Program Manual

Electronic Records

The Electronic Records Unit's mission is to make recommendations to the State Records Commission on the establishment of standards, guidelines, and policies for the management of electronic records generated by the state of Missouri. More and more of the information generated by state governmental agencies are electronically based. Whether the record is an e-mail message, a scanned image, or the original digital file created by a word processor, the record still must be managed with the same diligence we currently accord paper based records. To that end, the Electronic Records Unit will apply sound records management principles when performing its mission. The unit will provide technical assistance and advice to state governmental agencies when they are integrating electronic records into their records disposition schedules, ensuring that proper archival and legal requirements are met. By using a systematic method for evaluating electronic record-keeping systems and the records to keep, the unit can help the various agencies increase their efficiency and insure openness to the public. The Records Management Division's objectives are to provide guidelines for the development of a comprehensive electronic records management program, to address sound electronic records management program requirements, and to offer strategies to transcend technology and to ensure the integrity of electronic records. Our primary goal is to ensure these guidelines provide a practical and achievable basis for agency implementation.