Electronic Records – Problem Solved?: the Victorian Electronic Records Strategy and the future of electronic record keeping in Victoria

In 1998 Public Record Office Victoria (PROV) initiated a project to examine the capture and long term preservation of the electronic records of the Victorian Government. The project team built a system which successfully demonstrated that it is possible to capture electronic records with existing technology and from existing systems in such a way that electronic records can be preserved in the long term. Further work was begun in 1999 in the Victorian Department of Infrastructure where a project to implement a Victorian Electronic Records Strategy (VERS) compliant system is now well underway. In addition this year the PROV will release an electronic record keeping standard which will apply to all Victorian government agencies. These initiatives will change the way the corporate memory of Victoria and will enable future generations to access their history.