National Archives Progress And Risks In Implementing Its Electronic Records Archive Initiative

National Archives: Progress and Risks in Implementing its Electronic Records Archive Initiative

Since 2001, the Nat. Archives and Records Admin. (NARA) has been working to develop a modern Electronic Records Archive (ERA) system, a major info. system that is intended to preserve and provide access to massive volumes of all types and formats of electronic records. Software and contracting problems led the agency and its contractor to revise the development approach. The revised plan called for parallel development of two different increments: a "base" ERA system with limited functionality and an Exec. Office of the Pres. (EOP) system to support the ingestion and search of records from the outgoing Bush Admin. This report summarizes NARA's progress in developing the ERA system and the ongoing risks the agency faces in completing it.

The federal government generates and increasingly saves a large and growing fraction of its records in electronic form. In 1998, the National Archives and Record Administration (NARA) launched its Electronic Archives (ERA) program to create a system to preserve and provide access to federal electronic records. To assist in this project, NARA asked the NRC to conduct a two-phase study to provide advice as it develops the ERA program. The first two reports (phase one) provided recommendations on design, engineering, and related issues facing the program. This report (phase two) focuses on longer term, more strategic issues including technology trends that will shape the ERA system, archival processes of the ERA, and future evolution of the system. It also provides an assessment of technical and design issues associated with record integrity and authenticity.

Like its constituent agencies and other organizations, the federal government generates and increasingly saves a large and growing fraction of its records in electronic form. Recognizing the greater and greater importance of these electronic records for its mission of preserving "essential evidence," the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) launched a major new initiative, the Electronic Records Archives (ERA). NARA plans to commence the initial procurement for a production-quality ERA in 2003 and has started a process of defining the desired capabilities and requirements for the system. As part of its preparations for an initial ERA procurement, NARA asked the National Academies' Computer Science and Telecommunications Board (CSTB) to provide independent technical advice on the design of an electronic records archive, including an assessment of how work sponsored by NARA at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) helps inform the ERA design and what key issues should be considered in ERA's design and operation.Building an Electronic Records Archie at the National Archives and Records Administration provides preliminary feedback to NARA on lessons it should take from the SDSC work and identifies key ERA design issues that should be addressed as the ERA procurement process proceeds in 2003.

The mission of NARA is to safeguard and preserve gov¿t. records, ensuring continuing access to the essential documentation of the rights of Amer. citizens and the actions of their gov¿t. However, in today's environment of fast-evolving info. tech., fed. agencies are creating vast volumes of electronic records while continuing to create physical records in large numbers. This report assesses NARA's effectiveness in overseeing the governmentwide mgmt. of records, incl. commenting on its capacity to identify risk of unlawful destruction of fed. records; describes its ability to preserve permanent records; and assesses its policies, procedures, and plans supporting key mgmt. and oversight capabilities. A print on demand publication.

Since 2001, the National Archives and Records Admin. (NARA) has been developing an Electronic Records Archive (ERA) to preserve and provide access to massive volumes of electronic records independent of their original hardware and software. The 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act requires NARA to submit an expenditure plan for ERA to Congress. The objectives of this report were to: (1) determine whether NARA's FY 2009 plan meets the legislative conditions set forth in the 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act; (2) provide an update on NARA's progress in implementing recommendations made in a review of NARA's 2008 expenditure plan; and (3) provide any other observations about the expenditure plan and the ERA acquisition. Tables.