Future Proof – Protecting our digital future

NSW government agencies are increasingly using collaborative tools to transact government business. Whether used for drafting policies or managing projects or commenting on proposals, these tools will create and store records. Organisations need to establish policies and practices to capture and keep the records it needs to account for decisions made and the outcomes of collaboration.

State Archives and Records NSW recently published some advice on keeping records created in whole of government collaborative tools. Coincidentally, the Digital Implementers Group met last week to talk about collaborative tools and their implications for recordkeeping.

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Each year as we approach the ‘wet season’, State Archives and Records NSW reminds agencies of the importance of good records storage. And while until recently we’d almost forgotten what rain looks like in Sydney, it’s important to remember that it’s not just paper records which can be damaged and destroyed as a result of inappropriate storage. Digital records on removable media or other offline storage are also vulnerable and must be protected.

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A colleague recently commented that email is the most unofficial official record generating system. Significant evidence of corporate decision making is contained in email messages, but the ease with which workers send and receive email, and the volume of email in the typical worker’s account, makes it difficult to identify records of enduring value.

As some of our devoted readers will be aware, we have been talking about the challenges associated with capturing and keeping records from email systems for four and a half years! We know that this is still a challenge for agencies, and that there are no magic bullets.

We are currently talking to a variety of NSW Government agencies about their strategies for capturing and keeping records of business transacted by email, and plan to publish a series of case studies describing some of these strategies. We hope that we can crowd source some useful strategies for different scenarios.

The first of these case studies briefly describes the multi-pronged strategy for capturing records from email systems that the University of Sydney is pursuing.

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Vickie Wood (Axiell Group), Geoff Hinchcliffe (State Archives), Amanda Healy (ExLibris)

Harold Graycar (State Archives), Vickie Wood (Axiell Group), Geoff Hinchcliffe (State Archives), Amanda Healy (ExLibris), Adam Lindsay (State Archives)

As part of the Integrated Collections Management System Program, supported by the NSW Government, State Archives and Records NSW is undertaking a complete renewal of its underlying infrastructure and systems. This critical work will improve the online discoverability of our vast collections, and make it even easier for our many users to find and use records.

State Archives has just announced that it will be adopting Ex Libris solutions Primo discovery and delivery solution and Rosetta digital asset management and preservation solution, and Axiell Group’s Adlib software, to manage its archival collection. These solutions will replace multiple legacy systems. Together, these integrated systems will enable State Archives to offer a world-class discovery experience to its large user community.

For further information about the project, please contact the Project Manager, Fiona Sullivan.

Photos by: Tara Majoor

Today is Right to Know Day and State Archives and Records NSW is proud to be a Right to Know 2017 Champion!

To celebrate Right to Know Week 2017 we interviewed Elizabeth Tydd to discuss this year’s theme: ‘Right to Information: Open and accountable government and the media’s role.’

Ms Tydd is the NSW Information Commissioner and CEO of the Information and Privacy Commission (IPC). In this role Ms Tydd promotes public awareness and understanding of the right to access government information in NSW, and provides information, support, advice, assistance and training to agencies and the general public.

You can access the podcast of the interview here and below is a transcript of our interview.

1. Government transparency strengthens community participation and our democracy. What are the practical benefits of proactively releasing information and inviting and managing community consultation on projects?

There is a highly compelling case for public participation, particularly in relation to the development of government service delivery options and policies and there’s a multitude of tools, but no one tool or no one size fits all. Read the rest of this entry »

Across NSW Government, organisations are increasingly saying goodbye to on-premise desktop applications and migrating their email, document storage, project management, collaboration and other business software to software-as-a-service platforms like Microsoft Office 365. Some organisations have jumped right in (and often the recordkeeping professionals in these organisations are amongst the last to find out). Other organisations are taking a more cautious approach and trying to embed some recordkeeping controls before employees move to this new environment.

Last month the Digital Implementers Group met to talk all things Microsoft Office 365. We were fortunate to have members share their experiences from both of these scenarios.

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Executive Summary

This paper details preliminary research into the application of machine learning technologies to records management in a digital environment.

Machine learning has the potential to automate processes such as classification and disposal. Indeed there are already commercial records management products available that use machine learning, such as auto-classification to improve search.

Blockers to the further uptake of this technology include a lack of compelling case studies, the cost and time needed to configure machine learning solutions, and the difficulty of integrating the technology with complex tools such as retention and disposal authorities.

State Archives and Records NSW is exploring options to advance the use of machine learning for the automation of records classification and disposal. We will run pilots to assess the technology’s capabilities in sentencing unstructured data. We will be seeking partnerships for an agency pilot and will also run an internal pilot using in-house data. The results of these exercises will be shared as case studies and will inform further work, including potentially changes to our own processes and instruments. We will collaborate with other Australasian jurisdictions through ADRI on such changes, including the development of smarter retention and disposal authorities.

Image credit: James Lappin, “Machine Learning for Records Management”, 2 Oct 2013

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The podcasts and presentations from last week’s Records Managers Forum are now available.

State Archives and Records NSW uses the Forum to engage with public offices and to provide an opportunity for other NSW public sector organisations to share information about key initiatives or government programmes.

The Forum included presentations from:

• Geoff Hinchcliffe, Executive Director, State Archives and Records NSW – “Digital records evolution – solutions for Digital Government.”
• Shane Hamilton, Chief Executive, Aboriginal Housing Office – ”Establishing end-to-end digital processes: protecting the rights of people through accurate electronic recordkeeping.”
• Dr Penny Stannard, Curator Exhibitions, State Archives and Records NSW – “Captured: Portraits of Crime, 1870-1930.”

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“Digital transformation” is a priority of the NSW Government. Transitioning from manual and paper-based processes to automated and digitally enabled processes is expected to simplify and streamline the work of government, as digital transactions and processes are generally faster, more convenient and more efficient. But digital transformation also creates information risks.

Last week I spoke at a seminar organised by GIO for Treasury Managed Fund agencies on the risks associated with digital transformation. Here is some of what I said: Read the rest of this entry »

Are you undertaking a systems consolidation project? Would you like to know what strategies or tools you need to implement such a project?

We have recently published a case study on the OneTRIM program implemented in the Department of Family and Community Services (FACS). The Program consolidated six electronic document and records management system into one instance and rolled it out to 10,000 users from various business units and in dispersed geographical areas. Read the rest of this entry »