These guidelines are to assist all state and local government agencies with electronic records which are created, maintained, disseminated and destroyed in a manner consistent with state laws, rules, and policies which are established to help with the life-cycle of electronic records. An electronic record is considered a public record.
Email Guideline:
E-mail is an easy and efficient communication tool available to employees of state and local government agencies. In many respects, e-mail has replaced the telephone as the medium most often used to communicate with one another about daily business. Unlike the telephone, however, e-mail creates a written record of communication that is included in the definition of a state public record. Like all other electronic records, e-mail is subject to the same retention requirements as any other public record as governed under MCA Title 2, Chapter 6. These guidelines along with approved retention schedules, provide assistance in determining whether e-mail should be retained, for how long and how employees can manage e-mail filing and retention.
Email Management:
Like all other electronic records, e-mail is subject to the same retention requirements as any other public record governed under MCA Title 2, Chapter 6. These guidelines along with approved retention schedules provide assistance in determining whether e-mail should be retained, for how long, and how employees can manage e-mail filing and retention.
Remember to manage email by its content (subject matter). Follow the naming convention and formatting as listed in the guidelines above. A systematic approach to e-mail management is the best business practice to follow and protects al your staff and your agency.
Document Imaging Guideline:
Document Imaging is how you’ll remove the paper from your office or storage space , digitize it, and enable a more streamlined business process. Whether you call it imaging, electronic imaging or document imaging, it is the technologies that enable users to scan hard copy documents into a computer system and store them in digital format. These technologies enable users to index or enter “metadata” into the system and always utilize some form of storage technology to save the digital version of the document. The Document Imaging Technical Standard is the guideline that the State Information Technology Services Division has issued.
Electronic Compatibility and Interchange Guideline:
The purpose of Electronic Compatibility and Interchange Technical Standard guideline provides guidance for state agencies. This interim standard is intended to provide high level guidance to State of Montana Executive branch agencies, to ensure compatibility of electronic information and record systems used to electronically capture, store, or retrieve public records on systems supported in the State of Montana Data Centers and State-wide network. The Electronic Compatibility and Interchange Technical Standard is the guideline that the State Information Technology Services Division has issued.
Get Organized – Setting Up Your Electronic Files:
The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration has some great information regarding Records Management. The following video offers tips on getting your electronic files organized. Included are some common sense methods that are simple to follow and create in your agency. This session also covers filing and naming conventions that will help you manage electronic records in your agency’s directory structure.