Year One

Surveys and appraisals of the archives depositors' email practices were conducted during this phase. Draft email records management guidance was prepared and issued to depositors of both archives. Assessments of the archives' existing technical infrastructures determined archives' readiness to support email preservation processes and digital record repositories. Over the course of the project a sample business case and implementation project will be developed.

E-Mail Guidelines for Managers and Employees (Rockefeller Archive Center); Responsible Recordkeeping: Email Records and Email Guidance (Smithsonian Institution Archives).

Year Two

Email records are being transferred and accessioned. Processing of these accessions will serve to validate the guidance drafted and to identify issues likely to affect the records' preservation and future accessibility. Transfer guidance will be refined for use by depositors to prepare their electronic records for transfer to the respective archives. A system model for the preservation system will be developed and tested.

Year Three

Preservation processes and tools will be tested. Finding aid creation and archival object documentation tools will be developed and integrated into the preservation process. Ongoing risk management needs will be identified and risk response procedures defined. Based on test results, the two archival programs will move from test mode to full implementation of the email preservation system. User accessibilities options will be evaluated. The sample business case and implementation project plan will be published. Additionally, the archives will work with their depositors to implement document management or records management systems.

Project Conclusion

Symposia will be convened at the Rockefeller Archive Center and the Smithsonian Institution Archives to share the project results with core constituents in the foundation, cultural, non-profit, and museum communities.