Digital archive
In July 2023 Queensland State Archives (QSA) launched Queensland’s digital archive, which means we can now store, manage and preserve the State’s permanent value born-digital public records. We have started preserving digital public records already held in our collection on physical carriers such as CD-ROMs and floppy disks.
Since May 2024, we have been accepting transfers of digital public records from public authorities. Transferring your permanent value digital public records to QSA can assist you in meeting your legislative requirements of maintaining digital public records in a usable form under the Public Records Act 2023.
Benefits for your public authority include:
- Ensuring the preservation and management of your public authority’s permanent value digital public records
- Quick and easy access to your digital public records (subject to appropriate permissions)
- Reduction in storage costs
- Ability to decommission legacy business systems and reducing the risk of data loss due to outdated technology.
Digital records are fragile and have a relatively short life span, however they constitute significant records of government. There are a number of key steps that you can follow when creating digital public records to preserve their authenticity and integrity for future use and reuse.
- Choose software that is well supported and creates files that can be read by a variety of different programs
- Use consistent file naming conventions e.g. use a short descriptive file name of content and date that provides context and can be easily understood by humans and computers, now and in the future
- Store in secure and reliable locations, and implement multi-copy storage strategies
- Identify which files will be required for preservation as permanent or long-term value digital public records
- Capture required metadata and contextual documentation.
Advice for records managers
Digital archive advice for record managers provides more detailed information on Queensland's digital archive.
Resources and tools
- Checksum Requirements - Digital Archive Agency Toolkit 1 MB)
- Transfer List and Metadata Requirements - Digital Archive Agency Toolkit 285.2 KB)
- Access Classification Labels and Permissions in ArchivesGateway - Digital Archive Agency Toolkit 89 KB)
- Extracting Records from Digital Carriers - Digital Archive Agency Toolkit 353.5 KB)
Resources and tools for records management have been developed to help you implement best practice records management in your public authority.