Getting It Done—Collaboration and Development of the Digital Records Conversion Standard

Archivists and records managers have long acknowledged the need to insert recordkeeping requirements and preservation strategies into information system processes. What better place to integrate these requirements than in standards that serve as guidance documents to information management practitioners. The Digital Records Conversion Process Standard, ANSI-ARMA 16-2007 (DRCP) assists records professionals with planning, requirements, and procedures to ensure authentic records. This article discusses standards development, the role of and need for records and information management (RIM) standards, challenges inherent in the current process, and the need for a more collaborative approach to standards development. As used in this paper, a standard is "a national, international, or industry agreement that establishes qualities of practices in order to achieve common goals".