Waiter or manager doing the books at a restaurant on a laptop computer
Whether your business is big or small, when discussing the need to digitise paper records, we generally think of the issue in terms of traditional business documents.
At best, not having access to critical documents and data can be incredibly disruptive. Losing records also introduces risks related to compliance, lawsuits and erosion of customer trust — and the repercussions can cost a lot of time, money or even the business itself. One result that doesn’t immediately come to mind is the loss of valued cultural history.
Human nature tends to focus on the future so we’re often quick to move onto the next thing, which can mean that history gets lost in the shuffle. Even one of the most incredible achievements in human history — space travel — has been plagued by this issue. Were it not for the extraordinary efforts of a few dedicated archivists, photos from the first five Lunar Orbiters would be lost to time.1
The importance of archiving our shared heritage extends beyond spectacular images from outer space. Back on Earth, Southern Mutual Help Association (SMHA) is a prime example of an organization taking action to protect the legacy it maintains.
SMHA is a small not-for-profit organization based in rural Louisiana. Their mission is to build strong, healthy and prosperous communities, focusing efforts on the low-income families that stand to benefit most from its support.
From establishing the first medical and dental clinic for sugarcane farm workers in the 60s, to providing disaster relief and rebuilding after the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, SMHA has acted as an advocate and ally for people in need for nearly 50 years. The organization has also challenged the forces of poverty, racism, sexism and classism at every turn — by waging court battles, influencing policy and taking on lawmakers.
All these efforts have generated laudable results — SMHA has received more than 60 awards for its work over the years. It also amassed a huge library of historical documents such as letters, case studies, lawsuits and congressional hearing transcripts along the way. These records are vital to SMHA because they represent the narrative fabric of the mission and what it has accomplished. The organization’s work requires a nuanced understanding of the region’s history and these are records critical for developing that in the next generation of leaders.
All these records were archived in more than 350 boxes in offsite storage for years. Given the region’s susceptibility to hurricanes and flooding, they had to be loaded into rented vans and transported to safety at the first hint of inclement weather. The association’s leadership recognised that this was not a sustainable process and decided to do something more secure and permanent.
After weighing the options, it was decided that it would not be possible for SMHA to manage this project safely or effectively on their own. They decided to engage an external document conversion services provider to handle the digitisation of the entire archive for them. The boxes were taken, prepared, scanned, reassembled, indexed and then returned, just as they were, with a complete chain-of-custody record.
The digitised versions were backed up on external hard drives and redundant hosted servers. The scanning process also created a text searchable layer for the documents that allows the association to easily search the extensive archives and retrieve specific information. All of this was done without disrupting the original documents, and outsourcing the process allowed association workers to focus on their core mission instead of spending hours scanning files.
Closer to home, Ricoh has helped many Canadian organizations of every size protect their most sensitive data from damage, loss and misuse by digitising their paper-based files and record systems.  From municipal governments to private clinics to aboriginal communities to law firms and more, Ricoh ensures that their valuable history is preserved so that the next generation of leaders will understand how the organization got where it is today.
Check out our Case Studies and see how Ricoh is helping other Canadian organizations preserve the past to empower the future.   Ready to learn how you can create change for the better in your own organization?  Visit Ricoh Change Makers today.
1 Colin Schultz, “Engineers Are Rescuing Some of the First Photos Ever Taken from Lunar Orbit.” Smithsonian.com, April 29, 2014. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/engineers-hacking-old-electronics-are-saving-some-first-photos-taken-lunar-orb-180951256/?no-ist

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