[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Page 18979]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     PRESERVING ELECTRONIC RECORDS

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I was pleased to see that the President of 
the United States has issued a memorandum directing executive branch 
agencies to reform their records management. The goal is to improve 
performance, promote accountability, and increase government 
transparency by better documenting agency actions and decisions. The 
President's memorandum noted that the current Federal records 
management system is based on an outdated approach involving paper and 
filing cabinets, and it outlines a framework for moving the records 
management process into the digital age by including plans for 
preserving electronic records. This issue was highlighted in a recent 
report of the National Archives and Records Administration, which 
warned that Federal agencies have done a poor job of managing the 
increased volume and diversity of information that comes with advances 
in information technology.
  I commend the President for taking this action, and I am pleased to 
say that the U.S. Senate is already carrying out the practices for its 
own records that he has recommended for the executive branch. Over the 
last 10 years, the Senate has preserved an average of 3,000 to 4,000 
feet of textual records for each Congress. Those paper records have 
been supplemented by 2.5 terabytes of electronic records. The Senate's 
electronic records are being preserved at the Center for Legislative 
Archives within the National Archives.
  With guidance provided by the Secretary of the Senate, 75 percent of 
all Senate committees are now engaged in archival preservation of their 
digital records. Several Senate committees have responded to the 
increased volume and complexity of electronic records by hiring 
professionally trained archivists to appraise, describe, and transfer 
these materials.
  The operations of every Senate office have been transformed over the 
last decade. Our greater reliance on electronic communication and 
records systems has increased the need for preservation planning. Just 
as the paper records of the U.S. Senate, dating back to 1789, have been 
carefully archived, records generated digitally in the 21st century 
will require diligent attention if they are to survive for future use.

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