we have lunch at 12:30"
Many emails are ephemera.
"Can you make sure it gets to Peter by 12:30", "can you make sure Peter
has read it"
Other emails give records context. It is far too easy and, dare I say
it, lazy to define all emails as records and save the lot. I would
suggest that in a lot of cases the attachment is the record and the
email context not the other way round.
An email management system may be a way of getting control of emails
where there is none. A properly constituted EDRM and good working
practices is a better way. We attach far too much importance to a
communications media with is after all only a method of transferring
information, not necessarily the information itself.
And anyway by the time you introduce your email management system, Web
2.0 , instant messaging and other communication channels will have made
email obsolete (discuss).
Chris Tinsley MSc
Wiltshire County Council
Information is the key
-----Original Message-----
From: The UK Records Management mailing list
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Sharon Van
Biljon
Sent: 06 June 2008 05:55
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Capturing all emails (as well as records)?
Peter,
An e-mail is a record by default, so it's not one or the other. E-mails
with attachments - more context - is a valuable record in itself. It is
accepted by courts of law as evidence if it has integrity.
Indexing e-mails means:
excluding personal e-mail;
if threads are applicable, save one e-mail containing all the
threads.
An e-mail management system is preferable to manage the volumes
obviating the need to filter. Problem is also, is people work with
e-mails, the risk becomes sky-high that valuable ones be may be lost and
may cost the company dearly in litigation cases.
Regards
Sharon
Sharon van Biljon, BA (Hons), PDIM, TED, MPhil GBS SA Information &
Knowledge Manager (Senior Business Operations Specialist) IBM GBS (SA)
IC2G 70 Rivonia Road, Sandhurst 2196, Sandton South Africa Postal :
Private Bag X9907, Sandton, 2146
Fax: +27 (0) 11 302 8878
Mobile: +27 0827847548
Office: +27 11 302 8830
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------
Dedication to every client's success
Innovation that matters, for our company and for the world Trust and
personal responsibility in all relationships
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------
Peter Kurilecz
<peter.kurilecz@G
MAIL.COM>
To
Sent by: The UK
[log in to unmask]
Records K
Management
cc
mailing list
<RECORDS-MANAGEME
Subject
[log in to unmask] Re: Capturing all emails (as well
.UK> as records)?
2008/03/18 02:04
PM
Please respond to
Peter Kurilecz
<peter.kurilecz@G
MAIL.COM>
On Tue, Mar 18, 2008 at 6:20 AM, Redfern Catherine <
[log in to unmask]> wrote:
Hello,
I am interested in any arguments that there might be for capturing ALL
emails sent and received, and retaining them for a certain period of
time (e.g. 6 months/1 year), in addition to relying on staff to
capture
emails which are records into a record keeping system.
I
sorry forgot the url
http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html
--
Peter Kurilecz CRM CA
[log in to unmask]
Richmond, Va
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