CRM CRM Technology & Information Systems 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is digital preservation in records management primarily concerned with?
- Converting all records to microfilm for long-term storage
- Ensuring electronic records remain accessible and authentic over long periods despite technological change (Correct answer)
- Reducing the number of digital files stored in a system
- Backing up data to external hard drives weekly
Correct answer: Ensuring electronic records remain accessible and authentic over long periods despite technological change
Digital preservation ensures electronic records remain accessible, authentic, and usable over long periods despite hardware and software obsolescence and technological change.
Question 2: Which file format is generally recommended for long-term digital preservation of text documents?
- DOCX (Microsoft Word)
- PDF/A (Archival PDF) (Correct answer)
- TXT (Plain Text)
- HTML (HyperText Markup Language)
Correct answer: PDF/A (Archival PDF)
PDF/A is an ISO-standardized version of PDF specifically designed for long-term archiving because it is self-contained and does not rely on external resources.
Question 3: What is 'emulation' as a digital preservation strategy?
- Creating exact physical replicas of old storage media
- Mimicking obsolete hardware or software environments to run legacy files on modern systems (Correct answer)
- Converting records to newer file formats regularly
- Training staff to use older records management systems
Correct answer: Mimicking obsolete hardware or software environments to run legacy files on modern systems
Emulation is a preservation strategy that mimics obsolete hardware or software environments on modern systems, allowing legacy files to be accessed without format conversion.
Question 4: In electronic records management, what is a 'checksum' used for?
- Calculating total storage costs for a records system
- Verifying the integrity of a digital file by detecting any changes or corruption (Correct answer)
- Summarizing the content of a large records database
- Counting the total number of records in a repository
Correct answer: Verifying the integrity of a digital file by detecting any changes or corruption
A checksum is a mathematical value calculated from a file's contents that is used to verify the file's integrity by detecting any unauthorized changes or data corruption.
Question 5: What does 'chain of custody' mean in the context of electronic records?
- The network cables connecting records servers
- The documented, unbroken sequence of control over records from creation to current possession (Correct answer)
- A list of software licenses held by a records department
- The order in which records are retrieved from a database
Correct answer: The documented, unbroken sequence of control over records from creation to current possession
Chain of custody documents the unbroken sequence of possession and control over records, which is essential for proving records' authenticity and admissibility in legal proceedings.
Question 6: What is the purpose of a records management system's retention schedule integration?
- To automatically apply defined retention rules and trigger disposition actions when records reach their scheduled dates (Correct answer)
- To track employee vacation schedules within the records department
- To schedule regular software update installations
- To organize records alphabetically within folders
Correct answer: To automatically apply defined retention rules and trigger disposition actions when records reach their scheduled dates
Integration of retention schedules allows the system to automatically apply retention rules and trigger disposition actions—such as review or deletion—when records reach their scheduled dates.
CRM CRM Technology & Information Systems 2
What is digital preservation in records management primarily concerned with?