The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the working world like an earthquake, with millions of Americans now working from home under lockdown and shelter-in-place orders. It’s even affected government workers, including staff at the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA):
“Like other institutions and businesses, the National Archives has closed all public spaces and cancelled all events and programs until further notice. As of March 23, all National Archives buildings are closed to staff as well except for those performing emergency functions. National Archives staff are teleworking to the greatest extent possible…”
This means that NARA has also suspended digitization services:
“The National Archives and Records Administration has suspended reproduction and digitization services until further notice due to COVID-19. Orders will not be serviced until operations can resume safely. We apologize for any inconvenience. Once operations resume, document reproduction requests will be filled in the order in which they were received.”
What does this mean for NARA’s requirements that federal agencies begin submitting all permanent and temporary records in electronic format by December 31, 2022? For that matter, will NARA still be able to update it’s guidance and regulations to resolve some unanswered questions, as promised, by September 30, 2020?
At this point, it’s too soon to tell, though the pandemic is an event significant enough that it may well impact these dates.
In many ways, this situation is a reminder of why the government considers it so important that agencies store records in electronic format. Yes, the mainline benefits – reduced storage costs, improved efficiencies, etc. – still stand. But with so many federal workers being forced to work from home, an unsung benefit of digitization is now playing a prominent role in many of their lives: cloud-based accessibility.
Or, more specifically, digital, cloud-based document management offers resiliency against emergency situations.
In the absence of an ability to create, store, retrieve, and work with documents remotely through a cloud-based portal, this pandemic could have brought some government work to a complete standstill. Indeed, if all documents were stored in a box or a file cabinet across town and rendered inaccessible due to workplace closures, it could be impossible to fulfill organizational objectives.
The ability to access digitized, electronic format documents from anywhere enables federal employees to continue working remotely with minimal interruption. In fact, NARA has previously argued that electronic record-keeping “allows you to manage information as an asset, rather than a liability.” In this situation, that means that electronic records can facilitate continued work, while still enforcing safe practices to minimize transmission of the COVID-19.
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