Electronic records are becoming increasingly common throughout local government agencies as office automation software packages are being used to support county and municipal programs. Databases, word processing files, spreadsheets, geographic information systems, imaging systems and e-mail are examples of electronic file types in which records reside. As with paper records, electronic records need to be managed to control their creation, distribution, maintenance, use, and disposition. Records in electronic format must be retained in accordance with records retention and disposition schedules, policies and guidelines promulgated by the County and Local Government Records Committees. In order to keep electronic records accessible for the duration of their full retention periods, local governments may have to migrate data to upgraded software and/or hardware systems, and/or different media.

County Records Manual

• Policy and Guidelines for Electronic Records including E-Mail Systems (PDF, 48 KB)
• Policy and Guidelines for the Retention and Disposition of Original County Records Copied Onto Optical, Imaging and Data Storage Systems (PDF, 55 KB)
  

Municipal Records Manual

• Policy and Guidelines for Electronic Records including E-Mail Systems (PDF, 48 KB)
• Policy and Guidelines for the Retention and Disposition of Original Municipal Records Copied onto Optical Imaging Systems and Municipal Records Stored On Optical Disks (PDF, 32 KB)

For more information on electronic records, please contact Sue Hartman at (717) 787-3939 or ra-statearchives@pa.gov. Mail inquires may be sent to Ms. Hartman at the following address: Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Pennsylvania State Archives Building, 350 North Street, Harrisburg, PA 17120-0090.