Disposal of original paper records after digitisation

Assessing original records for destruction after digitisation

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Can we destroy original paper records after digitisation?

Some organisations establish digitisation projects with the intention of destroying the original paper records and keeping digital images instead. However, original paper records cannot always be destroyed.

The disposal of records of NSW public offices must be carried out in accordance with the provisions of the State Records Act 1998.

In most cases authorisation is given in approved retention and disposal authorities (RDA) issued by State Records NSW.

If you are proposing to destroy original paper records after digitisation, the retention requirements will then apply to the digital images in their place. You will need to plan for system capabilities and the management of the records in digital format.

For more information, see Managing digital images as records.

Records covered by a retention and disposal authority

Before any original paper records can be destroyed after digitisation, you must establish if the records are covered by either a general or functional RDA approved for use by your organisation.

For more information about disposal and RDAs, see Disposing of records.

If the records are:

covered by an approved RDA: The authority will specify the retention requirements for the records and whether or not they are required as State archives.
not covered by an approved RDA: You cannot destroy them after digitisation. To discuss how to obtain disposal authorisation, contact State Records NSW.

Exclusions in the general authority for original records that have been copied

The General retention and disposal authority: original or source records that have been copied (GA45) contains a list of exclusions.

You are not authorised to destroy an original paper record that falls into one of these categories:

created prior to 1 January 1980 and required as State archives or required to be retained in agency
State archives that have been retrieved or are on loan from the State Archives Collection, including from regional repositories
records subject to a legislative or government policy requirement that the original record not be destroyed
records that are considered to have intrinsic value in their original format
records documenting special circumstances personal information of high personal value to the subject of the record.

Meeting the conditions in the general authority

The general authority is the key authorisation for the destruction of original paper records that have been digitised.

The general authority lists a number of conditions that must be met before destruction of any original records. These conditions ensure that digital images can be relied upon as evidence in place of originals for as long as they may be required.

You must conduct appropriate project planning and risk assessments of the relevant records when determining how to meet these conditions.

If any conditions are not met, destruction must not take place.

Condition	How to meet condition
Copies are made which are authentic, complete and accessible	Plan the digitisation project well. Establish routine digitisation and registration processes, document these in policies and procedures authorised by senior management and make them known to relevant staff. Establish and document benchmarks specific to the project. Establish and document required metadata for the ongoing management and control of the records. Establish and document technical specifications specific to the project and which use standard formats for images. Establish and document quality assurance procedures and processes to verify images are accurate and complete reproductions of originals. Ensure quality assurance procedures and processes are implemented and that any problems identified are addressed as soon as possible. Maintain thorough systems documentation, including descriptions of image enhancement techniques. Store digital images appropriately with security controls and audit trails to prevent loss or alteration. Manage digital images as part of your organisation's records management framework and document planning for their accessibility for as long as required.
Copies become the official records and are kept for the authorised retention period	Be aware of retention periods that apply. Manage digital images as part of your organisation's records management framework and document planning for their retention and accessibility for as long as required.
Originals are kept for quality control purposes for an appropriate length of time after copying	Determine and document a time period for retention of originals after digitisation based on your own digitisation, quality assurance checking and recordkeeping processes. Include this in procedures and training. Note: State Records NSW recommends a minimum retention period of 6 months. For more information, see When should disposal take place?

Condition

How to meet condition

Copies are made which are authentic, complete and accessible

Plan the digitisation project well.
Establish routine digitisation and registration processes, document these in policies and procedures authorised by senior management and make them known to relevant staff.
Establish and document benchmarks specific to the project.
Establish and document required metadata for the ongoing management and control of the records.
Establish and document technical specifications specific to the project and which use standard formats for images.
Establish and document quality assurance procedures and processes to verify images are accurate and complete reproductions of originals.
Ensure quality assurance procedures and processes are implemented and that any problems identified are addressed as soon as possible.
Maintain thorough systems documentation, including descriptions of image enhancement techniques.
Store digital images appropriately with security controls and audit trails to prevent loss or alteration.
Manage digital images as part of your organisation's records management framework and document planning for their accessibility for as long as required.

Copies become the official records and are kept for the authorised retention period

Be aware of retention periods that apply.
Manage digital images as part of your organisation's records management framework and document planning for their retention and accessibility for as long as required.

Originals are kept for quality control purposes for an appropriate length of time after copying

Determine and document a time period for retention of originals after digitisation based on your own digitisation, quality assurance checking and recordkeeping processes.
Include this in procedures and training.

Note: State Records NSW recommends a minimum retention period of 6 months. For more information, see When should disposal take place?

Records authorised for destruction in a current retention and disposal authority

If the records are not required as State archives or to be retained in-agency in a current retention and disposal authority, the original may be destroyed after copying providing that all conditions have been met.

Records required as State archives or to be retained in-agency

Created before 1 January 1980

You must not destroy source records created before 1 January 1980 and required as State archives or to be retained in-agency.

However, you may seek special authorisation for destroying these records by contacting State Records NSW.

Otherwise, records should be stored in a recordkeeping system for management and retrieval purposes and kept for their full retention periods. To transfer original paper records required as State archives after digitisation, contact Museums of History NSW to discuss.

Created after 1 January 1980

The original paper records may be destroyed after digitisation if:

they are required as State archives or to be retained in agency
were created after 1 January 1980
you have met all other conditions outlined in the general authority.

Before destroying records

Before any records are destroyed, you must get final authorisation from the relevant senior manager.

You must record details of records destroyed, including:

what was destroyed
when
by whom
the disposal authority or authorities used.

Further information

For more information about see:

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