Like its constituent agencies and other organizations, the federal government generates and increasingly saves a large and growing fraction of its records in electronic form. Recognizing the greater and greater importance of these electronic records for its mission of preserving "essential evidence," the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) launched a major new initiative, the Electronic Records Archives (ERA). NARA plans to commence the initial procurement for a production-quality ERA in 2003 and has started a process of defining the desired capabilities and requirements for the system.


As part of its preparations for an initial ERA procurement, NARA asked the National Academies' Computer Science and Telecommunications Board (CSTB) to provide independent technical advice on the design of an electronic records archive, including an assessment of how work sponsored by NARA at the San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC) helps inform the ERA design and what key issues should be considered in ERA's design and operation.Building an Electronic Records Archie at the National Archives and Records Administration provides preliminary feedback to NARA on lessons it should take from the SDSC work and identifies key ERA design issues that should be addressed as the ERA procurement process proceeds in 2003.

Table of Contents


Front Matter
Summary and Recommendations
1 Introduction
2 Commonalities Between Requirements for the ERA and Requirements for Other Activities
3 Specific Lessons to be Learned from the SDSC Demonstration Projects
4 Designing and Engineering the ERA
5 Key Technical Issues
6 Strengthening Information Technology Expertise
7 Strategy for Evolution and Acquisition
Appendix A: Background on NARA and the ERA Program
Appendix B: Conclusions from the General Accounting Office Report Information Management: Challenges in Managing and Preserving Electronic Records
Appendix C: Briefers to the Study Committee
What Is CSTB?