Going Paperless

KRS 369.102 defines "electronic record" as information (data, text, images, sounds, codes, computer programs, software, databases, or the like) created, generated, sent, communicated, received, or stored by electronic means. According to Kentucky law, records are treated identically whether they exist in electronic or hard copy formats. In either instance, records must be complete, authentic, accessible, and durable for as long as the appropriate records retention schedules require.

Records that are originally created in a hard copy format may be scanned or otherwise optically imaged. Permanent records – those with long-term legal, historical, or administrative value (such as the Board of Trustees minutes, the Redbook, and portions of the correspondence of the administration, to name a few examples) must have an eye-readable (paper or microform) backup copy. If the records are non- permanent according to the appropriate retention schedule, the original hard copy records may be discarded.

Records created in electronic formats (such as word processing documents, spreadsheets, databases, digital photographs, and so forth) may be maintained in their native electronic formats for the entire lifetime of the record. There is no requirement that a hard copy ever be created for records that are ”born digital.” Nevertheless, it is critical that electronic records be maintained and protected for the entire length of their retention period.

Storage and Retention

In today’s office environment, technology changes quickly and both file formats (such as Microsoft Word’s *.doc, Adobe’s *.pdf, etc.) and storage media (magnetic “floppy” discs, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, Flash drives, etc.) can become obsolete. For records (both born-digital and optically imaged) with short retention periods of five years or less, this is of little concern. For records with retention periods longer than five years, a long-term preservation plan may include the creation of a hard copy or migration to updated file formats and storage media.

Deletion

Individual employees are responsible for deleting or otherwise destroying in accordance with appropriate retention schedules any electronic records under their control. Unlike paper records, electronic records take up no physical space and so there are fewer cues to remind employees when they have outlived their usefulness. Nevertheless, these records should be managed just as they would be if they existed in a hard copy form – including deleting the records at the end of their scheduled retention period. Users may wish to tailor their file structure to facilitate this process.

Other Resources

The Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives maintains a series of informational web pages on managing electronic records. In addition, questions about electronic recordkeeping, records retention, or other records management concerns may be directed to Chad Owen in the University Archives: [email protected] or 852-6674.