Digital by Default

What is digital-by-default?

Digital-by-default has become a common phrase as we move into fully digital workflows. When it comes to maintaining and keeping public records, digital-by-default is a principle that prioritises the creation, management and storage of records in digital form as the official version throughout their lifecycle. It encourages a shift away from paper-based records management.

Printing born-digital records can create unnecessary duplicates, making public records harder to manage, store and track over time.

When implemented thoughtfully, a digital-by-default approach can improve efficiency, support remote access and enable better information sharing while reducing duplication and double-handling of records. It also ensures consistency in how public records are maintained by keeping the digital file with its metadata for better context, discoverability and audit tracking.

Designing for digital-by-default

As more business processes move online, files are being created, shared and stored digitally. It’s easy to copy and distribute them but much harder to know how long they’ll last. Will the files you’re creating today still be accessible in 20 years? 50 years? 100?

The truth is, we don’t know because digital files can’t just be kept forever. They’re managed forever. And how they’re managed must change and adapt as technology changes.

Unlike paper-based records, digital records don’t slowly fade away or quietly endure in storage.  A digital file requires software, hardware, storage environments and ongoing intervention. Without active management, digital information can become unreadable long before its retention period expires.

To keep a digital record complete and accessible over time, you may need to;

• migrate storage media or environments,
• convert file formats to widely supported formats,
• preserve essential metadata,
• maintain secure backups,
• retain context so the record remains meaningful.

Digital preservation is not passive storage. It is sustained stewardship.

Where to find born-digital records

When so many records are created digitally, it’s important to know your systems, how records are being created and where are they are being stored. Born-digital records could include:

• documents developed in collaborative tools like Microsoft OneDrive or MS Teams,
• emails received, sent and stored in an email platform,
• digital photos taken to document activities,
• audio and video recordings of an event,
• files stored and shared through a cloud service.

In many cases, there is no paper equivalent to these kinds of records. They’re born-digital and they should stay digital.

That means the long-term evidence of government decisions, transactions and services exists entirely within digital environments. If those environments change or are decommissioned, the records must continue to remain accessible and reliable. To do that, we need to plan for longevity.

Designing for longevity

Some born-digital records may need to remain accessible for decades. The best time to plan for that kind of longevity is by understanding your business systems and processes before the record is created. When implementing or reviewing systems, consider whether:

• records can be exported or migrated if the system changes,
• metadata can be both preserved and transferred,
• integrity checks can help verify authenticity of records,
• access controls can be put in place,
• retention and disposal schedules can be applied appropriately.

When recordkeeping is considered early, long-term management becomes significantly easier. Systems are easier to transition, records are easier to transfer, and important information is less likely to be lost or altered when technology changes.

Digital-by-default isn’t only about creating digital records. It’s also about designing digital systems that create, keep and manage records in a controlled and sustainable way.

In 1991, printing a graph might have been a great way to share it but now, keeping files digital-by-default makes them easier to share, collaborate and manage versions over time. Queensland Transport staff, computer and screen, March 1991, ITM1890429

Permanence requires active management

Public authorities are responsible for managing their own records, and many temporary records are best managed within your existing systems in line with approved retention and disposal schedules.

However, when records are identified for long-term or permanent retention, preservation becomes more complex. These records may need to remain accessible long after the business systems that created them have changed or been replaced.

Queensland State Archives (QSA) supports the long-term preservation of permanent digital records through the Digital Archive. The QSA Digital Archive exists to support this long-term stewardship.

Through the Digital Archive, QSA can:

• securely store high value digital records,
• monitor and verify integrity of files,
• manage format risks and technological change,
• preserve essential metadata and context,
• provide controlled access through Archives Gateway.

Importantly, public authorities maintain appropriate access to their records, and QSA works in partnership to ensure records remain authentic, reliable, usable and accessible into the future.

Digital preservation is an ongoing process. It requires planning, monitoring and adaptation as technology evolves. Queensland State Archives is here to help when that management spans generations.