Charles M. Dollar, an internationally recognized expert on the

life cycle management Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energy tran ...

electronic records Records management, also known as records and information management, is an organizational function devoted to the management of information in an organization throughout its life cycle, from the time of creation or receipt to its eventual disposi ...

, particularly electronic records archiving, pioneered research into

digital preservation In library and archival science, digital preservation is a formal endeavor to ensure that digital information of continuing value remains accessible and usable. It involves planning, resource allocation, and application of preservation methods and ...

of electronic records.

Early life and education

Dollar was born in

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mos ...

and earned his

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four year ...

from

Union University Union University is a private Baptist Christian university in Jackson, Tennessee, with additional campuses in Germantown and Hendersonville. The university is affiliated with the Tennessee Baptist Convention (Southern Baptist Convention). It is ...

before leaving for the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...

Career

A historian at

Oklahoma State University Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

(1968-1974), an electronic records program manager at the

National Archives and Records Administration The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It ...

(1974-1994), an archival educator at the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks among the top thre ...

(1994-1999), and a Senior Consultant at Cohasset Associates (1999 to the present), he was a pioneer in establishing the electronic records preservation program of the National Archives in the 1970s. He had a major leadership role in early efforts of the

Society of American Archivists The Society of American Archivists is the oldest and largest archivist association in North America, serving the educational and informational needs of more than 5,000 individual archivist and institutional members. Established in 1936, the or ...

and the

International Council on Archives The International Council on Archives (ICA; French: ''Conseil international des archives'') is an international non-governmental organization which exists to promote international cooperation for archives and archivists. It was set up in 1948, wi ...

to address the challenges of electronic records. He served on the Standards Board of the Association of Information and Image Management and Technical Committee 171 of the

International Organization for Standardization The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ) is an international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries. Membership requirements are given in Art ...

and was the author o
ISO 18492
Long Term Preservation of Electronic Document-Based Information (2005). His book on The Impact of Information Technology on Archives Theory and Practice (1993) and Authentic Electronic Records: Strategies for Long Term Access (1997) advanced the profession's understanding of the challenges of digital preservation. While on the staff of the National Archives, Dollar organized and directed the first electronic records program for the

United States Federal government The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a fe ...

and subsequently had a major role in research projects on digital technology standards, digital storage media, and digital imaging applications in electronic archiving. In 1994, Dollar joined the Graduate Faculty of the School of Library, Information, and Archival Studies at the

, where he taught in the Archival Studies Program. Over four decades he has published articles in

archival An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials – in any medium – or the physical facility in which they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual or ...

and records management journals, including ''The Impact of Information Technologies on Archival Principles and Methods.'' Dollar was the 2005 recipient of the

Emmett Leahy Award The Emmett Leahy Award is given annually to individuals who have had major impact on the field of information management. The award has been given since 1967, and honors Emmett Leahy, a pioneer in records management. Organization The award i ...

, which recognizes an individual whose contributions and outstanding accomplishments have had a major impact on the records and information management profession.

Select bibliography

* Dollar, Charles M. ''Archival Theory and Information Technologies: The Impact of Information Technologies on Archival Principles and Methods'' Macerata, Italy: University of Macerata, 1992. () * Dollar, Charles M. ''Authentic Electronic Records: Long-Term Access Strategies''. Chicago: Cohasset Associates, 1999. ()

Early life and education

Career

Select bibliography

References

See also