Washington State Archives
“Going Paperless”
A GUIDE TO WASHINGTON STATE’S APPROVAL PROCESS FOR
THE DESTRUCTION OF SOURCE DOCUMENTS
Presented by:
Leslie Koziara, ERMP
April 24, 2009

Going Paperless Can Save $$
• Work flow improves, increased productivity
• Storage costs decrease
• Centralization reduces costs
• Active retention & disposition reduces
costs- less to store, search, and migrate
• You save paper!
• As a bonus, save on band-aids – no more
paper cuts!

“Going paperless”
If an agency wants to “go paperless” there
are certain legal requirements to be met
before source documents can be
destroyed
You can’t just scan and toss until certain
requirements have been met as per
WAC 434-663

WAC 434-663-600
Imaging Systems
“Conversion to an imaging system DOES
NOT automatically authorize the
destruction of source documents for which
images have been created…… requires
legal approval of the state or local records
committee…..

Options for “going paperless”
1. Agencies may choose to digitize and
keep the paper
2. Agencies may choose to digitize and
destroy the paper prior to the full retention
period. This requires agencies to apply
for approval for the destruction of source
documents approval from Washington
State Archives

More options
3. Agencies may choose to add more
processes where they are all “born digital”
– No paper involved at all
4. For state agencies, an option could be to
scan and then send the paper offsite to
live out the remainder of the retention
period at the State Records Center
Warehouse

Why get approval?
• To ensure that imaged records remain
authentic and accessible for the full duration of
their retention period.
• RCW 40.14.020 (6)(c), it is the State Archivist’s
responsibility to adopt rules governing the
accuracy and durability of, and facilitating
access to, photographic, optical, electronic, or
other images used as public records.

Who Needs to Apply for
Approval?
Approval to digitize and destroy the source
documents is required for any government
agency that creates or maintains a record
series in the form of digitized images
IF the digital images will then serve as
the primary copy of the public record

Oops
Alaska Dept of Revenue March 2007
• Technician reformatting a disk drive during
routine maintenance accidentally deleted
the files for the yearly resident dividends
• Also accidentally reformatted the back up
drive
• The back up tapes were found to be
unreadable

300 Boxes
• Files contained information concerning the
yearly payout and supporting documentation
• 800,000 electronic images had been scanned
• Only back up left was in more than 300 boxes

Recovery Costs
6 weeks
$200,000

What are the consequences
of not getting approval to
destroy source documents?

Relax, it’s just an audit
The State Auditor’s Office now verifies EIS
approval as a part of the audit process for
those agencies that are scanning their
records and disposing of the original
primary copy. Lack of compliance can
lead to a audit finding – which is never a
good thing

Consequences
If it can be proven that an agency
disposed of original paper records without
first making sure that their digital
counterparts would remain
complete, authentic and accessible for the
full retention period, the consequences –
in court, in the media, and in the public
eye – could be grim

Who Gets to Fill Out the
Application?
The application is generally a team effort.
The records officer, coordinators, and IT
staff will most likely be involved in this
process

No Cookie Cutters
• Because each agency has its own records
and systems, each agency needs to
submit their own application
• There are no cookie cutter or one-size-fits-
all answers
• Guidelines and help are available –
consult with your Regional Archivist or
contact Records Management

Online
The approval form and guidelines are
available on our website:
http://www.secstate.wa.gov/archives
Included in the guidelines are some
examples from approved applications.
These are intended as a guideline ONLY –
each application submitted must be specific
to your system and your agency

We want to know
How are those images being taken care of
now and for the future?
Will you be able to access, retrieve, and
have the record keep its integrity for the
entire retention period?

Those images will be considered the
primary record copy and are required to be
maintained and preserved according to the
appropriate retention and disposition for
the record series
You are required to preserve, protect, and
make accessible those images for the full
retention period – regardless of whether
it’s 5, 10, 15 or 50 years

Retention and disposal
• Actively applying retention schedules?
• Are there indexing, metadata standards?
• What about access/retrieval/security?
• What storage format are you using?
• What plans do you have for the future?
– Migration
– Recopying
– Disposal once retention is met

Preparedness
Are you prepared?
• Budget considerations – how are you
paying for this?
• What if “technology happens?”
• System failure
• Vendor failure
• Disasters – natural or manmade
• Back-ups

Drafts are good
• Please consult with Washington State
Archives when developing your application
– Checklists available
– Currently revising application
– Submit a draft first, we will review and help
you develop a sound application

What if:
• I want to add more records series?
• Changes to the system?
• There are updates and upgrades?

Completing and Submitting
the Form
• Complete the form by compiling responses and documentation
• For local government, consult your Regional Archivist with any
questions, and to submit a draft for preliminary review
• For state agencies, contact Leslie Koziara or Russell Wood
• Submit completed form with all documentation and signatures to:
Russell Wood, State Records Manager
Washington State Archives
1129 Washington St. SE / MS 40238
Olympia, WA 98504-0238
rwood@secstate.wa.gov

Congratulations!
You made it through!

Contact us:
recordsmanagement@secstate.wa.gov
Subscribe to listserv:
http://www.secstate.wa.gov/archives/RecordsManagement
Click on either local or state government link

Thank you!
Washington State Archives:
Partners in preservation and access.
www.secstate.wa.gov/archives