Best Practices for Digital Permanence

Electronic records have a life cycle that includes the creation, management, use, and disposition or longer term retention of the digital object. Preserving a digital record throughout this life cycle presents unique challenges for records creators and users. This document discusses the threats to digital materials and strategies for digital records preservation and access, covering the following topics: relevant North Carolina statutes, discussion on the permanence of electronic records, threats to digital records, types of digital media, and how to preserve a digital record through its life cycle.