Risks to long-term access of digital government records is focus of new Preservica CoSA collaboration

Boston, MA and Oxford, UK | Day August 7, 2018 | Preservica, a world leader in digital preservation, has announced its support for the Council of State Archivists’ (CoSA) 2018-19 research initiative into the risks to electronic state government records from file format and technology obsolescence. Having worked closely on this issue in the past both CoSA and Preservica share a commitment to proactive digital preservation as well as broader access to government records. CoSA is the only professional organization exclusively serving the education, information and advocacy needs of state and territorial archives in the United States.

The joint research project focuses on quantifying the growing backlog of long-term (10+ year retention) digital government records held by agencies and in centrally-managed systems that are not adequately protected from the risks of file format and technology obsolescence. This includes permanent government records slated for transfer to state archives and libraries, as well as long-term administrative and operational records required to meet on-going agency missions and mandates.

This new research initiative is in direct response to the call for action issued by CoSA in A National Risk: The State of State Electronic Records Report, 2017, and presents a unique opportunity to collaborate with CoSA’s partner organizations - the National Governors Association (NGA), the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO), the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) and the Chief Officers of State Library Agencies (COSLA).

The research findings will be shared in a report and webinar briefings to engage and educate stakeholders on the issues and risks associated with retaining electronic records over the long-term or permanently. The aim of the study is to increase collaboration and cooperation and implement coordinated approaches to state government records protection, preservation and secure access.

Tim Baker, President of CoSA, states, “Preservica shares our commitment to helping state archives and agencies meet their mandates to preserve and increase access to state government records. We expect the research supported by Preservica will provide an insight into the size and scale of the backlog of long-term digital records still to be accessioned from agencies into the state archives. This will help CoSA and its partner organizations actively engage their members, stakeholders and funders to promote the importance of electronic records management and digital preservation.”

Preservica Chief Executive Officer Mike Quinn adds, “We look forward to working with CoSA and their partner associations on this important initiative to identify at risk digital government records and to explore strategies that will protect and preserve long-term mission critical and archival records.”

CoSA and Preservica will be sharing further details for members during the CoSA Board of Directors meeting at the upcoming Archives*Records conference in Washington, DC (August 13-17 2018).

About Preservica

Preservica is changing the way organizations around the world protect and future-proof critical long-term digital information. Available in the cloud (SaaS) or on-premise, our award-winning active digital preservation software has been designed from the ground-up to tackle the unique challenges of ensuring digital information remains accessible and trustworthy over decades.

Preservica’s proven solution is trusted by government, business, archives, libraries, and cultural heritage organizations around the world - including the Texas State Library and Archives, UK National Archives, Legal Information Preservation Alliance (LIPA), MoMA, Associate Press, Yale University Library and HSBC - to name a few.

Visit: www.preservica.com

Twitter: @Preservica

About CoSA and the State Electronic Records Initiative (SERI)

The Council of State Archivists (CoSA) is a nonprofit membership organization of the state and territorial government archives in the fifty states, five territories, and District of Columbia. Through collaborative research, education, and advocacy, CoSA provides leadership that strengthens and supports state and territorial archives in their work to preserve and provide access to government records. CoSA facilitates networking, information sharing, and project collaboration among its member organizations to help state and territorial government archives with their responsibilities for protecting the rights and historical documents of the American people.

In July 2011, CoSA launched an initiative focused on improving efforts to manage, preserve, and provide access to state government electronic records nationwide. The initiative is managed by the State Electronic Records Initiative (SERI) committee. In 2017, CoSA released A National Risk: The State of State Electronic Records Report, which tracked SERI’s six-year progress in the improvement of electronic records and digital preservation capabilities in the 56 states and territories and laid out its priorities to ensure the safety and security of state government digital records and information.

Visit: http://www.statearchivists.org

Twitter: @statearchivists

Preservica Contact: In the US and Canada: For further information, please contact: Maria Doyle, maria@doylestratcomm.com, or call: +1-781-964-3536

CoSA Contact: Barbara Teague, info@statearchivists.org, or call 502-229-8222