Information Age Government Modernising Government Related Websites Digital Scotland Information Age Government in Scotland A draft common framework 9. 9.2 Large quantities of electronic records already exist across the public sector. These need to be managed and controlled more formally, as well as planning for those that will be generated by new service delivery and policy-making systems.
Records represent an explicit corporate memory for the organisation.
Electronic records can unlock content that was previously difficult to access in paper form, enable more effective sharing of information and contribute to knowledge networks. 9.3 Greater commonality between record-keeping systems, including metadata standards, standardised logical and physical formats, and compatible procedural control, will support interoperability and joint working between departments and agencies, and enable the managed sharing and exchange of records. The longer term requirements of public records will require public sector organisations to plan for migration of records, as hardware and software platforms change, to ensure continued access and authenticity. This maintenance of records in electronic form will make feasible the transfer of records to archives, and enable public access in electronic form. 9.5 Cabinet Office has developed a framework for electronic records management to assist the development of departmental e-business strategies, and to assist planning for the implementation of the Modernising Government target that by 2004 all newly created public records will be electronically stored and retrieved.