Unrestricted government records today the web is full of links to
Posted by AF under government records
Today the web is full of links to unrestricted government records. These records can be accessed by the general public at any time. Sometimes for a fee. But the days of a persons records being private have long since flown the coop. Anyone can access your records, and all they need is the desire to do so. They can find tax information, census information, genealogy information, salary information, and the list goes on and on. Large databases of records are available with the click of a mouse, and can be downloaded or viewed in a matter of minutes.The federal records management program works with unrestricted government records too. The Federal Records Act has proven to be difficult for agencies to maintain. Many of these agencies are being pressured to do more electronic work when working with their records. As usual, the agencies that are in place have trouble dealing with making the necessary changes for making electronic documents available, while at the same time ensuring that the records remain authentic. Many believe that the existing framework will not be able to accommodate the changes that are happening in the federal records management program.Up until now, the procedures for dealing with unrestricted government records has been relatively stable. But due to the information technology explosion of the past few years, the way these agencies do business has be widely affected. Electronic record keeping is taking center stage as the most popular way of record keeping and storing. Along with this new method of keeping and capturing records, comes a need for additional information about each record, linking it back to the original documents. All these new records are different from the old microform and paper records that were used before.One of the most ludicrous aspects of dealing with unrestricted government records, is the crazy amount of 'Acts' that have been 'enacted' to govern and set down the guidelines for the keeping of these records. Lets mention a few of the 'Acts' involved in this process: There's the Federal Records Act along with its amendments, then the Electronic Freedom of Information Act, then the Paperwork Reduction Act, and the Government Paperwork Elimination Act. No wonder so many procedures get messed up and the systems fail. The government over-regulates everything it does, and ends up tripping over its own feet.Unrestricted government records are a wealth of information, and the scope of this information is so broad, that it takes much more room to cover it than can be provided in an article like this. With the age of information technology growing with each passing day, government records from all levels of government, are coming together into databases that can be accessed by almost anyone. Both state and federal government agencies are recording their information electronically and making it available to the general public. My history, as well as yours, is an open book for anyone with a desire to find out.
Published on July 2010 Read more...