Rhode Island Code of Regulations › Title 100 - Department of State › Chapter 40 - STATE ARCHIVES, LIBRARY AND PUBLIC INFORMATION › Subchapter 05 - PUBLIC RECORDS ADMINISTRATION › Part 1 - Records Management › Section 100-RICR-40-05-1.4 - Definitions

Current through June 14, 2024
A. For the purpose of this Regulation:
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" and
				 "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. "Digitizing" means the conversion of
				 physical documents into a digital/electronic format.
7. "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.
8. "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.
9. "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.
10. "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;
11.
				 "Local Government Records Program" 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.
12. "Microfilm" means transparent film
				 containing highly reduced copies of documents.
13. "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 §42-8.12(10).
14. "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.
15.
				 "Public Records Administration" means the function of government established by
				 R.I. Gen. Laws §
											38-3-1
et seq
.
				 (the Public Records Administration Act), as supervised, directed and
				 coordinated by the Public Records Administrator.
16. "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.
17. "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.
18. "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.
19. "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.
20. "Retention" means the duration of time
				 that a record, record series, or other information shall be
				 maintained.
21. "Scanning" means
				 the process by which physical documents are digitally imaged, including without
				 limitation electronic .pdf and .tiff files.
22. "State Archives" means the official State
				 repository for records of longterm or permanent legal or historical
				 value.
23. "State Records Center"
				 means the program managed by the Public Records Administration for the storage
				 and maintenance of Agency records.
24. "Violation" means any act of
				 non-compliance with these Regulations and the applicable laws of the State of
				 Rhode Island.