What should I do if I discover a batch of scanned records is corrupted or unreadable years after we shredded the paper originals?

Discovering that scanned records are corrupted or unreadable after the paper originals are gone is one of the more stressful situations in records work. The originals cannot be re-scanned, so the goal shifts to recovering what you can, documenting honestly, and preventing recurrence. Move methodically rather than reacting in panic.

Stabilize and assess the damage

• Stop using the affected files. Do not overwrite, re-save, or run repair tools on the only copy. Work from a duplicate.
• Define the scope. Identify exactly which files, batches, or date ranges are affected and whether the corruption is partial (some pages readable) or total.
• Check every copy. Look at backups, disaster-recovery snapshots, migration source media, and any system that ingested the images. A clean copy may exist elsewhere even if the production copy is damaged.
• Diagnose the cause. Bit rot, failed migration, a buggy export, or media failure each call for different recovery paths and different fixes.

Attempt recovery, then document

If backups or earlier-generation copies exist, restore from the most reliable one and validate the images against any surviving checksums or page counts. Where files are only partially damaged, specialized recovery may salvage readable portions. Capture the technical metadata you do have, since it helps establish what the record was.

Whatever the outcome, document everything: what was lost, when it was discovered, what you recovered, and the steps taken. This record of the loss becomes part of your evidence of good-faith stewardship.

Notify the right people

Treat unrecoverable loss as a records incident. Inform your records officer, legal or compliance counsel, and information-security staff. If the records are subject to litigation hold, an active audit, FOIA request, or a retention requirement, the loss may carry legal or regulatory consequences that those parties must manage. Privacy implications may also apply if personal data is involved.

Prevent the next occurrence

The deeper lesson is usually a gap in your digitization and preservation program. Strengthen it with fixity checks (checksums) run on a schedule, geographically separate backups, periodic readability testing, and a verified quality-assurance step before any originals are destroyed. Treating destruction of originals as the final gate, not an early one, prevents irreversible loss.

For broader guidance on imaging quality and lifecycle controls, see the digitization and imaging hub.