"Introduction to Digital Imaging and Digital Preservation Requirements" 

OVERVIEW: Access to government records and archival collections has always been important, but is now even more imperative in today's "remote work" setting. Digital imaging of hard-copy records may be the solution to increase availability and transparency, but once a record is scanned, records programs and archives will then have digital preservation requirements and other regulations to meet.

Members of the Ohio Electronic Records Committee conducted this half-day introductory workshop covering the journey a "paper" record takes to becoming a digital image and the considerations we must have for assuring digital preservation. These county imaging center experts discussed their operations, including equipment, methods, standards, processes, and policy. This workshop also involved hands-on exercises, bringing to light how metadata, indexing, storage, disaster recovery, and other concerns can "make or break" one's program. The objectives of this training were:

  •  Determine what considerations should lead a hard-copy record to be digitally imaged or not
  • Provide the standards an imaging program needs to consider to assure long-term digital preservation and compliance with records retention requirements
  • Learn from those who have boots on the ground with their imaging programs, and
  • Look to what future technologies and needs may impact such efforts

PRESENTERS: Jahzerah Brooks, Imaging Center Supervisor, Montgomery County, Ohio | Nathan Owens, Records Manager, Ohio Attorney General's Office | Tina Ratcliff, County Records & Information Manager, Montgomery County Records Center & Archives | John Runion, Records Manager, Stark County Records Center
Jahzerah Brooks


Jahzerah Brooks is the Imaging Center Supervisor at the Montgomery County Imaging Center. She has been with the county since 2003. Jahzerah served on board of the Greater Dayton Chapter of ARMA for several terms.

Nathan Owens


Nathan Owens is the Records Manager at the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, where he is responsible for developing retention schedules, assisting with records-related issues and litigation holds throughout the office, and managing of the office’s document/records management system. Nate is also a member of the of the Ohio Electronic Records Committee where he works on the development of standards and guidelines for electronic records for public entities in the state of Ohio. He received a Masters of Arts in Public History from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a Masters of Library and Information Sciences from the University of Pittsburgh, and an Information Governance Professional certification from ARMA International.

Tina Ratcliff


Tina is a graduate of Ohio University and Wright State University.  She has worked for the Montgomery County Records Center & Archives in Dayton, Ohio, for the past twenty-eight years.  She has been the Montgomery County Records & Information Manager since 2011.  She is the current chair of the Ohio Historical Records Advisory Board, the central body for historical records planning in the State of Ohio.

 
John Runion


John Runion is the Director of the Stark County Records Center under the Board of Commissioners'.  John has worked in the department since 1995, his additional duties includes advising county departments and responding to public records requests. John has extensive knowledge about stark county historical landmarks. He does trainings on the importance of records retention and records policies for all stark county departments. John served in the U.S. Army for three years. John earned his B.A. form Kent State Univeristy in 1995.