Strategies for managing social media information

The NSW State Records Authority has issued a draft "Strategies for managing social media information" for comment by 15 March 2013. The thirty five page document covers:

1. Strategies for managing social media information
2. ... determining what records need to be
   captured
3. How do I capture social media
4. Some retention and destruction
5. Frequently asked questions

Managing Digital Records Course

State Records NSW is running a course in ‘Managing Digital Records: An Introduction’, staring in late February 2011. They also provide (and a pre-requisite for the face to face course) free e-learning modules online in Digital recordkeeping concepts and framework for recordkeeping in the NSW public sector.

Course outcomes

By the end of this course participants should:

• recognise the opportunities and challenges provided by digital recordkeeping
• define which digital records to make and capture into digital recordkeeping systems, including web records
• understand the role of metadata in the management of digital records
• define best practice in the creation and disposal of digital records, and
• understand preservation requirements and strategies for digital records.

Course content

Introduction

• the opportunities and challenges of keeping records in digital form

Recordkeeping systems

· what are recordkeeping systems and why is it important to keep records in recordkeeping systems

· requirements of the Standard on digital recordkeeping in relation to recordkeeping systems

· how to define what records to make and keep

Metadata

• what is metadata and recordkeeping metadata
• why is metadata vital to good recordkeeping
• requirements of the Standard on digital recordkeeping in relation to metadata
• what constitutes good and bad metadata

Best practice in the creation and disposal of digital records

• what is 'best practice' in relation to the creation of digital records
• some practical tips to improve digital records creation
• scenarios for appraisal and disposal in the digital environment
• the destruction of digital records or their retention as State archives

Website recordkeeping strategy

• designing a recordkeeping strategy for web records

Preservation of digital records

• the issues with preservation and what can be done now
• the NSW Government's approach to the preservation of digital records

Course schedule for 2011

This one-day course will be held from 9am to 4:30pm on the following days in Sydney and regional NSW:

• 24 February - Newcastle
• 29 March - Sydney Records Centre
• 30 March - Wagga Wagga
• 9 May - Sydney Records Centre
• 24 June - Sydney Records Centre
• 26 July - Sydney Records Centre
• 18 August - Sydney Records Centre
• 9 September - Tamworth
• 24 November - Sydney Records Centre

Price

$330 (including GST) per participant.

A 10% discount is available for any additional attendees from the same organisation registering on the same registration form.

Payments may be made via Purchase Orders, EFT, Visa, MasterCard or cheque.

To register

Go to our online registration page at: http://regonline.activeeurope.com/Register/Checkin.aspx?EventID=924436

NSW unable to archive digital information

The NSW Auditor-General has reported to Parliament that the State Records Authority of New South Wales is in breach of its enabling legislation as it is "...unable to archive digital records despite growing reliance on the use of digital records by New South Wales Government agencies". The AG has recommended a government digital archiving solution be established. The AG also notes that the archive will run out of storage space during this financial year (e-records would reduce the space problem).

Help is at hand. The NSW State Records Authority provides a list of courses available on records management. First in the list is my own "Electronic Data Management" COMP7420, being offered at the Australian National University from January 2010. As I am still designing the course, I could include the requirements for the NSW e-Archive as a case study. Several students on my Green ICT course wrote official carbon reduction strategies for their agencies as their assignments. NSW government staff could write the e-archive strategy as their assignment for this course.

It should be noted that there is considerable guidance for implementing an e-arching system in NSW:

1. M2009-11 Premier's Memoranda: NSW Standard on Digital Recordkeeping
2. Standard on digital recordkeeping and Short guide to implementing the Standard
3. M2004-14 Use and Retention of Email for Government Communications
4. Policy on digital records preservation
5. Policy on electronic recordkeeping
6. ICT Attitudes to records and recordkeeping: survey report
7. Considering digital recordkeeping as part of systems development or procurement (RIB52)
8. Strategies for documenting Government business: The 'DIRKS' manual
9. Introducing recordkeeping metadata (RIB 18)
10. Selecting records management software (RIB 2)
11. Checklist for assessing business systems (RIB 42)
12. Managing digital records
13. Desktop Management: Managing electronic documents and directories (RIB 30)
14. Destroying digital records: When pressing delete is not enough (RIB 51)
15. Digital imaging and recordkeeping (RIB 11)
16. Email and other templates for creating digital records
17. FAQs - Emails and recordkeeping (RIB 49)
18. General Retention and Disposal Authority - Source Records That Have Been Migrated (GA 33)
19. Guidelines on keeping web records
20. Keeping recruitment records using e-Recruitment (RIB 56)
    
21. Managing the message: Guidelines on managing formal and informal communications as records
22. Records management and web 2.0
23. Archives Advice: Protecting and handling magnetic media (NAA)
24. Archives Advice: Protecting and handling optical disks (NAA)
25. Digital records preservation in the NSW public sector: A discussion paper
26. Australasian Digital Recordkeeping Initiative (ADRI) website
27. Digital Records Advisory Group

Ministerial Memorandum 2009-11 ‘Standard on Digital Recordkeeping’ acknowledged the increasing reliance upon digital records by New South Wales public sector agencies. The Memorandum also noted the benefits of a standardised approach to digital record keeping.

The Authority’s ‘Future Proof’ strategy aims to help government agencies manage digital records. A key aspect of the strategy is to implement a digital archiving facility for New South Wales government. Currently, the Authority declines digital records that an agency wishes to transfer for archiving because it does not have the infrastructure to access the information in the record.

The Crown Solicitor has advised that if the Authority holds public records that are not accessible, the Authority is in breach of its enabling legislation. Notwithstanding its current policy of declining records, the Authority holds some inaccessible records and is in breach.

How to Create On-line University Courses in Electronic Archiving: Part 17 - Redesign for 2011

The course "Electronic Data Management" (COMP7420) was designed for archivists, records managers and librarians, as a six week, one hour per day, e-learning course. The course has been offered by ANU during 2010, but so far there has been little interest. The NSW Office of State Records now have this course first in their list of Education and training opportunities. The name and description of the content may make it sound too technical for information professionals. However, there is enough interest from the Austrlaian Public Service to offer the course in January 2011. Therefore I have to start preapring the materials.

E-learning format

This is an expanded and accredited version a short intensive course I ran in 2007 at the request of National Archives of Australia. The notes for that course are online. For the e-learning version the content has to be converted to a format where the student can work through it at home, with limited guidance. The exercises have to be carefully designed, as I will not be there to point things out for the student. While tutor help will be avialable, this will require the student to send a message and wait for a reply, which could take hours.

Accreditation and Learning Outcomes

Also I need to incorporate the accreditation requirements of the various professional bodies. This is only a short course (equivalent to half a normal unviersity one semester unit), so it would not be suitable for full professional accreditation where a unviersity degree is required. But it could form a useful part of such accreditation. The ANU already runs courses in Museums and Collections (I ran a course on web design for museum staff in the Pacific for ANU).

Currently the learning outcomes are described in terms of the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA). However, SFIA is intended for IT professionals and may not be as applicable. The outcomes are also relatively passive, saying the students will be able to "describe", rather than do.

Some courses are accredited by the Australian Society of Archivists at a few Australian universities (none at ANU). ASA ’has Course Accreditation Policy, Principles, Procedures, Guidelines for ASA Participation in University Courses. What makes this a little easier is that there is a joint ASA/RMAA Statement of Knowledge for Recordkeeping Professionals. So ASA and RMAA are using the same body of knowledge.

The ASA/RMAA Statement of Knowledge for Recordkeeping Professionals is refreshingly brief at only nine pages long. This is based on AS ISO 15489 - 2002 Records Management and BSB01 Business Services (Recordkeeping) Training Package standards. The document was due for review in August 2008. So it might be a good time if I have any additions on e-records to suggest. The document takes the approach of having a recordkeeping education framework which allows learning pathways with vocational and tertiary qualifications and professional development. It sets the task for professionals to:

Recordkeeping professionals:
1. Establish, manage and maintain recordkeeping frameworks that:

• enable accountability and governance;
• preserve memory and identity; and
• provide information.

2. Establish, manage and maintain recordkeeping processes and systems that:

• capture, maintain and provide authentic, reliable, accessible and trusted records of social and business activities; and
• meet the needs and expectations of individuals, organisations and society.

3. Apply theory and practice through ethical behaviour, promulgated in codes of practice or conduct.
4. Engage in an advocacy role for the recordkeeping profession to promote awareness and understanding of recordkeeping theory, practice and ethics.

The Records Management Association of Australasia (RMAA) provide more detailed guidance for course accreditation. Their "Procedures for the Accreditation of Courses" (April 2007) and "Course Accreditation Checklist for Courses meeting the Statement of Knowledge for Recordkeeping Professionals" (Version 1.0, April 2007), provide a useful short list of what a course needs.

The RMAA procedures specifically allow for "individual programmes of study resulting in competencies being
gained by accumulation and transfer.", allowing for a short course which can be added to with other courses.

The RMAA Course Accreditation Checklist has five categories:

1. Information Generation, Communication & Utilization Scope
2. Information Management and Organisational Context Scope
3. Information Systems & Information & Communication Technologies
4. Information Environment & Policy
5. Management and Transferable Skills

The obvious area to concentrate in a "electronic" course is "C. Information Systems & Information & Communication Technologies". However, any course will need to touch on the other areas. Also an e-leanring course could be valuable in teaching new "E. Management and Transferable Skills" in partiocualr how to use computer based system for working in groups.

The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) has a set of course criteria simialr in concept to RMAA. ALIA have categories of Professional and Library technician level courses. For the technician level there is a "Museum and Library/Information Services Training Package" (CUL04) aligned to the Australian Qualifications Framework.

The AQF raises the issue of the use of standard course descriptions. "Vocational" (TAFE) courses have the advantage of a carefully nationally standardised set of course descriptions. The National Training Information Service (NTIS) database includes, for example, the unit "Review recordkeeping functions" (BSBRKG305A:). This is based on the ASA/RMAA Statement of Knowledge. There are 409 Units of Competency in the NTIS database mentioning "records".

Assessment

Assessment is set as:

• 10% Online quizzes
• 20% Online Discussion/ In-class participation/ Learning Journal
• 40% Exam
• 30% Case studies project

Preparing online quizzes is a skill I have yet to master, but should be feasable using the support at ANU for e-learning. When I wrote the assessment I assumed the "Exam" would be an online one, similar to that I conducted in the classroom for the intensive course. This used the Moodle assignment system. In university terms the exam would be a "take home examination". However, this might take the form of a highly structured assignment with a short deadline, rather than a traditional examination. That is the student would be given one task, with the questions of the examination providing the guidance on individual parts of the task. This would be similar to a high prorioty task in the workplace: "Quick we need to come up with a XXXX in the next three hours.".