The Office and Management and Budget (OMB) and the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) have been pursuing a years-long quest to get the federal government to transition into electronic records management, with significant deadlines falling at the end of 2016, 2019, and 2022.
Does the most recent deadline – December 31, 2022 – mean that OMB and NARA are done?
Of course not. For one thing, many federal agencies are likely still behind schedule in their own transition plans. Those who have not yet met the mandates outlined in OMB Memorandum M-19-21 will still be in the process of transitioning as quickly as possible.
Then, NARA is very likely to set new post-2022 targets, even if these targets haven’t already been identified yet.
Laurence Brewer, NARA’s Chief Records Officer, has already said as much. In comments last summer, he indicated that NARA is already looking at the next generation of digital records management, including how to better capture records from collaborative, interactive, online media like websites, social media, test messages, and online collaborative tools. “That said, I can’t tell you what the new targets are going to be,” he also said. “It’s something that’s still in process.”
Interestingly, he also mentioned something called ‘zero click’ records management: “It is all about electronic records management, and ultimately, there are strategies that are designed to get us closer to that vision of ‘zero click’ or transparent records management.”
This terminology may be confusing, because zero-click can also refer to a type of malware, a malicious computer exploit that can activate without the user having to click on it. That’s not what Brewer meant. Instead, he was likely referring to a concept called zero-click search. Google is a pioneer in this area. If you’ve ever done a Google search, you’ve likely seen information snippets presented alongside search results, like knowledge panels, featured snippets from the top web page, or instant answers. The idea is to present the user with exactly the information they need without them having to click on search links.
Although he didn’t specify quite what he meant by using this language, Brewer is probably looking at a future in which records management can provide the same seamless zero-click access to information.
That means choosing the right records management technology will be increasingly pivotal in 2023 and beyond. “The guidance can only be issued and evolve at a pace that technology can support,” Brewer said. “We’re always looking at emerging technologies.”
This implies NARA may be more demanding of the records management technologies that agencies use in the future, requiring them to be more functional. For more information about evaluating electronic records management platforms, click here.
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