Guidelines for Managing Trustworthy Digital Public Records

This document provides guidance to state, county, and municipal government agencies for establishing methods and procedures for creating and maintaining authentic records in digital formats according to the type of records produced and the length of time the records should be retained. These guidelines are designed to ensure the admissibility of an agency’s electronic records into evidence in a court of law. A critical need by government agencies for more efficient methods of creation, storage, and retrieval of public records has led to the adoption of varied software and information technology systems for creating, managing, and storing records in a digital format. While the advantages of such systems are many, the complexity of safeguarding the integrity of records has increased, requiring greater attention to issues relating to security, accuracy, reliability, and accountability. These guidelines provide all levels of government within North Carolina direction in establishing methods and procedures for creating or maintaining trustworthy records produced by information technology systems.