By Carol Kussmann
Digital Preservation Analyst

To celebrate Electronic Records Day the University of Minnesota Libraries is announcing the publication of the Electronic Records Task Force Final Report.  The University of Minnesota Libraries sponsored the Electronic Records Task Force to explore and develop capacity of the Libraries to preserve and provide access to electronic records.

Focusing on the records in the Archives and Special Collections, the Task Force was charged with:

• Developing the initial capacity for ingesting and processing electronic records
• Defining tasks and workflows for staff, and
• Developing ingest and processing workflows.

This report documents the work of the Task Force during its first year and recommendations for moving forward. Task Force co-chairs are currently drafting a plan for next steps. Task Force members included Lisa Calahan, Kevin Dyke, Lara Friedman-Shedlov, Lisa Johnston, Carol Kussmann (co-chair), Mary Miller, Erik Moore, R. Arvid Nelsen (co-chair), Jon Nichols, Justin Schell, and Mike Sutliff. The group is sponsored by John Butler and Kris Kiesling. 

The appendices provide examples and drafts of workflows and documents created. Of special note, a Guide for Donors of Electronic Records was developed to assist archives staff and potential donors address special concerns around electronic records.

Other organizations have also produced guides to educate people about how to care for their electronic materials to assist with keeping them accessible long-term. Are you concerned about any of your electronic records?  Think about all the photographs on your phone…  Will you be able to share them a year from now?  A month from now?  Check out these electronic record resources!

Happy Electronic Records Day! 

• 10 Reasons Why Electronic Records Need Special Attention (Council of State Archivists)

• Personal Records Tips (Council of State Archivists)

• Personal Digital Archiving (Library of Congress)