Local Government Records Program
State Archives of Ohio
Statement on Maintaining Digitally Imaged Records Permanently
The creation of reliable and authentic records is essential for the operation
and accountability of Ohio governments. The Ohio Revised Code sets forth
procedures for managing and providing access to public records. Computer
technologies have revolutionized and enhanced the way that governments
create, use, access, and store records. Increasingly, governments in Ohio
are opting to scan their records and store those records as digital images.
Although the Ohio Historical Society, which administers the State Archives
of Ohio, acknowledges the utility of maintaining digital images for access
and retrieval purposes, it does not support the permanent maintenance
of records solely in electronic image formats. Technological changes are
rapid and constant. With no standards in existence for ensuring the long-term
validity and survivability of digital images, it is nearly impossible
to predict whether those imaged records will be retrievable in the future.
Even well- implemented migration plans cannot assure that data will not
be lost.
With this in mind, the State Archives strongly recommends maintaining
an eye-readable backup of any records deemed of permanent value that have
been digitally imaged for electronic storage. Eye-readable records are
records that do not require the use of hardware and software to decode
the information stored on them. Examples of eye-readable records include
paper and microfilm. The American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
issues a set of standards for the creation of microfilm that, if followed,
ensure the survivability of microfilm for an estimated 500 years.
Public officials are responsible by law for ensuring that their records
are protected and accessible for the time period stipulated in the record
retention schedule. This responsibility applies regardless of the storage
media on which records are recorded and maintained. With that responsibility
comes the authority to decide in which medium to maintain their records.
If an agency decides to retain records in electronic format permanently
or for any long-term period, it is the agency's responsibility to ensure
that these records remain reliable, authentic and continually accessible
throughout the stated retention period.
It is not within our authority to approve or certify imaging systems,
or to deny the destruction of paper records that have been reformatted
to images. Our authority is derived from the Ohio Revised Code 149.31,
which states that
The Ohio Historical Society, in addition to its other functions,
shall function as the state archives administration for the state and
its political subdivisions.
It shall be the function of the state archives to preserve government
archives, documents, and records of historical value, which may come into
its possession from public or private sources…
The archives administration shall be headed by a trained archivist
designated by the Ohio Historical Society, and shall make its services
available to county, city, township, and school district records commissions
upon request.
Within this provision, the State Archives offers advice and assistance
on how to preserve records of enduring historical value that may one day
come into its possession. Due to the unstable nature of electronic records
over time, archivists must take precautions to ensure the survivability
of electronic records at the time of their creation, not at the end of
a record's life cycle.
Destruction of original materials should always be considered with extreme
caution. Since electronic records and the technology surrounding them
are in a continuous state of change, any record in an electronic format
cannot be considered stable and capable of remaining reliable, authentic
and accessible over any long-term or permanent retention period. Therefore,
it is the recommendation of the State Archives that any digitally imaged
records of permanent value also be maintained in either paper or microfilm
format.
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