(a) If an agency intends to digitally reproduce (digitize) temporary records in order to designate the digitized version as the recordkeeping copy and destroy the original source records, the agency must: (1) Digitize the record to the standards in § 1236.32; and (2) validate the digitization according to § 1236.34.

(b) When the agency designates the digitized version as the recordkeeping copy, the original source record becomes an intermediary record. Agencies may dispose of intermediary records according to § 1236.36.

When digitizing temporary records, agencies must meet the following standards:

(a) Capture all information contained in the original source records;

(b) Include all the pages or parts from the original source records;

(c) Ensure the agency can use the digitized versions for all the purposes the original source records serve, including the ability to attest to transactions and activities;

(d) Protect against unauthorized deletions, additions, or alterations to the digitized versions; and

(e) Ensure the agency can locate, retrieve, access, and use the digitized versions for the records' entire retention period.

(a) Agencies must validate that the digitized versions are of suitable quality to replace original source records.

(b) Agencies may establish their own validation process or make use of third-party processes to validate that the digitized versions comply with § 1236.32. The process may be project-based or agency-wide policy.

(c) Agencies must document the validation process and retain that documentation for the life of the process or the life of any records digitized using that process, whichever is longer.

(d) NARA may review validation documentation as needed.

(a) When an agency has validated that the digitized versions meet the standards in § 1236.32, the agency may destroy the original source records pursuant to General Records Schedule (GRS) 5.2 (intermediary records) or an agency-specific records schedule that addresses disposition after digitization, subject to any pending legal constraint on the agency, such as a litigation hold.

(b) The agency must treat the digitized versions, now the recordkeeping versions, in the same way it would have treated the original source records. The agency must retain the digitized versions for the remaining portion of any retention period established by the applicable records schedule.

(c) Agencies do not need to obtain NARA approval to destroy scheduled temporary records they have digitized according to this part.