Recording History
Document imaging maintains public and business records

Indiana cities and towns are dealing with the significant challenge of new and legacy paper documents coupled with the explosive growth of various forms of electronic document content. A 2002 Gartner Group Chief Investment Officers' spending survey showed that document and records management was the No. 2 priority — second only to security — on the CIO's agenda this year.

The state of Indiana recognizes electronic records as legal documents. The potential benefits of this are many, and increasingly municipal officials have looked to document imaging applications to assist with dependable records storage and access needs. Of course, an immediate benefit of document imaging is the reduction of physical storage space needed to house records.
Vast numbers of documents currently stored in multiple filing cabinets, boxes or piles in the basement can be converted to electronic images and stored and protected in a secure manner on a single computer hard drive. Imaged documents then become part of a managed system that incorporates new and archived paper records with existing electronic records such as e-mail and other computer-generated work product. Together this information can be retrieved quickly and securely, shared with others across the local network or made available via the Internet.
Scanned document images can be converted into electronic text to be cross-referenced and searched by phrases, dates or a single word. A document which once took hours or days to retrieve (if found at all) is now

available in seconds.
In light of this, document storage and access technologies have become an increasingly attractive option. The key to successful implementation revolves around the technology, details of planning and design.
Getting Started
In general, a document imaging and records management project requires:
•	a software application
that can manage storage,
search,   retrieval   and
security of documents;
•	computer hardware to
scan paper documents to
electronic format;
•	centralized storage and
file management hard
ware      (file      server/
workstation) to maintain
and protect the data; and
•	forethought and plan
ning.
There is no single, "model" plan available for a document imaging project. Municipalities' needs vary as much as the documents themselves. The application of this technology may also vary from place to place, as resources, needs and conditions differ. However, cities and towns should

consider the following steps when
implementing a document imaging
program.
Examine current processes and
develop an understanding of the
impact an imaging system will
have on your work flow
Prior to selecting a system, conduct a records and workflow analysis to determine existing and planned information needs. A records analysis should review operations to determine what records are best suited for digital imaging applications. A workflow analysis should include records creation, access and retrieval to identify areas for improvement to ensure operational efficiency.
IC 5-15-l-l(a) details that records may be copied by any process "which correctly and accurately copies or reproduces, recreates or forms a medium of copying or reproducing the original record..." Specific requirements regarding the destruction of original records are outlined. The implementation of any document imaging project must take into consideration the legalities and the appropriate actions for the destruction of original documents. This is especially applicable when dealing with public and/or historical records. Prior

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Recording History

to the destruction of any documents check with your municipal attorney and, if applicable, obtain written approval from any overseeing legal entity such as the Indiana State Board of Accounts.
Conduct a cost benefit analysis
A paper filing system has obvious and hidden costs. An average business-size filing cabinet holds approximately 17,000 pages of information and occupies eight square feet; while a computer hard disk drive can potentially store millions of pages and fit in your pocket. The costs of operating a paper filing system include maintenance, staff time, copies, storage space, cabinets, folders, etc.
Prior to selecting a digital imaging system, you can estimate the cost of the system and benefits to the agency with its implementation. Cost justifying a digital imaging system allows a financial comparison between the current and proposed record keeping systems to help in making a decision. The cost-justification goal of a digital imaging system is to offset the cost of the equipment and software by reducing personnel and storage costs, while allowing existing staff to process more work in a timely manner. A typical cost justification includes a study of current operations, proposed system architecture, equipment pricing and financial indicators, including

payback period, net present value, and rate of return.
Require open systems architecture for digital imaging applications and hardware
As the dot-com bubble has seared into our minds, technology products and companies can come and go, rapidly. With document imaging, your best protection against becoming obsolete is to insist on an application that utilizes non-proprietary file imaging formats. This helps ensure that records can be accessed and transferred from one hardware or software platform to another, and reduces the risk of records loss.
Document and Process Preparation
Scanning paper documents is a major aspect of implementing an imaging system; however, it is just one step of a larger process that includes document receiving, preparation, indexing, scanning and verification. Unless all steps operate efficiently, the system most likely will fail.
Document preparation is important to ensure the accuracy of the final product. A document preparation plan must be defined and developed for each document type to be converted to electronic format. The focus should first delineate the differences in processing "archival" documents (documents not accessed often) forward. documents   (documents

received daily, currently in use or accessed often). A person or group on your staff considered the "document expert" should be involved in this process and work closely with the document imaging professional. This resource must have expert knowledge of relevant files and documents and be able to guide the effort.
Document preparation identifies the pages of documents to be scanned and how they will be categorized. It also includes removal of staples, post-it notes and paper clips, etc. Documents should be examined and oversized, damaged or questionable sheets marked for special attention. A process is then developed to process the imaging of archival paper documents and a clearly communicated plan for the scanning of new documents is implemented.
In many cases, your document imaging system will mirror the organizational structure of a paper filing system. However, it may take assistance from the document expert(s) to ensure proper planning prior to the first scan.
This article was submitted by Dennert O. Ware, Jr. & Eric Herzog of Computer System Integration Corporation, an IACT Associate Member. Please contact Computer System Integration Corporation at (317) 472-8000.

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