The technology is evolving rapidly, and technical standards are elusive, or ephemeral. Also, despite the spread of the personal computer, the majority of Americans do not own their own computers. The EPA's Dallas-based Region 6 office Records Management program is currently converting a number of program records to optical storage and retrieval systems. Activities to digitize the Superfund program's Administrative Records will be briefly examined. While the Agency widely employs electronic databases for inventorying and tracking records, there exists scant consistency from one Region to another, and in many cases, from one collection to another within individual Regions.
Disparate applications work at varying levels of sophistication and reliability.
The EPA was originally pieced together from a variety of independent regulatory organizations, and 25 years later retains a decentralized nature. The result is a complex organizational interaction affecting the management of every public document. This is equally true regardless of the medium. However, any handling of a paper document risks its deterioration or misplacement. Balancing the need for access against the challenges of preservation can be a delicate act.