Digital Communications
The guidance provided here outlines best practices on managing electronic communications as public records, including e-mails, text messages and instant messages, social media, and websites. It also includes links to the State of North Carolina's web and social media archiving programs.
E-mail as a Public Record in North Carolina: A Policy for Its Retention and Disposition
The E-mail as a Public Record in North Carolina policy and corresponding guidelines ensures records created, sent, and received through email systems are managed in agreement with the established legal requirements for creating, maintaining, and disposing of all government records. It helps users to classify e-mail messages and make them available for public information requests, and provides guidance on how to retain and dispose of e-mail messages to satisfy business needs, programs, and record-keeping requirements. The guidelines promote best practices and offer ideas and suggestions that can help in the effective management and retention of electronic messages as public records.
Guidelines for E-mail as a Public Record in North Carolina: Tips and Tricks for Using Microsoft Exchange Software to Manage E-mail
The Guidelines for E-mail as a Public Record in North Carolina guidance includes best practices for creating emails, maintaining email metadata, handling threads, and managing inboxes.
Best Practices for Electronic Communications Usage in North Carolina: Text and Instant Message
The Best Practices of Electronic Communications Usage in NC: Text and Instant Message document addresses employee responsibilities regarding text messages and instant messages according to general statutes and records retention and disposition schedules.
Best Practices for Electronic Communications Usage in North Carolina: Guidelines for Implementing a Strategy for Text and Instant Messages
This best practices document is a “how-to” that provides examples of how text and instant message conversations fit into existing retention schedules.
North Carolina Website and Social Media Archive
The North Carolina State Government Website and Social Media Archives are a service of the State Archives of North Carolina and the State Library of North Carolina and overseen by a committee of staff from both institutions. The program’s goals are:
- To create and maintain an archive of North Carolina state government agency websites and social media sites.
- To provide open access to the archives for the public and government agencies.
The archiving program is available to any state agencies wishing to participate.
Social Media Best Practices in State and Local Government
These best practice documents provide information about legal and appropriate use of social media by state agencies and local government. Responsibilities of PIOs are outlined, and a sample Social Media Policy is provided.
- Best Practices for Local Government Social Media Usage in North Carolina
- Best Practices for State Agency Social Media Usage in North Carolina [Revised March 2012]
Website Archiving Guidance
The documents below describe processes specific to the website archiving program, as well as general guidance for the management and preservation of websites by both state agencies and local governments.