Improve Public Records Management to Stay On Top of North Carolina Public Records Law
The North Carolina Open Records Act, often called the Public Records Law, is critical legislation that promotes transparency and accountability in government operations. Established under Chapter 132 of the North Carolina General Statutes, the law mandates that "all documents, papers, letters, maps, books, photographs, films, sound recordings, magnetic or other tapes, electronic data-processing records, artifacts, or other documentary materials created or received by government agencies during the performance of their official duties are accessible to the public." This access extends to include messaging and text communications, as well as email.
Why this matters
Maintaining accessible communications records in accordance with the requirements of the Open Records Act is a legal obligation that, when managed effectively, positively impacts public trust and integrity while avoiding penalties for mishandling open records.
North Carolina is committed to open government records, ensuring that public records remain accessible to all citizens, with certain exceptions for confidential information.
In North Carolina, the penalties for failing to comply with the Open Records Act can be significant, including fines or legal action. The North Carolina Public Records Law stipulates that government agencies cannot deny inspection or provide copies of public records upon request, even when certain public records contain confidential information. Agencies must provide copies of any non-confidential portions of these records. Penalties for noncompliance include fines, legal action, and damage to the reputation of individuals found to be in violation of the law, whether intentionally or by accident.
The role of efficient recordkeeping technology solutions
How can your agency ensure that records are stored appropriately and can be easily accessed upon request? In the age of “anywhere” communications, staff members and officials use various applications daily to communicate with colleagues, their teams, and constituents. Effective recordkeeping requires transparency, which means quick access to communications records when needed.
These solutions must be able to capture, archive, and retrieve records from various channels, including text messaging, social media, and emails, all from a single platform.
Modernize your public records archive solution
Moving to an advanced open records archive solution saves resources, reduces the risk of records management mishaps, and enhances transparency and accountability with the public. Smarsh offers advanced archiving solutions to ensure your firm's recordkeeping processes are running at the highest levels of operational efficiency, which can decrease potential risk and save on operational resources.
Utilizing an archiving technology solution like Smarsh offers benefits for records staff that include:
- Confidence: All communication records are captured, stored, and searchable to meet public records law requirements.
- Efficiency: Streamlined recordkeeping operations optimize time and resources.
- Transparency: Enhance public trust with simple-to-use archive file search and export.
- Security: Protect sensitive and confidential information from unauthorized access, misuse, or loss.
Proper records management builds integrity between state and local governments and their citizens. We simplify the complexity of capture, storage, and response to requests for public records in the most effective ways to ensure legal obligations are met.
By embracing a modern approach to records management, government agencies and organizations can easily focus on their core missions. Smarsh government solutions modernize your public recordkeeping management today and ensure preparedness for the future.
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