The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) is pleased to announce the release of its research brief Ready for the Challenge? State CIOs and Electronic Records. The brief is a product of NASCIO's Electronic Records and Digital Preservation Working Group and may be found online.

States continue to struggle with new challenges presented by a growing portfolio of electronic records and digital content that must be preserved. Within this context, the issue of electronic records (e-records) management has emerged as a high-priority policy and technology issue for state CIOs. This issue is now driven by emerging trends such as new Web 2.0 collaboration tools that create e-records in forms that are transitory, yet still document the business of government. The importance of the subject is driven by vulnerability of essential e-records during disasters and a growing emphasis on transparency and accountability in state government, including online public access to records on spending, performance, procurements and contracts.

"State CIOs face new challenges presented by the dynamic nature of electronic records and greater demands for online public access," said Washington state CIO Gary Robinson, chair of the working group. "By better understanding their leadership role and need to be part of the deliberations, CIOs have an opportunity to collaborate with other state agencies to forge enterprise solutions. NASCIO's research brief calls attention to issues and offers best practices from several states."