Digitization Policy Template

Place Logo Here		__________ Nation
Name of Policy: Digitization (Version ##)

Introduction

Countless First Nations materials are at risk of being lost if not properly stored. Storage space is often at a premium. Digitization can facilitate access to and preservation of these invaluable materials. Digitization can be complex and costly but the long term benefits can outweigh initial investments.

Purpose

The purpose of this policy is to provide an overall framework for the __________ Nation and its member communities for initiating and carrying out digitization projects.

This policy aims to ensure ongoing access to the content of __________ Nation records, regardless of the physical media or digital file format on which they were originally created or acquired. The policy provides a foundation for achieving best practice outcomes when undertaking digital preservation and digitization activities. These outcomes include:

Prioritizing digitization and digital preservation according to __________ Nation and community requirements;
Minimizing the risk of information loss;
Meeting international standards for digitization and preservation;
Capturing metadata required for ongoing preservation, access and rights management of digital assets;
Meeting legal obligations, such as copyright, privacy, and intellectual property;
Ensuring digitization work is compatible with ongoing preservation requirements.

Scope

This policy encompasses all media types generated by __________ Nation which may include but is not limited to:

Manuscripts and printed text
Photographs
Film, negatives, and slides
Graphic art
Maps
Audio recordings
Video recordings

Policy Statement

The policy is intended to ensure the preservation of and access to all __________ Nation materials according to ____________ Nation and community requirements.

Responsibility

The overall responsibility of information management lies with the __________ Nation Administrator. Digitization projects require a combination of skills from a variety of staff with different areas of expertise. Individual digitization projects (either Grant-Based or Ongoing) require a team approach, may be initiated and managed by any __________ Nation employee. Each project should have a project manager, who is responsible for coordinating and planning the activities associated with the digitization project.

Associated Documents

Associated with this policy is a Digitization Toolkit that includes information on

Project Planning
Best Practices
Metadata and Description
Additional Resources

Implementation

State here how the Policy is to be implemented, or rolled out, throughout the __________ Nation staff. This implementation could take the form of:

Information Sessions, and/or;
Training Sessions, and/or;
Documentation distribution (e.g. posters, brochures) and/or;
An Announcement Notice to alert the staff of the approved Policy, and/or;
Other means.

Authorized by:[__________________]Original Issue:[DD/MM/YYYY]

Staff position or body responsible for authorizing the policyDate of the original authorization and issue of the policy

Document Owner:[__________________]Current Version:[DD/MM/YYYY]

Staff position responsible for keeping the policy up to date and error freeDate of the most recent amendment to the policy

Review Date:[DD/MM/YYYY]

State here next date of review [3 - 5 years]

NOTE

In developing policy, it is prudent to put a DRAFT watermark on any policy that is not approved. The Issue Date at the bottom of this document is the date of the APPROVAL of the Policy and the Current Version Date is the date of the latest amendment; these fields should be left blank when in draft stage. The document title should contain the version of the draft that you are working on.