Introduction

Preserving content from a record keeping system is a complex and challenging process involving many stakeholders. Below is a series of steps that you will need to work through in order to carry out the task. Note that these steps are presented as a guide only and do not necessarily define a linear structure. Do work through them in an order that makes sense to you. There is inevitably some overlap between some of the initial steps which are focused on fact finding. These steps are designed to help you understand the challenge before moving towards a solution and in reality, some of these will run in parallel as you locate the right people to answer your questions and begin your investigations.

It should be noted that this is a complex process typically involving multiple stakeholders and different technologies. It may take a period of several years to move through this process towards a satisfactory preservation outcome. Use the points below to help you start to map out the process and put in place a plan to work through the issues. It is likely that some of the steps will need to be revisited more than once as the landscape changes. Records Management and digital preservation are ongoing tasks which are best implemented as part of an ongoing cycle of work.


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