Future Proof – Protecting our digital future

We are pleased to announce the release of a new Exposure draft: Managing digitisation programs and projects

A digital image of an archival record

The digitisation guidance is divided into two guidelines:

1. business process digitisation programs, i.e. ongoing routine digitisation for daily business use, and

2. back-capture digitisation projects, i.e. retrospective or project-based digitisation of existing paper records.

Each guideline can be read as a whole, or you can go to individual sections to learn more about particular topics, e.g. metadata requirements, technical specifications etc. The Planning for digitisation section of each guideline provides a  summary of the issues you need to consider.

In addition, the guidance includes Frequently asked questions, a Glossary, a Bibliography and Digitisation case studies.

The case studies currently available include:

a. A business process digitisation pilot of HR records undertaken by the Department of Education and Communities

b. The outsourcing of several back-capture digitisation projects for client files organised by Housing NSW.

A further two case studies are being prepared and will be added to the guidance shortly.

The Exposure Draft will be available on our website until 27 April 2012. If you would like to comment on the draft, please submit any comments to govrec@records.nsw.gov.au

Note:  The guidance is based heavily on Archives New Zealand’s Digitisation standard and Queensland State Archives’ Digitisation disposal policy and implementation toolkit. We are grateful to these organisations, and to the NSW public offices who assisted us with case studies,  for their generosity and assistance.