Standards & Best Practices

The Vermont State Archives and Records Administration (VSARA) is charged with developing, issuing, and maintaining statewide records and information management standards based on generally accepted record-keeping principles and industry standards and best practices.

Information management standards in the following have been issued for all public agencies:

• Archival Records
• Electronic Messages
• Electronic Signatures
• File Formats (see also Guideline)
• Information Security
• Land Records (see also Imaging Guideline)
• Records Management
• Recordkeeping Metadata (see also VCLAS)

Legal recordkeeping requirements for records and information, including data, created and received in the course of public agency business are documented in record schedules. Record schedules are policies issued by the Vermont State Archives and Records Administration and approved by the State Archivist governing the life cycle management, retention, and disposition of public records.