What are an individual employee's responsibilities when scanning their own records to a shared drive?

When you scan your own paper records and save them to a shared drive, you are not just making a digital copy — you are creating the official version of a record that others may rely on. A few practical responsibilities help ensure those scans remain trustworthy, findable, and properly managed.

Capture a complete, usable image

Scan the whole document, including both sides of double-sided pages, attachments, and any handwritten notes that are part of the record. Use a resolution and format adequate for the content’s value and intended use, and check each scan for legibility, skew, and missing pages before discarding or filing the original. A scan that is unreadable or incomplete is not a reliable substitute for the source.

Name and organize files consistently

Apply your organization’s file-naming conventions and folder structure rather than inventing your own. Clear, consistent names — typically including a date, subject, and document type — let colleagues and future staff locate records without guessing. Avoid duplicating the same record in multiple folders, which creates confusion about which copy is authoritative.

Apply the correct retention and classification

A scanned record carries the same retention requirements as its paper original. Save it to the location designated for its record series, not to a personal folder or your desktop, so it falls under the organization’s retention schedule and disposition process. If a record is sensitive — personal, confidential, or otherwise restricted — confirm the shared drive and folder permissions are appropriate before saving it there.

Protect integrity and security

Once filed, the record should not be altered. Do not edit the content of a scanned record after capture; if a correction is needed, follow your organization’s process for documenting it. Be mindful that a shared drive may be accessible to many people, so never place restricted information in a location broader than its sensitivity allows.

Coordinate, don’t improvise

Individual scanning works best inside a program, not as a personal habit. Follow your records officer’s guidance on quality standards, naming, storage locations, and whether and when paper originals may be destroyed. When in doubt, ask before deleting anything.

For more on standards and good practice, see the digitization and imaging topic hub.