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Glossary

access (ISO15489.1 term). Right, opportunity, means of finding, using, or retrieving information.

accountability (ISO 15489.1 term). Principle that individuals, organisations, and the community are responsible for their actions and may be required to explain them to others.

agency see public office.

application A complete, self-contained software program that performs a specific function directly for a user or group of users.

archival authority/agency/institution/program (ISO 15489.1 term). Agency or program responsible for selecting, acquiring and preserving archives, making them available, and approving destruction of other records.

authentic (record). An authentic record is one that can be proven to be what it purports to be (i.e. the content is what it appears to be, it was created by the person who appears to have created it and it was created at the time it appears to have been created).

certificate see public key certificates.

certificate authority An organisation that creates and signs public key certificates.

certificate chain To check the signature on a public key certificate, you need the public key of the certificate authority that created and signed the certificate. This is obtained from a second public key certificate, the signature of which must be verified in turn. The resulting chain of public key certificates is called a certificate chain.

classification (ISO 15489.1 term). Systematic identification and arrangement of business activities and/or records into categories according to logically structured conventions, methods, and procedural rules represented in a classification system.

classification scheme A master plan, or structure, within which information can be categorised. A classification scheme creates an organisational structure for information.

classification system (ISO 15489.1 term). See classification.

computer file An element of data storage in a computer file system. A file is interpreted by a computer application (program) to display (render) the contents of the record. A file has an associated file format. There is a distinction between a computer file and a 'file' in a records management sense, where it commonly denotes a collection of paper documents grouped together in a paper binder.

content The actual information in a record (as distinct from its context).

context How a record relates to other records and how it relates to the environment into which it was created and where it has been used. Relationships may be explicit (e.g. explicit linkages such as 'see also' and 'supersedes') or implicit (e.g. by being placed in the same folder).

controlled vocabulary A simple list of valid terms or values.

conversion(ISO 15489.1 term). Process of changing records from one medium to another, or from one format to another.

destruction(ISO 15489.1 term). Process of eliminating or deleting records, beyond any possible reconstruction.

digital signature A security mechanism that demonstrates that a particular piece of data (e.g. a record) has not been altered since creation. A digital signature is a digital code that can be attached to an electronically transmitted message that uniquely identifies the sender and, thus authenticates the identity of the person creating or sending the information. VERS details a way to protect the authenticity and originality of records so that unauthorised changes cannot be made. See certificate, certificate authority, private key, public key, and public/private keypair.

disposal The process of deciding whether to retain records. Within the Victorian public sector, records are appraised to determine their significance (business, legal or historical) and then judged to be either of temporary or permanent value to the state. Organisations that are government bodies are guided by standards or schedules issued by the state records or archives authority to regulate the disposal of records. Disposal is one aspect of disposition.

disposition (ISO 15489.1 term). Range of processes associated with implementing records retention, destruction or transfer decisions which are documented in disposition authorities or other instruments. These are also known as Disposal Schedules or, in Victoria, Retention & Disposal Authorities.

document (ISO 15489.1 term). Recorded information or object which can be treated as a unit. In its widest sense a document may be a sound file, an image, a digital video or any other recorded information format as well as the more traditional word processing document or email. A paper document. Any computer file which may be printed.

In this Standard, a record may consist of multiple documents. A document may either contain other documents or one or more encodings.

Document Type Definition (DTD) A template that defines a valid XML document, consisting of a set of mark-up tags and their interpretation.

DTD see Document Type Definition.

EDMS Electronic Document Management System. Programs, procedures and/or software that manage, control and provide access to electronic documents. Electronic Document Management Systems perform functions such as:

• version control of documents with multiple versions
• enable collaborative work
• index documents for easy retrieval
• provide access and change control on documents See also ERMS, EDRMS.

EDRMS This table has been reproduced from the European Commission's Model Requirements for the Management of Electronic Records. It describes some features which differentiate between electronic record management (ERM) and electronic document management (EDM) systems.

electronic record A record produced, housed or transmitted by electronic means rather than physical means. A record expressed in an electronic digital format. A record stored in a form that only a computer can process. See also public record, record

encoding The physical representation of a document (e.g. a Word file or a PDF file). Each encoding has a different file format. The part of the VERS Encapsulated Object containing a representation of the actual document data.

encryption Any procedure used in cryptography in order to prevent any but the intended recipient from reading that data.

ERMS Electronic Records Management System. A recordkeeping system that manages electronic records throughout their lifecycle, from creation and capture through to their disposal or permanent retention and retains their integrity and authenticity while ensuring that they remain accessible. See also EDMS, EDRMS.

evidentiary integrity An intangible property of an electronic record that determines the value of the record as evidence.

export Part of the process of transferring folders (and their associated records) from the custody of a recordkeeping system with the implication that they are imported into another recordkeeping system.

file (Recordkeeping) see folder.

file (Computer) see computer file.

file format The organisation of the information in a computer file. The same type of object (e.g. an image) can be encoded in many different formats (e.g. an image can be represented as a TIFF or a JPEG). Formats are defined in several ways. File formats may be defined by the application that reads them (e.g. Word files are defined by the Word program), by a company and published (e.g. PDF by Adobe), or by a committee or consortium (e.g. XML by the W3C). In VERS, each different file format is represented by an encoding.

finding aid Any guide such as an index, list, inventory, or catalogue that is descriptive or analytical with respect to a body of records, and having the purpose of clarifying the subject content and organisation of the records in order to facilitate their use.

folder A logical collection or accumulation of records (also known as a (recordkeeping) file). In this standard, we generally use the term 'folder' for this concept, as this avoids confusion with a computer file. An object in the recordkeeping system that 'contains' (linked) VERS Encapsulated Objects. All VERS Encapsulated Objects must be 'contained in' (linked to) a folder. The folder is itself a VERS Encapsulated Object.

functional thesaurus Describes items/records according to the function or activity that they perform. In other words, documenting the context in which a record is created. This contributes to the evidentiary nature of the record item, manages it while it is still in use and helps determine that it is disposed of at an appropriate time. See also subject thesaurus, thesaurus

government agency see public office.

hash function A computer algorithm that calculates a hash value as part of the process of calculating or verifying a digital signature.

hash value Part of the process of creating a digital signature is to turn the message to be signed into a number known as the hash value which is then encrypted to form the digital signature.

import Part of the process of transferring folders (and their associated records) into the custody of a recordkeeping system with the implication that they have been exported from another recordkeeping system.

integrity Integrity refers to the record being complete and with no unauthorised alterations. Note that records can be altered and retain their integrity provided the alterations are allowed by policy, are authorised, and are documented.

key In Public/Private Key Security, this is a very long prime number. Common key lengths are 40 bits, 128 bits, and 1024 bits. A private key must be kept secret and be held by only one user and is used to generate a digital signature. The public key is published so as to be accessible to all users of the security system and is used to verify a digital signature.

link Any connection between or within records or files. These connections may be textual (e.g. a 'see also' reference) or by means of electronic pointers (e.g. a URL).

long term preservation format Computer file format selected by an archival authority to be likely to survive for a very long period of time

media Physical storage media. A means of storing data. A piece of media allows data to be copied on to it which can then be read back by a computer. Some types of media allow data to be recopied (destroying the original data in the process) while other types of media will only allow data to be copied to the media once. Common types of media are CD-Rom, magnetic tape, floppy disk.

media migration see media refresh.

media refresh The copying of the contents of a piece of media to fresh media (possibly using a different storage technology or density).

metadata (ISO 15489.1 term). Contextual information about a record. Data describing context, content, and structure of records and their management through time. Metadata is structured information that enables us to describe, locate, control and manage other information.

metadata element A specific piece of information contained in a VERS Encapsulated Object.

metadata field see metadata element

metadata schema The organisation and structure of the metadata. See PROS 99/007: Specification 2 for the VERS Scheme.

metadata set Standard group of information which should be collected about electronic records to enable them to be properly managed and controlled. [Dublin Core, AGLS]

migration (ISO 15489.1 term). Act of moving records from one system to another, while maintaining the records' authenticity, integrity, reliability, and useability. See conversion.

preservation (ISO 15489.1 term). Processes and operations involved in ensuring the technical and intellectual survival of authentic records through time.

private key A key. One half of a public/private keypair. A private key is kept secret and is used to sign objects. See also public key.

public key A key. One half of a public/private keypair. A public key is published and is used by other parties to verify digital signatures. See also private key.

public key certificate A container for a public key. A certificate contains information about the public key (e.g. its period of validity), and is signed by the organisation that issued the certificate to demonstrate its authenticity. See also certification authority, digital signature.

public office As defined in the Public Records Act means:

• any department, branch or office of the Government of Victoria
• any public statutory body corporate or unincorporate
• any municipality or other body constituted by or under the Local Government Act 1958
• any other local governing body corporate or unincorporate, and
• a State-owned enterprise within the meaning of the State Owned Enterprises Act 1992.

public record A record made by a public officer while carrying out his or her public duties. As defined in the Public Records Act, a public record is:

• any record made or received by a public officer while carrying out his or her public duties
• any document within the Meaning of the Evidence Act 1958 See also electronic record, record

public/private keypair A pair of linked keys. One key is the public key, the other key is the private key. The keys are linked such that anything encrypted or digitally signed using one key can be decrypted or verified using the other.

record (ISO 15489.1 term). Information created, received, and maintained as evidence and information by an organisation or person, in pursuance of legal obligations, or in the transaction of business.

A record occurs within a context. In VERS a record consists of one or more documents. A record can take many forms and in Victoria is defined under the Public Records Act 1973 to mean:

• a document in writing
• a book, map, plan, graph or drawing
• a photograph
• a label marking or other writing which identifies or describes any thing of which it forms part, or to which it is attached by any means whatsoever
• a disc, tape, sound track or other device in which sounds or other data (not being visual images) are embodied so as to be capable (with or without the aid of some other equipment) of being reproduced therefrom
• a film, negative, tape or other device in which one or more visual images are embodied so as to be capable (as aforesaid) of being reproduced therefrom
• anything whatsoever on which is marked any words, figures, letters or symbols which are capable of carrying a definite meaning to persons conversant with them. See also electronic record, public record

recordkeeping system The complete system which captures, manages, exports and provides access to records. A recordkeeping system normally contains hardware, software, people, policies, and procedures. A key aspect of the system is normally a recordkeeping application.

records management (ISO 15489.1 term). Field of management responsible for the efficient and systematic control of the creation, receipt, maintenance, use and disposition of records, including processes for capturing and maintaining evidence of and information about business activities and transactions in the forms of records.

registration (ISO 15489.1 term). Act of giving a record a unique identifier on its entry into a system. In VERS, registration is considered to be the act of entering a record into a recordkeeping system; placing it under the control of that system.

subject thesaurus A language system that can be used to consistently and coherently describe the content of documents so that information can be easily and accurately found again. By ensuring that users understand what is meant by a particular word, all objects and related objects can be found by searching with common language terms. See also functional thesaurus, thesaurus

thesaurus (ISO 2788 term). The formally organised vocabulary of a controlled indexing language, the Standard describes thesaurus as a controlled set of terms selected from natural language and used to represent the subject of documents. For archivists, information managers and computer programmers, a thesaurus is a system that matches up all the different ways that people describe something and the different terms they use with a single, agreed term. Recordkeeping and archiving use two different types of thesauri: functional and subject. See also functional thesaurus, subject thesaurus

tracking (ISO 15489.1 term). Creating, capturing, and maintaining information about the movement and use of records.

transfer (custody) (ISO 15489.1 term). Change of custody, ownership, and/or responsibility for records.

transfer(movement) (ISO 15489.1 term). Moving records from one location to another.

VEO see VERS Encapsulated Object.

VERS Encapsulated Object A record which has been encapsulated using XML as outlined in PROS 99/007 Specification 3 and which conforms to the VERS metadata scheme as outlined in PROS 99/007 Specification 2 and which contains documents expressed in a long term preservation format.

XML eXtensible Markup Language. A language standard that defines the structure of a set of documents using a Document Type Definition.

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