RUSSELL K. DUTCHER, III, CBRP

Certified Business Resilience Professional

Advanced Business Continuity Solutions, LLC

DISASTER PREVENTION AND RECOVERY FOR HISTORICAL RECORDS

ABCS, LLC - WHITE PAPER – WINTER 2007

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The continued growth of digital imaging has fostered many differing opinions and discussions in the Records Management Community. However, none of them are as diverse as the issue of the digitization of historic records. While opinions may vary, one point remains constant - the need to preserve these documents for future generations.

Many of the state’s county and local government agencies have been overwhelmed by increased records generation, retention, preservation, storage, and cost.  Quite a few of these facilities are literally “bursting” at the seams with respect to individual departmental records retention requirements which are stipulated under state statute.

County and local government agency generates tens of thousands of documents annually relating to personnel, engineering, tax, public safety, planning and zoning and vital records.  Included in this vast array of paper are many historically significant documents, which in many cases date back to the formation of a particular county or local government. Many of these records are stored in “as best as possible,” locations, but have little or no enhanced protection from environmental disasters.

Additionally, many original public historical records have been re-discovered through the diligence of county and municipal clerks, archivists and records managers. These documents are

the very foundation of many older local communities and need to be adequately protected fostering the need for solid Disaster Recovery planning.  All government agencies have identified specific departments who would benefit from a standardized Disaster Recovery Plan. Studies have also been conducted which pinpoint where possible problems exist and at what frequency they occur, such as:

·        High Temperature Changes

·        Unrestricted Water Flow

·        AC Power Outages/Irregularities

·        Restricted or Blocked Air-Flow

·        Accidental Intrusion

·        Improper Climate Control

·        Dust and Debris

·        Smoke and Fire Damage

The development of a comprehensive and detailed Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan is an essential part in dealing with circumstances resulting from unforeseen catastrophic events. All records including those contained on paper, microfilm and optical-disk, will require that detailed data migration methods and procedures are in place to provide for their continued preservation.

Stakeholder commitment and proper funding are typically the major components of any successful BC/DR plan.  With “buy in” from the key players of an organization (whether from the public or private sector), the chances of developing and maintaining a successful plan increase dramatically.

With the high cost associated with conserving, digitizing and preserving historical records, many county and local government agencies are partnering regarding shared services.  These agencies have also begun to form extensive project networks, and coordinated their efforts in order to draft a coherent and detailed Disaster Recovery Plan encompassing the general principles of records management.

Federal and State increased historic preservation funding has increased the public’s awareness regarding both historic records conservation and preservation. New sources of funding has become available to county and municipal agencies through the various State and Federal grant programs, which are specifically directed towards digital records management and preservation. County government officials as well as local municipal council members continue to express concerns regarding the future of comprehensive records management planning within the state, which includes historical records preservation.

In the Spring of 2005, the State of New Jersey launched a new initiative called the Public Archives and Records Infrastructure Support (PARIS) grant program to meet the strategic and emergency records management, preservation, and storage needs of county and municipal governments.

Consequently, the PARIS grants have funded strategic advancements in county and municipal government archives and records programs statewide.  Since FY 2005 the budget has provided over $60 million in grants to build and improve the infrastructure of public records administration, making PARIS one of the top competitive grant programs of its kind in the nation.

The program which is funded by document filing and recording fees collected by county clerks, is a key component of the New Jersey Public Records Preservation Program established by the state legislature in July 2003 under P.L. 2003, c. 117, sections 38 and 39.  Both of these programs are administered by the New Jersey Division of Archives and Records Management (DARM), a division of the Department of State.

With respect to digital and microfilm imaging, DR practices must be factored in at the beginning of each project in order to properly formulate future expansion requirements, as well as any substantial increase in future maintenance costs.  The methodology and procedures inherent to a Disaster Recovery Plan will be changing on a regularly based on the fact that specific needs and concerns must be addressed throughout the life of the project.

As stated earlier, both internal and external stakeholders need to be identified in order to fulfill all facets of initial implementation and maintain existing systems, which will allow for proper planning regarding future emergency situations.

Archivists, Information Technology specialists, and Records Managers must continue to lobby for proper funding of these upgrades and process realignments, by increasing the educational awareness of executive level stakeholders.  It is imperative that executive decision makers be made aware that the initial costs will more than pay for themselves with respect to detailed and comprehensive DR plan for current and historical records.  Also, the percentage of risk greatly increases each day that proper planning is not addressed and that adequate resource allocations are not included in annual budgets.

Failure in addressing the problems arising from inadequate records management practices may very well result in the loss of historical and irretrievable records, which could have serious consequences for county and municipal agencies.