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97 <br /> ELECTRONIC RECORDS: <br /> E-MAIL, BORN-DIGITAL RECORDS, AND DIGITAL IMAGING <br /> Q. When can I delete my e-mail? <br /> A. E-mail is a public record as defined by N.C. Gen. Stat. § 121-5 and N.C. Gen. Stat. § 132. <br /> Electronic mail is as much a record as any paper record and must be treated in the same <br /> manner. It is the content of each message that is important. If a particular message would <br /> have been filed as a paper memo, it should still be filed (either in your e-mail program or in your <br /> regular directory structure), and it should be retained the same length of time as its paper <br /> counterparts. It is inappropriate to destroy e-mail simply because storage limits have been <br /> reached. Some examples of e-mail messages that are public records and therefore covered by <br /> this policy include: <br /> • Policies or directives; <br /> • Final drafts of reports and recommendations; <br /> • Correspondence and memoranda related to official business; <br /> • Work schedules and assignments; <br /> • Meeting agendas or minutes <br /> • Any document or message that initiates, facilitates, authorizes, or completes a business <br /> transaction; and <br /> • Messages that create a precedent,such as issuing instructions and advice. <br /> From the Department of Cultural Resources E-Mail Policy(Revised July 2009), <br /> available at the State Archives of North Carolina website <br /> Other publications (available online at the State Archives of North Carolina website) that will be <br /> particularly helpful in managing your e-mail include tutorials on managing e-mail as a public <br /> record and on using Microsoft Exchange. <br /> Q. May I print my e-mail to file it? <br /> A. We do not recommend printing e-mail for preservation purposes. Important metadata are lost <br /> when e-mail is printed. <br /> Q. I use my personal e-mail account for work. No one can see my personal e- <br /> mail, right? <br /> A. The best practice is to avoid using personal resources, including private e-mail accounts, for <br /> public business. N.C. Gen. Stat. § 132-1 states that records "made or received pursuant to law <br /> or ordinance in connection with the transaction of public business by any agency of North <br /> Carolina government or its subdivisions" are public records (emphasis added). The fact that <br /> public records reside in a personal e-mail account is irrelevant. <br /> A-11 <br />