What Is an Electronic Document Management System and Why Do You Need One?
The federal government may store and maintain hundreds of years’ worth of paper documents, but over the next few years, everything is going digital.
After Dec. 31, 2022, the National Archives and Records Administration will accept only electronic records from agencies. By the end of this year, agencies are expected to manage all permanent records electronically to the fullest extent possible in preparation for the 2022 deadline.
In June, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memo to agencies on the transition, noting that agencies must ensure that “records are created, retained, and managed in electronic formats, with appropriate metadata.”
Agencies with permanent records collections “need to think about either getting those records into federal records centers ahead of the deadline, or finding some way to do large-scale digitization of that content,” David Miller, director of records management services for NARA’s Federal Records Centers Program, tells FedTech.
Part of agencies’ efforts to digitize paper records and store them in a manageable format will involve greater use of electronic document management systems.