Core Paper Records Project - October 1999 Update
LINZ has begun work on a project to develop a detailed proposal for the storage and management of LINZ paper records. The project will provide an overall plan for all LINZ paper records and, at present, is considering the future of records from branch offices which will close. The project will deal with the needs of both staff and client access and standards for records storage and management.
Landonline will see the most frequently used records - land titles and survey plans - digitally imaged, but even the paper versions of these records still need to be stored safely.
The on-line survey and title records available to users through Landonline will account for the bulk of future transactions between LINZ and its client groups. But they represent only a fraction of the physical bulk of the department's core paper records. These include mortgages, encumbrances, deeds, field books, traverse sheets, old block sheets, road legality sheets and much more.
The planned closure of LINZ branch offices in Gisborne, Napier, New Plymouth, Blenheim, Nelson, Hokitika and Invercargill is a catalyst for the Core Paper Records Project, because that's where many of these records are stored. But there are other factors, says Information Services Manager Jenny McDonald (of that time).
"There's a huge volume of paper records under our statutory care, and it's building quickly," she says. "We need to protect what we have now and accommodate future growth.
"There are many questions to answer. How will we store and manage these records and to what standards? Where will they be kept? Will they be stored securely and safely? How can we ensure people can still access them? What will it cost? Who will be involved?
"Seeking input from user groups and LINZ staff is helping to provide answers."
Following a thorough inventory of our paper records by the LINZ Core Paper Records Project team, there was a formal survey of users during September. Several hundred people across all user groups and regions were interviewed.
A discussion paper was then written and distributed to affected groups during October. It outlines possible options and asks for comment.
"Although branch offices will be closing, it doesn't necessarily mean the paper records they house will all leave the district," Jenny says. "Provided they can meet the LINZ standards for document storage and access, other providers could take over."
The discussion paper provides a framework for groups to make submissions about the future management of core paper records.
If you would like to be part of the discussion process, please urgently provide your contact details to:
Angela Cull, Project Manager, Imaging Paper Records, Land Information New Zealand. Phone (04) 496 9421.
