For the Record February 2017

ISSN 1321-6260
February 2017 - Number 121

We remind NSW public offices that messages or information posted on the social media channels/sites/platforms and/or posted on behalf of the organisation are State records. The State Records Act 1998 (the Act) defines a record as ‘any document or other source of information compiled, recorded or stored in written form or on film, or by electronic process, or in any other manner or by any other means’ (s.3). The Act goes on to define a State record as ‘any record made and kept, or received and kept, by any person in the course of the exercise of official functions in a public office, or for any purpose of a public office, or for the use of a public office’ (s.3).

The Act uses a broad definition for what constitutes a record. This ensures that different formats that come into use as a result of new technologies are governed by the Act.

Social media posts need to be managed in the same way you manage other business records.

This month the Future Proof team have been blogging about social media. The discussion touches on not only how we manage social media records, but also how we can archive them. We also collated some of the interesting enquiries we received on social media.

Social media enquiries on Workplace by Facebook, Twitter feeds and archiving
We are reviewing our “Strategies for Managing Social Media Records” guidance
Tweets, Facebook posts, and other social media information are State records

Our Future Proof posts in January include:

6 steps to eApprovals: the PSC & DPC interagency collaboration project experience (infographic case study)
Records Managers Forum presentations now available on Future Proof
You don’t gotta catch ‘em all: managing text messages for business

Review of the General retention and disposal authority for patient records

Thank you to all the public offices who provided feedback on the revised General retention and disposal authority: Public Health Services: patient/client records. Comments have closed now but information and a copy of the revised draft is still available on our website.

NSW Government Graduate Program

We are taking part in the NSW Government Graduate Program. State Archives and Records NSW is hosting four graduates in the Information Technology and Policy stream, including Hugh Brassil who is working with the Government Recordkeeping team for 6 months. Our parent department Finance, Services and Innovation is hosting 48 graduates who will rotate through 18 months of work and complete a Diploma of Government qualification. You can read more about the scheme on the Public Service Commission website.

A Fit Place for Women: NSW Parliament

State Archives and Records NSW is pleased to be part of an important exhibition now showing at Parliament House. A Fit Place for Women: NSW Parliament features the stories of women who contributed to NSW politics. The Women’s Franchise Act, 1902 (Act No.52, 1902 from the State Archives collection (NRS 13032, Acts of Parliament, 1824-) is on display in this free exhibition at NSW Parliament in Macquarie Street, Sydney, until Friday 28 April 2017. Doors are open from 9.00am-5.00pm Monday to Friday, and from 9:00am-6.00pm on Wednesdays when Parliament is sitting.

Now and Then

Our sister newsletter Now and Then is always worth a read - this issue has items about the digital copying services available in the Search Room at the Western Sydney Records Centre, the Centenary of the opening of Taronga Zoo, the Completion of the EmDARA project and the Charles Sturt University Regional Archives.

Training

The following training is being offered in March and April:

7-8 March Records Management Fundamentals (Queens Square, Sydney)
9 March Managing Digital Records: An overview (Queens Square, Sydney)
9 March Implementing a Retention and Disposal Authority for Local Government Records (Queanbeyan)
15 March Managing Recordkeeping Risk in Business Systems (Western Sydney Records Centre, Kingswood)
28 March Implementing a Retention and Disposal Authority for Local Government Records (Queens Square, Sydney)
4-5 April Records Management Fundamentals (Western Sydney Records Centre, Kingswood)
6 April Managing Digital Records: An overview (Western Sydney Records Centre, Kingswood)
7 April Retention and Disposal of Public Health Sector Records (Queens Square, Sydney)

For more information see our Training Calendar.

Disposal authorities approved

State Archives and Records NSW recently approved an amendment to the functional authority covering records relating to road user regulation, in particular records associated with the collection of tolls and levies for road use and the enforcement of compliance with road use rules and regulations.

Copies of our retention and disposal authorities are available from the Retention and disposal authorities page on our website.

Tweets, Facebook posts, and other social media information posted on behalf of a public office are State records

Future Proof - Everything Social in February