Others face the problem of linking documents created in different forms and formats to business transactions. As a result, many agencies are finding that their electronic records do not meet their organization's evidentiary needs. From an archival perspective, this means that electronic records of enduring value may be lost to future generations. Agencies are seeking immediate and specific technological solutions and tools that will help them integrate records management requirements into their application development plans rather than addressing records management as an isolated additional activity. Traditional system design methodologies do not give adequate attention to the creation, integration, management, and preservation of electronic records.
Agencies lack adequate tools to manage the electronic records that are created by their systems.
Agencies are finding that some of the electronic records that do exist do not meet their organization's evidentiary needs. Agencies face the problem of linking documents created in different forms and formats to business transaction requirements. Technological solutions and tools to assist government agencies are not sufficient. Supportive but essential records management processes are not adequately automated or integrated into systems, resulting in inefficiencies and added costs. Archivists, records managers, and allied information professionals have an opportunity to influence this situation by assisting government agencies in the development of tools to create, maintain, and preserve usable, reliable, and accessible electronic records.