Scanning and digitising records

To scan and digitise hard-copy records into an electronic format, you must meet and follow certain procedures.

Find out more below.

Before you decide

To scan and digitise records, you should ensure:

there is a sound business reason to scan the records eg. cost effective
the records are in a suitable format:
- are not likely to change over time
- need to be retained for more than 6 months
- don’t have physical attributes that are difficult to scan e.g. size, high-resolution images, maps and plans or are damaged
the scanning process meets quality standards and is authorised and documented
scanned images can be captured and managed into a compliant records management system
the records are covered by an authorised and current records disposal schedule.

You must document the scanning process. This should include:

Relevant staff must also be trained and familiar with this process.

Before scanning records, you must remove any stables, clips and bindings to ensure you capture all information.

Recommended default setting for scanning A4 and A3 documents is:

Images scanned to this specification will support the indexing and searching function of TRM.

To ensure your scanner is suitable for scanning and digitising your records, you should test a sample.

This sample should represent the type of records that will be used in your scanning process.

The object of digitisation is to render a true and accurate copy of the original record.

As proof of testing, you should capture all samples in TRM including successful ones.

When testing images, you should check:

all text and detail on the image is legible, in particular fine or small size text, punctuation and decimal points
image head-up - not skewed and is correctly centred
image not cropped or incomplete
dimensional information is reproduced within acceptable tolerances
original colours preserved in image.

If storing records is required, they should be grouped by ‘record class’ that have the same retention periods.

This allows the retrieval and disposal of originals. Do not mix permanent and temporary records.

You can destroy original hardcopy records:

after 3 months, provided all quality control checks have been made including any required re-scanning
if it’s not breaching any legal requirement to retain them under the Information Act 2002 – such as:
- original contracts under seal, powers of attorney, public documents, charters, testimonials and intergovernmental agreements or treaties
- documents of a legislative or administrative character, including written regulations, rules, by-laws, orders, determinations, proclamations, and awards
- documents and authorities made, granted or issued under the Act
- original artworks, photos, maps, illustrations, and drawings that should be transferred to the NT Archives for assessment
- if it involves or is likely to involve legal action including FOIs
- records that have no approved retention schedule authorising destruction
- records assessed for permanent retention that should be transferred to the NT Archives Service for storage
- records created prior to 1 July 1978 (self-government) that should be transferred to the NT Archives Service for appraisal.

Read the guidelines for temporary records that have been digitised on the Department of People, Sport and Culture website.

To find out more, read the records and information management standards on the Records and information management standards.

Digital Policy
Office of Digital Government