1. A. For the purpose of this Chapter the following definitions apply:

   1. Administrative Metadata—elements of information used to manage the records. Examples include but are not limited to information describing the creation of the record, access restrictions, rights management, and retention requirements.
   2. Agency Record―a record as defined by R.S. 44:402.
   3. Analog Record—a non-digital record, such as a paper document or a photographic print.
   4. Capstone Approach to Email Management—an approach to email management developed by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in which agencies can categorize and schedule email based on the work and/or position of the email account owner.
   5. Checksum—a sum derived from the bits of a segment of an electronic file, against which later comparisons can be made to detect if an electronic file has been altered or corrupted during storage or transmission.
   6. Conversion—the process of moving data from one format to another. Examples include but are not limited to scanning paper documents to create electronic files or microfilm.
   7. Descriptive Metadata—elements of information used to describe the intellectual content of the record. Examples include but are not limited to the record’s title, creator, date of creation, and contents. Descriptive metadata support the discovery of the record.
   8. Electronic Mail (Email)―a system that enables an agency to compose, transmit, receive and manage text and/or graphic electronic messages and images across networks and through gateways connecting other local area networks.
   9. Imaging—the process of reproducing the appearance of records through scanning or microphotographic processes.
   10. Long-Term Record―a record with a total retention requirement of over 10 years but less than permanent.
   11. Metadata—information about a record that describes the context, content, and structure of a record and supports the management, discoverability, and preservation of the record.
   12. Migration—the act of transferring records from one information system or storage media to another.
   13. Permanent―a record with a total retention of life of the state and intended to be maintained in perpetuity.
   14. Records Series—a group of related or similar records, regardless of medium, that may be filed together as a unit, used in a similar manner, and typically are evaluated as a unit for determining retention periods.
   15. Short-Term Record―a record with a total retention requirement of 10 years or less.
   16. Structural Metadata—elements of information that describe how the parts of a record relate to one other and how the record itself relates to other records.
   17. Technical Metadata—elements of information that describe the properties of computer files, the hardware or software used to create them, and the parameters used by systems to render them. Examples include but are not limited to the file’s byte size, file format and version, color encoding, the type of equipment used to make the file.
   18. Transitory—transitory records are records that have limited or no administrative value to the agency and are not essential to the fulfillment of statutory obligations or to the documentation of agency functions.

Authority Note

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 44:405.

Historical Note

HISTORICAL NOTE: Promulgated by the Department of State, Office of the Secretary of State, Division of Archives, LR 29:957 (June 2003), amended LR 51:1875 (November 2025).