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Records Management Procedure - How to digitize and <br />destroy non-archival records <br />How to digitize and destroy non-archival records <br />Purpose <br />To explain the process of digitizing non-archival paper records in order to store them in <br />electronic format for the duration required by the Washington Secretary of State’s Records <br />Retention Schedule, to ensure minimum digital quality requirements are met prior to disposing of <br />the paper record, and how to properly document destruction of the original paper record. This <br />process is also known as “scanning and tossing”. <br />Scope <br />This procedure applies to all departments who wish to convert original paper-based, non-archival <br />records into digital format for retention purposes. <br />Definitions <br />Archival Records <br />WAC 434-610-090 defines archival records as “those public records of state and local <br />government agencies which are determined by the state archivist as having continued <br />historical value, must be permanently preserved and have been or may be transferred to <br />the custody of the division of archives after their approved retention has been met.” The <br />records retention schedules indicate which types of records are designated archival and <br />which are non-archival. Archival paper records may NOT be destroyed after scanning. <br />Digitization <br />Digitization is the conversion of paper-based records to digital images through a <br />Washington Secretary of State-approved process. <br />Electronic imaging system <br />An electronic document imaging system is a computer-based configuration of equipment <br />and software that stores machine-readable document images and their associated <br />character-coded index data for on-demand retrieval. Electronic images can be computer <br />generated, or created through document scanning. <br />Image <br />An image can be a document, picture, or graphic. An image can be produced by scanning <br />paper or film documents, producing images through a computer program, receiving an <br />image by means of a fax, or by other means. <br />Non-Archival Records <br />Public records which do not possess sufficient historic value to be designated as <br />“Archival”. Agencies must retain these records for the minimum retention period <br />specified by the appropriate, current records retention schedule. Agencies should destroy <br />these records after their minimum retention period expires, provided that the records are