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  1. Government Recordkeeping
  2. Advice and Resources
  3. Digital Continuity and Digital Archives
  4. Digital Archives
  5. FAQs: Digital Archives
FAQs: Digital Archives

TOC

About the Digital Archive

What is the Digital Archive?
The Digital Archive is a repository for digital records of NSW Government that are required as State Archives. It is managed by State Records NSW.
What are digital archives?

Digital archives are any digital information that is kept as evidence of official business and ‘required as State archives’ in an authorised retention and disposal authority.

Digital archives could be in the form of:

  • Documents, spreadsheets, PPTs;
  • Case management systems;
  • Email
  • Scanned copies of paper records or digitised A/V material
  • EDRMS records.
Does it involve digitisation of paper records?
State Records NSW has a separate digitisation programme and many NSW Government agencies conduct their own digitisation of paper records. Although digitisation is not part of the work carried out by the Digital Archive, some of the digital images created in these separate digitisation programs may be transferred to it. The Digital Archive will also accept transfers of born digital records, which are official records such as emails and office documents that were created and managed completely in a digital form.
Is it like a back-up?
The Digital Archive is a secure and stable long-term repository that Government agencies and NSW citizens can expect will preserve the integrity of Government digital archives. But it is not just a simple copy, like most back-up systems. The Digital Archive must also ensure that its contents are permanently accessible and this involves assessing the long-term viability of particular file formats and adopting remedial strategies as needed.
How does State Records ensure that records in the Digital Archive remain useable and trustworthy?

Rather than adopt a one-size-fits-all strategy, State Records’ digital archives team works with agencies to assess their digital recordkeeping systems and develop customised plans for migrating those systems to the Digital Archive. Common elements of these plans include the identification of file formats and the analysis of metadata. The digital archives team has developed tools to support these processes such as the Preservation Pathways Registry and the Metadata Registry.

To learn more about State Records’ approach, you can read the following on the Future Proof website

Transferring records to the Digital Archive 

What records can be transferred to the Digital Archive?
Any digital records that have been identified as being and ‘required as State archives’ in an authorised retention and disposal authority are eligible for transfer to the Digital Archive. These records should no longer be in active use by the public office however they can be of any age. The records must be covered by a current Access Direction.
How do agencies initiate a transfer to the Digital Archive?
The digital archives team takes a project based approach to the transfer of records to the Digital Archive team. Agencies can initiate a project by contacting the digital archives team and providing some initial information about the records to be transferred.
Does State Records require agencies to convert records to a specific format?
No. Depending on the risks associated with the digital records in question, we may work with you on creating additional access or preservation copies of records prior to transfer, or do this ourselves, but we do not have a policy requiring all records to be converted to a particular format.
Does State Records require agencies to submit particular metadata when transferring records to the Digital Archive?
No. Metadata is however a vital asset for ensuring the integrity and meaning of digital archives and we will work with you to identify the sources of metadata in your digital recordkeeping systems. We will map that metadata to a common set of terms in our Metadata Registry (and if suitable terms don’t exist, we will add them). This mapping process supports an integrated view of the Digital Archive and supports discovery.

 Accessing the Digital Archive

What access restrictions apply to records in the Digital Archive?

Information in the Digital Archive is subject to the same rules for public access under the State Records Act 1998 as any other State archives. Some records in the Digital Archive are closed to the public and can only be accessed with the permission of the controlling agency (normally the agency that transferred them).

How do I access records in the Digital Archive?
Material in the Digital Archive can be discovered by searching in the main State Archives catalogue, Search. You can browse the contents of the Digital Archive by going to: http://repository.records.nsw.gov.au
What can I find in the Digital Archive?
During the project to establish the Digital Archive, State Records NSW worked with a number of agencies on a set of pilot projects. These projects included the digital records of former State Premiers Kristina Keneally, Nathan Rees and Bob Car, records of the Special Commission of Inquiry into Electricity Transactions, and records relating to the registration of business names. Some of these records are the subjects of Early Access Directions, meaning they are open to general public access and will be searchable online. Others will be limited to access by the government agency that transferred them, until they enter the Open Access Period, or remain closed for longer owing to the sensitive information they contain.

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