2.3 Store and Preserve - RIM Manual

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Authority

The Managing Government Information Policy (MGIP) requires that ministries:

• Provide and maintain adequate storage for government information, including appropriate privacy, security, access, and environmental controls (1.10, 1.11); 
• Keep track of the information in their custody and control and the systems used to manage it in accordance with information schedules (1.12, 2.1, 2.2); and
• Maintain government information in formats that are stable and accessible for as long as it is required to support government business and accountability needs (3.2, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7).

The MGIP requirements reflect provisions established in the Information Management Act (section 19) and Chief Records Officer Directives and Guidelines.

Store and Preserve

Versions and copies may be stored in multiple systems and storage locations to provide easy access for coworkers, stakeholders, and clients. While this is helpful for immediate use, it is essential to ensure that documentation of decisions and other critical information is stored in appropriate recordkeeping systems as early as possible in the information lifecycle. 

Appropriate recordkeeping systems should be established and managed in accordance with approved information schedules, strong naming conventions, and version control. Using an appropriate recordkeeping system enables your ministry to organize, retrieve, manage, access, and dispose of information as needed.

Preservation can be described as a set of planned processes to ensure government information can be managed as high-quality evidence over long periods of time and will remain accessible for as long as it is needed by employees and the public. Good preservation practices help your ministry demonstrate that the government information in its care and custody is authentic, authoritative, and trustworthy.

Best Practices

Following these practices will help your ministry to appropriately store and preserve the government information for which it is responsible:

1. Inventory systems and information: Keep an inventory of the applications, systems, and physical storage locations used by your organization to store information, as well as an inventory of the information within the systems. 
2. Identify preferred storage locations for key information: Ensure that critical information and other information that needs to be shared is safe and accessible by identifying it and routinely transferring it from collaboration tools and personal storage locations to the appropriate recordkeeping system.
3. Establish naming conventions: Use consistent and coherent naming conventions when creating information and files.
4. Maintain metadata: Use embedded or persistently linked metadata to preserve the contextual and technical information needed to maintain the authenticity of records and data. See the Metadata Standard.
5. Manage formats: Use file formats that are stable and accessible over the long-term, and that are easily migrated if/when necessary. 
6. Assess and control risks: Identify risks to ensuring your ministry’s information remains usable and accessible for as long as it is needed (particularly information scheduled for retention for 7 years or longer in an information schedule) and take steps to mitigate or eliminate those risks. 
7. Monitor: Monitor and maintain the recordkeeping controls your team has in place.
8. Remediate: If controls fail and an issue arises, take steps to correct the issue and prevent it from happening again. When control has been re-established, take some time to document what happened and plan how to prevent it in the future. If an emergency situation arises that puts information at risk, or if information is destroyed or alienated from government, contact your Government Records Officer for advice and assistance. If the records involve confidential and/or personal information, you must report any actual or suspected information incident to the Information Management Investigations Unit by calling 250-387-7000 or toll-free 1-866-660-0811 as per the Information Incident Management Policy.
9. Document: Maintain documentation of how your ministry is addressing all these considerations.

Specifications

The following government-wide requirements apply:

• Store Offsite (2.3.1)
• Accession Numbers (2.3.2)
• Boxing Records (2.3.3)
• File Lists (2.3.4)
• Approved Facilities (2.3.5)