This project is to start a new service to expand the disposition process to include transfer of digital public records from public bodies to Yukon Archives.
The Yukon Archives is mandated under the Archives Act to acquire and give appropriate access to public records in all formats. The Archives, Records Centre and Departmental Records Officers have well established procedures for transfer of public records. However, currently only analogue records (paper, video and audio tapes, etc.) are being transferred because the Archives does not have the ability to securely transfer digital records.
Methods such as Secure File Transfer (SFT) or using digital carriers such as external hard drives do exist but are undesirable and are not used. For example, SFT limits the size of transfers and strips metadata, lessening the authenticity of the records. Digital carriers introduce unnecessary risk as they remove records from the secure YG environment and can be easily misplaced. Metadata is also changed when using this method and workarounds (such as digital forensic techniques) are complicated and resource heavy.
At the last government transition in 2016 there was attempt to transfer digital records from the Executive Council Office to the Archives through the use of a shared folder. This did not proceed and only analogue records were transferred at that time. In January 2020, Yukon Archives hired a new Digital Archivist. One of their priorities is to work with Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to develop a secure method to transfer digital records. The Digital Archivist has been working closely with Govern Records Archivists to review, and adapt if necessary, the disposition and transfer process to better include digital records.