A plan to help Australia’s government agencies and other businesses keep digital information for the future has been acknowledged in the Mander Jones awards for publications within the archival profession. The awards were presented at the International Council on Archives Congress in Brisbane last week.

The Digital Continuity Plan, published by the National Archives of Australia, was commended in category 1 for ‘the publication making the greatest contribution to the archives profession in Australia, written by or on behalf of a corporate body’.

The plan came about when the National Archives of Australia recognised that traditional records management was not keeping pace with technological and social changes.

‘The idea of digital continuity ensures that digital information remains accessible and usable for as long as it is required, preserving important evidence,’ said David Fricker, Director-General of the National Archives of Australia.

'Digital continuity ensures information is complete, available and useable by those with a need for it. It ensures you can find, open and work with information when you need to, understand what it is and trust its content. Digital continuity is an approach that focuses on continued management of information that is already in a digital format,’ said Mr Fricker.

‘Information is a key component of normal business activity, yet information today is more vulnerable than it has ever been. Government agencies and other businesses cannot afford to ignore information management, because information that is lost, unreliable or poorly controlled can have a significant impact on the quality and effectiveness of decision-making and other aspects of business.

‘This publication helps organisations make the transition to effectively managing their digital information to ensure it is preserved for the long-term. This is important to maintain the accountability of governments, to carry out business effectively and to ensure citizens’ rights.’

The annual Mander Jones awards were introduced by the Australian Society of Archivists (ASA) in 1996 to recognise excellence in archival publishing. The awards were presented at the beginning of the ASA Annual General Meeting at the International Council on Archives Congress on 23 August.

The Digital Continuity Plan is available free of charge and can be downloaded from http://www.naa.gov.au/Images/12.02.05%20Digital%20Continuity%20Plan%20we...