Rhode Island Code of Regulations › Title 100 - Department of State › Chapter 50 - Public Records Administration › Subchapter 00 - N/A › Part 1 - Records Management › Section 100-RICR-50-00-1.4 - Definitions

Current through June 14, 2024
A. For the purpose of this Part:
1. "Agency" means any department, division,
				  board, commission, office, or quasi-public corporation under any branch of
				  State or local government which performs functions relating to government or
				  acts on behalf of a governmental agency.
2. "Born digital" means Records that are
				  created using computers or other electronic or processing devices.
3. "Certification of records destruction" or
				  "Certification of emergency records destruction" means the form approved by the
				  Agency head or their designee and the State Archivist and/or Public Records
				  Administrator, authorizing the destruction of a Record and serving thereafter
				  as the valid and legal substitute for the destroyed Record following
				  destruction or other permitted disposition.
4. "Conversion" means the transfer of digital
				  data to an alternate or revised digital format, particularly but not limited to
				  converting data from an obsolete format to a current format.
5. "Digital records preservation strategy"
				  means a plan developed and delivered by an agency to the Public Records
				  Administration prior to executing a Digitizing project.
6. "Digitally generated signature" means any
				  signature that is created and/or generated by a computer software program that
				  is:
a. Created using a digital font;
				  or
b. A non-certified image or scan
				  of a "wet signature".
7.
				  "Digitally certified signature" means any signature that is a certified image
				  or scan of a "wet signature" that can be verified.
8. "Digitizing" means the conversion of
				  physical documents into a digital/electronic format.
9. "Disposal" or "Disposition" means the
				  final destruction of records, as determined by an applicable Records Control
				  Schedule, or transfer of records of historical value to the State Archives for
				  permanent storage.
10. "Electronic
				  mail" or "email" means any message or correspondence created, sent, or received
				  within an electronic mail/email system which concerns public business,
				  demonstrates agency business, or serves a public function.
11. "Electronic record" means all documents,
				  papers, letters, maps, books, photographs, films, sound recordings, magnetic or
				  other tapes, electronic data processing records, computer stored data,
				  including email messages, or other non-physical materials or media digitally
				  created or scanned into digital form.
12. "General officer" means an official
				  appointed for a term of office specified by the constitution or a statute of
				  this State or who is appointed by or through the governing body or highest
				  official of State government;
13.
				  "Local Government Records Program" or "LGRP" means the unit within the Public
				  Records Administration which shall be primarily responsible for assisting
				  cities and towns with the care and management of their public records. The
				  program shall be charged with designing and implementing a training program for
				  local government records keepers; publishing retention schedules for the proper
				  disposition of public records in local governments in adherence to § 1.6
				  of this Part; and providing technical and advisory assistance in the storage,
				  preservation, and ongoing maintenance of the records of local
				  governments.
14. "Local government
				  representative" means the representative designated by the municipal department
				  or division who is responsible for the operation of a records management
				  program for the municipality and related communications with the Public Records
				  Administration, Local Government Records Program.
15. "Microfilm" means transparent film
				  containing highly reduced copies of documents.
16. "Personal paper(s)" means documents
				  unrelated to work but maintained at a place of work by an employee or general
				  officers of the State government of Rhode Island as established in R.I. Gen.
				  Laws §
											42-8.1-2(10).
17.
				  "Public record(s)" or "Record(s)" means all documents, papers, letters, maps,
				  books, tapes, photographs, films, sound recordings, or other materials,
				  regardless of physical form or characteristics, which are created or received
				  by an agency, office, or general officer, either pursuant to law or relating to
				  the transaction of public business, and which serve as evidence of the
				  organization, functions, policies, decisions, procedures, operations, or other
				  activities of the Agency or otherwise contain official government
				  data.
18. "Public Records
				  Administration" or "PRA" means the function of government established by R.I.
				  Gen. Laws §§
											38-3-1
et seq
. (Public Records
				  Administration Act), as supervised, directed and coordinated by the Public
				  Records Administrator.
19. "Record
				  copy" means the record that an agency designates as the official record for
				  legal and business purposes, and to which the Agency applies records management
				  policy measures for the protection, security, maintenance and/or preservation
				  thereof.
20. "Record series" means
				  a collection of records maintained as a group and derived from or related to a
				  particular subject, activity or function of an agency.
21. "Records control schedule" or "Records
				  retention schedule" means the document or documents establishing the official
				  retention, maintenance, and disposal requirements for a record or record
				  series, based upon any administrative, legal, fiscal, and/or historical value
				  related to that record or record series.
22. "Records officer" means the
				  representative designated by the Agency head who is responsible for the
				  operation of the records management program for the Agency and related
				  communications with the Public Records Administration.
23. "Retention" means the duration of time
				  that a record, record series, or other information shall be
				  maintained.
24. "Scanning" means
				  the process by which physical documents are digitally imaged, including without
				  limitation electronic .pdf and .tiff files.
25. "State Archives" means the official State
				  repository for records of long-term or permanent legal or historical
				  value.
26. "State Records Center"
				  means the program managed by the Public Records Administration for the storage
				  and maintenance of State agency records.
27. "Violation" means any act of
				  non-compliance with these Regulations and the applicable laws of the State of
				  Rhode Island.
28. "Wet signature"
				  means a handwritten physical ink signature.