Chief Information Officer
Assistant Archivist for
Information Services
National Archives and Records Administration
USA
Martha Morphy will be presenting a keynote on The US Electronic Records Archive on Tuesday.
The Electronic Records Archives (ERA) will transform the US National Archives and Records Archive (NARA) by providing access to all types of electronic records via the Internet for anyone, anywhere, at any time, regardless of when or how the record was created. The most fundamental characteristic of ERA is that it must be able to evolve over time to allow new types of electronic records to be brought into ERA and preserved. ERA will be built to guarantee that the electronic records are not corrupted or distorted by changes in technology.
This systems development project is the largest IT initiative undertaken by NARA by orders of magnitude. In September 2005, NARA signed Lockheed Martin to build the “Archives of the Future”, a US$308 million (AU$352m; NZ$404m), six-year contract. The ERA system will capture and preserve the electronic records of the U.S. federal government, regardless of format, ensure hardware and software independence, and provide access to the American public and Federal officials.
ERA addresses several major functions of NARA’s life cycle management of records, including records appraisal and disposition, preservation, accessioning, storage, and access. However, its greatest impact will be the ability to acquire, preserve, secure, and provide access to the rapidly increasing volume of electronic records created by the Federal Government. NARA expects to accumulate 11 million gigabytes of electronic records in the next 4 years; by 2017 we expect that volume to increase to nearly 100 million gigabytes.
Martha Morphy has been involved in the concept of ERA from its inception. As a result of her oversight of the programme, she will provide an insider’s view into the development of ERA.
