Future Proof – Protecting our digital future

In mid September I attended the Records and Information Professionals Australasia (RIMPA) 2011 inForum Convention in Darwin. The theme was Communicate: Collaborate: Innovate.    

Posted on behalf of Catherine Robinson, Senior Project Officer, Government Recordkeeping. The Sydney Morning Herald has reported that Wollongong City Council is leading the way in providing smart technology to incoming Councillors to assist them in creating and capturing records of Council business. New Councillors elected in the September elections for Wollongong City Council will […]

I went to a digital preservation conference recently where the focus, to my surprise, was mainly on digitisation projects and programs. Many seem to believe that by turning paper records into digital images they are preserving them. But is this the case?

Digital modes of business and have changed recordkeeping practices dramatically. The ‘ground rules’ have shifted and now it’s harder for staff to even identify what a digital record is, let alone understand when and how they need to capture it! As so much recordkeeping needs to happen at an individual level it is our collective […]

There are substantial benefits to be gained by digitising paper records. As a result, the number of organisations undertaking digitisation has increased dramatically in recent years. However, if you want to introduce digitisation projects or programs you need to be aware that there are also a variety of risks. Being aware of these risks can help […]

Storing electronic information in shared (network) drives can be convenient and easy for staff and can enable the sharing and backup of documents. However, if they are not managed well, shared drives can cause you a number of problems. For example, if you do not set up and maintain rigorous folder structures and titling controls, […]

Removable media, including optical disks (DVDs, CDs), memory cards and USB flash drives, are commonly used for offline storage or for moving data so it can be accessed away from the office. While there are obvious benefits in using removable media, there are also a range of risks.

State Records recently received 217 responses to its online survey of NSW State Government ICT professionals. The responses we received were very informative and dispelled many of the common myths about ICT attitudes to recordkeeping.

Cassie and I were invited to visit the Department of Services Technology and Administration (DSTA) recently to see their audio digitisation project. The Records Project Team were in the process of converting around 550 audio tapes to digital format.