The evolution of the management of government records has surpassed the complexities of paper formats. Government entities are taking measures to facilitate digitization projects, which come along with a great deal of positives, including increasing the accessibility of records, enhancing promptness in fulfilling FOIA requests, and decreasing physical space storage. While adapting to the management of records in digital and electronic formats, the Library of Virginia continuously emphasizes the golden rule: retention still applies no matter the format. As government entities navigate within a born-digital world, the option to store records within third-party document management systems is at an all-time high. One could easily list the many benefits and advantages that come with using document management systems, but there is one crucial factor that rarely enters the conversation until after the contracts have been signed and the deal is done: the existence of records management functionality.
When leadership and information technology (IT) government professionals vet through and identify potential third parties for document management services, it is evident that there are some factors that are measured to identify an alignment with the agency’s needs. While the needs of the government entity are imperative, compliance should be a priority within the decision-making process.
When the LVA Records and Information Management Analysts converse with agencies regarding digital and electronic records, they inquire about whether deletion is being executed within their management systems to maintain the continuity of carrying records throughout their lifecycle. In many cases, analysts are being presented with uncertainty or confirmation that deletion is not possible within the agency’s document management system. The inability to delete temporary records from a document management system is out of compliance with the Virginia Public Records Act.
The retention and disposition schedules promulgated by LVA are not suggestions; instead, they are legal documents standardizing the required retention of government records.
To make matters more complex, the inability to purge temporary records within document management systems impacts public citizens of the Commonwealth and taxpayer dollars in instances of data breaches and unnecessary agency costs for maintaining non-compliant management systems. Data breaches are bound to occur, but when the breach includes records that are expired according to the LVA retention schedules, a range of complexities could happen, including legal issues between a public citizen and the agency. As a trustworthy government entity, notification should be disseminated to those impacted. This type of situation could be avoided if government entities prioritized using document management systems that allow for the deletion of records. Additionally, the allocated cost to acquire and maintain a system that does not allow for the deletion of records demonstrates how such funds could have been better appropriated.
Public trust encompasses government entities taking extreme measures to preserve records, including ensuring the proper and legal disposition of government records. Trust is also important in government’s reporting of destruction records. When an entity reports destruction of records via a Certificate of Record Destruction form, the Library of Virginia and public citizens are under the impression that the records no longer exist. Incorrect reporting could result in legal consequences and public humiliation.
The use of document management systems can fulfill the necessities of records management for an agency, but the criticality of records management functionality should be the determining factor in its ability to store an agency’s records. When choosing the most appropriate and compliant system, the agency is taking a proactive and effective approach to managing trust as an entity and with the public citizens that it serves.
In most cases, government entities are challenged in identifying the presence of a record for reference or similar purposes. In this case, agencies are challenged about “why” records, specifically electronic and digital, are still present when they are legally eligible for destruction. Document management systems have the potential to streamline records management, but should it be at the cost of an agency being out of compliance? Records management professionals should be at the table during decision-making as advocates of records compliance, which can result in mitigating various risks and agency costs.
