Sharon Dawes, Director of UAlbany’s Center for Technology in Government, Named to National Archives’ Advisory Committee

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 29, 2005
Contact: Ben Meyers
(518) 442-3892
     

The Center for Technology in Government (CTG) is pleased to announce that Dr. Sharon Dawes has been named to the National Archives and Records Administration’s (NARA) Advisory Committee on the Electronic Records Archives (ACERA). This high-level committee will advise and make recommendations to Archivist of the United States, Allen Winstein, on issues related to the development, implementation and use of the Electronic Records Archives (ERA) system.

The Center for Technology in Government is recognized as a leader in the field of digital government. Most recently, the Center received an $800,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to work with the U.S. Library of Congress to develop strategies for states and territories to preserve state government digital information. 

Dr. Kenneth Thibodeau, Director of the Electronic Archives Program, said “As we move forward to making the Electronic Records Archives a reality, it is more important than ever that we reach out to obtain advice from a broad spectrum of experts. The Advisory Committee will provide an ongoing structure for bringing together experts in computer science and information technology, archival science and records management, information science, the law, history, genealogy, and education.”

NARA recently awarded a $308-million contract to the Lockheed Martin Corporation to build the ERA system. According to NARA, the ERA system will be a comprehensive, systematic, and dynamic means for storing, preserving, and accessing virtually any kind of electronic record, free from dependence on any specific hardware o software. ERA, when operational, will make it easy for NARA customers to find the records they want and easy for the National Archives to deliver those records in formats’ suited to customer needs. 

The mission of the Center for Technology in Government at the University at Albany is to foster public sector innovation, enhance capability, generate public value, and support good governance. We carry out this mission through applied research, knowledge sharing, and collaboration at the intersection of policy, management, and technology. 

The University at Albany-SUNY has a broad mission of excellence in undergraduate and graduate education, life-enhancing research and scholarship, and a commitment to public service. A University at Albany education brings the world within reach to students through nine schools and colleges, and an honors college. A student body of more than 17,000 students has a global connection to more than 140,000 alumni. For more information about this internationally ranked institution, visit www.albany.edu. For UAlbany's extensive roster of faculty experts, visit www.albany.edu/news/experts.php.