Reinventing Archival Methods Observations from the real world: panel discussion exploring the impacts of our existing methods Judith Ellis – 30 November 2012

Recordkeeping Snapshot Practitioners operate at micro level – standards & models encourage this – but it doesn’t work Business works electronically – but the ‘records’ are paper Hybrid operations & systems – parallel, duplicated stores Use of ECMs/EDRMs – middling to low. Expensive, difficult, challenged. Success is ECMs/EDRMs as a service to business system & process Hardcopy disposal as usual Little e-disposal; little e-archiving

Recordkeeping Snapshot Current archival methods = off the radar for business Hard to understand & implement for practitioners – expensive, challenges in practice Archivist - still no/little influence over selecting/controlling digital archival records

Lessons Learnt Shortfall between business needs & what we provide Organisations only do what they have to. Cost of ‘compliant’ recordkeeping = high & onerous Risk = paramount. Build into thinking, standards, models & practice Risk > macro approach to needs and solutions. Better outcomes Standards do not translate into better practice. Build a bridge – principles & practical guidance

Lessons Learnt ECM/EDRMs not suitable for the way people work > build recordkeeping capability into or behind existing systems Build recordkeeping processes into business processes Little digital archives over past 30 yrs > act fast, smart, achievable We find & use information differently than 30 yrs ago > technology-driven description, control, finding & use of records & content

Contact Judith Ellis Enterprise Knowledge Pty Ltd Email: judithellis@enterpriseknowledge.com.au Phone: +61 3 9842 0999 or mobile: +61 412 566 124