GIPWoG Digital Archiving Initiatives for the Federal Government

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The Electronic Records Archives (ERA)
GIPWoG Digital Archiving Initiatives for the
Federal Government October 5, 2005
ERA Program Update Mark Conrad ERA Program Staff
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Electronic Records Archives Vision
The Electronic Records Archives will
authentically preserve and provide access to any
kind of electronic record, free from dependency
on any specific hardware or software, enabling
NARA to carry out its mission into the future.
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The Electronic Records Archives (ERA) Program
Management Office

• Acquisition of the ERA system
• Organizational change management
• Enable NARA to implement the system successfully
• Research
• Address new challenges posed by
• Continuing change in Information Technology
• Its use in government
• Capitalize on progress in technology

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NARAs Electronic Records Challenge

• Preserve any type of electronic record
• Created using any type of application,
• On any computing platform
• From any entity in the Federal Government, and
  any donor
• Provide discovery and delivery to anyone with
  an interest and legal right of access
• Now and for the life of the Republic, and
• Provide effective policies, strategies,
  standards, guidance, and tools for federal
  agencies to manage electronic records in support
  of their lines of business

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NARAs Electronic Records Challenge

• Unprecedented Challenges
• Technology Does Not Currently Exist
• Complexity Volume Will Continue to Grow
• Unprecedented Resources
• Recognized GOVERNMENTAL Challenges
• White House Coordinated Research Activity

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Strategic Alignment
Strategies to assure long-term preservation of
digital records constitute another particularly
pressing issue for research....
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NARAs Strategy

• Attack the critical preservation problem
• Find solutions in commercially viable, mainstream
  technologies being developed to support
  e-commerce, e-government and the next generation
  national information infrastructure
• Align with overall direction of Information
  Technology in the U.S. Government
• Define the requirements in terms of the
  lifecycle management of records

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Partnerships
San Diego Supercomputer Center
National Center for Supercomputing Applications
and many other Federal Agencies and their
Records Officers
NIST
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The ERA System Will Support

• Workflow and collaboration toolsfor lifecycle
  management of all types of records,temporary and
  permanent
• within NARA
• between NARA and other agencies
• Ingestion, preservation and access to electronic
  records
• In the National Archives,
• Federal Records Centers, and
• Presidential Libraries

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ERA Virtual Workspaces
R e c o r d s L i f e c y c l e M a n a g e
m e n t
Workflow Management
R e p o s i t o r y
Accesioning Workbench
Find Records
Read Digital Media
Data about Collections
Present Records
Accept Online Transfer
Original Format Electronic Records
Produce Special Versions
Verify Transfers
Persistent Format Electronic Records
Identify Sensitive Content
Describe Records
Transform to Archival Format
Redact Sensitive Records
Classified Electronic Records
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ERA Virtual Workspaces
Increment
1
Disposition Agreement
FOIA Request
R e c o r d s L i f e c y c l e M a n a g e
m e n t
Request to Transfer Records
Request for Assistance
Workflow Management
R e p o s i t o r y
Accesioning Workbench
Find Records
Read Digital Media
Data about Collections
Present Records
Accept Online Transfer
Original Format Electronic Records
Produce Special Versions
Verify Transfers
Persistent Format Electronic Records
Identify Sensitive Content
Describe Records
Transform to Archival Format
Redact Sensitive Records
Classified Electronic Records
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ERA Virtual Workspaces
Increment
2
Disposition Agreement
FOIA Request
R e c o r d s L i f e c y c l e M a n a g e
m e n t
Request to Transfer Records
Request for Assistance
Workflow Management
R e p o s i t o r y
Accesioning Workbench
Find Records
Read Digital Media
Present Records
Accept Online Transfer
Produce Special Versions
Verify Transfers
Identify Sensitive Content
Describe Records
Federal Agencies
Redact Sensitive Records
Transform to Archival Format
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ERA Virtual Workspaces
Increment
3
Disposition Agreement
FOIA Request
R e c o r d s L i f e c y c l e M a n a g e
m e n t
Request to Transfer Records
Request for Assistance
Workflow Management
R e p o s i t o r y
Accesioning Workbench
Find Records
Read Digital Media
Present Records
Accept Online Transfer
Produce Special Versions
Verify Transfers
Identify Sensitive Content
Describe Records
Federal Agencies
Redact Sensitive Records
Transform to Archival Format
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ERA Virtual Workspaces
Increment
4
Disposition Agreement
FOIA Request
R e c o r d s L i f e c y c l e M a n a g e
m e n t
Request to Transfer Records
Request for Assistance
Workflow Management
R e p o s i t o r y
Accesioning Workbench
Find Records
Read Digital Media
Present Records
Accept Online Transfer
Produce Special Versions
Verify Transfers
Identify Sensitive Content
Describe Records
Federal Agencies
Redact Sensitive Records
Transform to Archival Format
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ERA Virtual Workspaces
Increment
5
Disposition Agreement
FOIA Request
R e c o r d s L i f e c y c l e M a n a g e
m e n t
Request to Transfer Records
Request for Assistance
Workflow Management
R e p o s i t o r y
Accesioning Workbench
Read Digital Media
Produce Special Versions
Verify Transfers
Federal Agencies
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Some Examples of how ERA will facilitate the
Records Management Process
ERA will be a TOOL for agency Records Officers to

• Track a schedule that has been submitted for
  approval
• Search for examples of approved records
  schedules
• Use existing schedules as models to develop new
  ones
• Use automated authoring and editing tools to
  draft and revise records schedules (SF-115s) and
  submit them to NARA and
• Send samples of electronic records covered by
  proposed schedules to NARA.

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Examples of how ERA will facilitateRecords
Disposition and Transfer

• Request transfer of physical custody of any type
  of record to NARA
• Transfer custody of electronic records to NARA
• Approve destruction of temporary records stored
  in Federal Records Centers and
• Approve transfer to NARA of legal custody of
  permanent records.

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Examples of how ERA will facilitateStoring,
Preserving and Accessing Permanent Electronic
Records

• Access electronic records that have been migrated
  to new formats,
• Output copies of electronic records in
  appropriate formats,
• Output electronic records on a variety of media,
• Search for records using a variety of search
  paths,
• Request access to or return copies of their own
  records,
• Receive online transfers of electronic records
  from NARA,
• View electronic records stored at NARA online,
• Authorize third party access to agency records
  held in Federal Records Centers, and
• Collaborate with NARA or other equity holders on
  review and redaction of records with
  restricted content.

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ERA Functionality

• ERA will handle classified records separately
  from non-classified records
• ERA will be as close as your desktop.

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What will the system do for Record Users?

• Find records based on searches of descriptions of
  records.
• Search the electronic records themselves.
• Accurately reproduce and output electronic
  records.
• Provide certified copies of electronic records.
• Manage requests for review of restricted
  materials.
• Implement the results of electronic records
  reviews.
• Enable users to request and receive assistance
  from NARA staff.

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The ERA Timeline
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Lockheed Martin Corporation Selected

• Archivist Allen Weinstein announced on September
  8, 2005, the award of a 308 million, six year
  contract to Lockheed Martin Corporation to build
  the Electronic Records Archives system for NARA.
• Selection was made based on technical merit of
  solution proposed, excellence of their system and
  software engineering methodology and quality of
  their project management

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ERA Contact Information
Mark.Conrad_at_nara.gov [phone]
http//www.archives.gov/era/