Inquiries Regarding Unbiased Schedules for Media Topics
Writing Media-Neutral Schedules for Permanent Records: A Guide for Agencies
In the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) context, the focus is on creating media-neutral schedules that describe records without reference to their physical or digital format. This approach ensures longevity and flexibility in recordkeeping.
Here are some key points for media-neutral scheduling, as per NARA requirements and best practices:
- Clear Descriptions at the Series or System Level: Schedules must provide clear descriptions of the records so that custodians can correctly identify the applicable records, regardless of media type.
- Clear Cutoff and Disposition Instructions: Instructions must be applicable to any media format, ensuring authorized retention, transfer, or destruction actions can be implemented consistently over time.
- Inclusion of Essential Metadata for Permanent Records: For permanent records, schedules should state inclusive dates, total volume, and annual accumulation, but avoid tying descriptions to specific media types. This ensures records remain identifiable and manageable across changing storage technologies.
- Avoid Specifying Media Types: To be media neutral, schedules should not limit records to physical or digital formats but rather describe the content and function of the records, enabling application to any medium in the future.
- Flexible Retention Periods for Temporary Records: While flexible retention periods are typically for temporary records, permanent records require clear, consistent retention and preservation instructions regardless of format.
- Compliance with NARA Regulations: The regulations require records schedules to be reviewed every five years for relevance and clarity, which supports ongoing media neutrality as technologies evolve.
- Use of Practical Guidance and Tools: Agencies can use NARA's Electronic Records Archives (ERA) and accompanying job aids like the "Best Practices for Writing Descriptions" and "Records Schedule Quality Control Checklist" to prepare media-neutral schedules.
For specific cases:
- Records covered by previously approved schedule items that explicitly exclude electronic records require a new schedule.
- Electronic versions of temporary program records covered by a media-neutral schedule item can be applied to previously approved schedules.
- If an agency wishes to propose pre-accessioning for electronic records, the disposition instructions can be written to provide for it, with electronic records transferred as pre-accession 2 years after cutoff.
- If hard copy records were previously approved as permanent, the electronic records must also meet NARA standards for permanent electronic records AND the agency must notify NARA within 90 days of the implementation of electronic recordkeeping.
- Scanned images of temporary hard copy records can be applied to previously approved schedules.
- Electronic versions, other than scanned images, of temporary program records covered by previously approved schedule items that are not media neutral require a new schedule.
- Media-neutral schedule items can be applied to copies of the records maintained on an agency web site, if the schedule item explicitly includes web site copies.
Agencies do not need to submit a new schedule to dispose of hard copy records used to create electronic records, as long as the electronic records contain all of the information included in the hard copy records.
Technology plays a crucial role in facilitating the implementation of media-neutral scheduling, as it enables the description, management, and preservation of records regardless of their physical or digital format.
Education-and-self-development are essential for creating media-neutral schedules, as custodians must understand NARA's guidelines and best practices to develop schedules that meet the organization's requirements for longevity and flexibility in recordkeeping.
