Many of us are either not managing them at all, or are keeping messages within the e-mail system, or on drives, with little or no regard to their retention as records of business transactions. E-mail messages are records in fact and in law, and are rapidly replacing hardcopy correspondence as the principal means of conducting business transactions. Effective management of these messages is essential to maintain the corporate memory of organisations. The Archives Office has recently issued a policy to provide direction to employees of government organisations for the capture and management of electronic messages. The policy outlines principles relating to electronic messages as records and provides policy directions relating to their capture and deletion.
Most damage is done to records by people rather than the environment.
By adopting simple procedures and using common sense, we can reduce the damage done to valuable paper documents. Hands always have a layer of oils and salts on them no matter how recently they've been washed. Paper is very absorbent and will take up these layers, leaving permanent stains. Likewise, licking your fingers to help turn a page will deposit more impurities on the paper and attract insects and mould and leave permanent stains. When handling valuable documents use clean cotton or latex gloves to prevent damage.