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Albany, NY - In today's high tech information age, organizations are finding it harder to manage all of the electronic records that are created when people apply for benefits, licenses, and permits or when employees use computers to write reports, create presentations, and send e-mail. These are all vital business records, but companies are often unaware of how to manage and save this mountain of electronic information.

The Center for Technology in Government of the University at Albany/SUNY developed practical tools to assist managers in integrating requirements that are necessary for effective electronic records management. These tools are detailed in a new publication, "Practical Tools for Electronic Records Management and Preservation." 

"This guide helps information and program managers identify and implement electronic recordkeeping requirements into the normal course of improving business processes and designing new information systems," said Theresa Pardo, project director at the Center for Technology in Government.

The "Practical Tools for Electronic Records Management and Preservation" guide outlines the steps businesses and governments can take to integrate effective electronic records management into their organizations. The publication covers such topics as electronic records goals, functional requirements, and analysis and implementation of records requirements.

The tools detailed in the guide are based on the two-year applied research project "Models for Action: Developing Practical Approaches to Electronic Records Management and Preservation," which was funded in part by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission and conducted by the Center for Technology in Government and the New York State Archives and Records Administration.

"Organizations need electronic records that are reliable, authentic, usable, and accessible. With the shift from paper to digital information, many organizations find that their current electronic records are not sufficient to support business needs or that they are in danger of losing access to those records," said Pardo.

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.