Data as Record: Managing Data within Information Systems

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There is so much talk these days about data. Data security. Data privacy. Data classification. Big data. But there isn’t much consideration about data as records. How does “data” fit into the Ohio public records laws and records retention and disposition processes? Are records and data really separate and distinct from one another?

After struggling with these questions in regards to the retention and disposition all of the data sitting in countless information systems, I set out to logically work my way through the questions. First, is data a record? Using the definition of “record” in Ohio Revised Code 149.011 (G) I determined that:
• Data is stored on a fixed medium
• Data is created, sent or received by a public institution
• Data documents functions and activities of the public office
My conclusion is that data, when grouped together and used for a purpose, make records. Data collected for the same purposes, therefore, can be grouped into record series for the application of retention and disposition.

The Ohio Electronic Records Committee [ohioerc.org] recently posted a tip-sheet on Database Records Retention and Disposition [ohioerc.org], created to walk through the concept of records within databases / information systems, which includes the following sections:
• How are database or information systems records defined?
• How long must database or information system records be kept?
• Is it acceptable to keep database or information systems records indefinitely?
• Changing or decommissioning database or information system software
• Procuring new database or information system

This tip sheet will not only give an overview of these concepts, but it can be used to justify including the records manager in conversations throughout the lifecycle of the information system due to their vital role as manager of the records therein. For assistance in responding to public records requests when the requested public records are contained in a database, please see Guidelines for Databases as Public Records.

Pari J. Swift, University Records Manager, The Ohio State University


2023 NAGARA Conference – Cincinnati, Ohio

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Looking to get some additional in-depth information regarding electronic records? This year’s National Association of Government Archives and Records Administrators Annual Conference will feature several pre-conference digital records workshops and conference presentations. Several Ohio Electronic Records Committee members will be presenting.

Individuals can attend pre-conference workshops and do not have to attend the NAGARA conference.

For a full listing of Pre-Conference Workshops – https://nagara.org/AC2023/PreCon-Workshops.aspx

Pre-Conference Workshops that Ohio ERC members will be presenting:

DATE: Tuesday, July 18, 2023, from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM – Disaster Preparedness & Response for Record-Keepers

PRESENTERS: Nick Crossley, Becca Halbmaier, Daria Labinsky, Pari Swift (Ohio ERC Member)

PRICE: $150.00

OVERVIEW: “If you don’t like the weather, wait 5 minutes” is a popular saying in Ohio. But don’t wait until disaster strikes to come up with a recovery plan! It is vital that governments be prepared for small-scale to large-scale disasters of various types (man-made, natural, internal, external, etc.) that could affect records. In fact, some records are essential (or vital) to the recovery efforts themselves and the resumption of business. This full-day interactive workshop will be conducted by persons with a passion for disaster recovery planning and experience in government and emergency management.

DATE: Tuesday, July 18, 2023, from 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM – Introduction to Digital Imaging & Digital Preservation Requirements

PRESENTERS: Jahzerah Brooks, Nathan Owens (Ohio ERC Member), Tina Ratcliff (Ohio ERC Member), John Runion (Ohio ERC Member)

PRICE: $75.00

OVERVIEW: Access to government records and archival collections has always been important, but is now even more imperative in today’s “remote work” setting. Digital imaging of hard-copy records may be the solution to increase availability and transparency, but once a record is scanned, records programs and archives will then have digital preservation requirements and other regulations to meet. Join the Ohio Electronic Records Committee in this introductory workshop covering the journey of a “paper” record becoming a digital image and the considerations we must have for assuring digital preservation.

There are several electronic records presentations throughout the conference. Please check out the list of presentations that will be given from Wednesday, July 18th thru Friday, July 20th. https://nagara.org/AC2023/program-schedule.aspx?78b74a36c4ea=3#78b74a36c4ea

We hope to see many of you in Cincinnati this year!

Elise Kelly
Ohio ERC Member

County Records Centers and Archives and the need for a Digital Preservation System

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Many County Records Centers and Archives face the challenges of modest budgets and limited staff. Oftentimes, we have to prioritize projects and rely on volunteers for additional help. Planning is a must but frequently in a small office, plans change and staff need to be able to communicate with one another and adapt to changes in plans.

For a number of years, we at the Greene County Records Center and Archives were aware that we would need to acquire a digital preservation system for the growing number of permanent/long-term County digital records. Priorities and a limited budget prolonged tackling this issue. In 2021, we began speaking with and surveying many of the County Offices/Departments regarding the direction they were going with their records. We found that Offices/Departments were either completely going digital for their records or were doing a hybrid approach – paper and electronic. We also learned that the County’s Offices/Departments’ in-house data management systems, were no longer going to be supported by the County’s IT Department. We knew that we needed to act soon for providing an alternative for these Offices/Departments.

We researched the best digital preservation systems and found that Preservica met all of our needs. Below are the following points that sold us on Preservica.

  1. Digital preservation system that preserves long-term/permanent records
  2. Addresses hardware and software obsolescence through migrations
  3. Protects digital records from degradation/corruption of formats by monitoring the fixity of records
  4. Converts records to open formats based on archival standards
  5. Secure/Controlled digital environment – backed up on five different Cloud servers around the world multiple times
    1. 24/7 monitoring
    1. Encryption of all files
  6. Can add metadata to make records searchable
  7. User Security Settings
    1. Public User – public records
    1. Internal User – Public and Confidential records
    1. Internal Administrative User – Public and Confidential records
  8. Cannot accidentally or intentionally delete records without the action being reviewed by County Records Manager. County Records Manager can deny a deletion request if the Office /Department has not signed off on an RC-3 or if the records do not meet the retention schedule.

Purchasing Preservica was just the tip of the iceberg. There were many challenges and lessons learned along our year journey of implementing Preservica. These challenges and lessons learned will be documented in a tip sheet and will be available later this year.

Elise Kelly
Greene County Records Center and Archives