FOI - Policies for staff management of electronic media files [Nov 2022]

Your request

Please can you provide an electronic copy of any policies, procedures or guidance that you issue to staff concerning the management of electronic media files (such as images, photos, and video files) on your network infrastructure.

Do you use impose or implement restrictions on the size and types of files which can be
stored on your network? If so, please include any recommendations issued to staff. 

Please forward any guidance issued to staff concerning managing and working with
large media files (such as images, photos, and video files). 

Do you allow staff to directly copy media files (such as images, photos, and video
files) from mobile devices (for example, cameras or smartphones) onto your network?

If yes to the above, do you impose restrictions on the type or sizes of files that can be
copied on your network?

Please send me a copy of any email bulletins, staff communications or project plans
about the clean-up of electronic file storage areas (such as network shared drives and
personal drives)

Please send me a copy of any file plans (management of electronic files) issued to your
staff. 

Our response

The GLA’s Records Management Policy and retention schedule (Annex B) applies to all records including electronic media files. We also have older guidance from staff intranet pages including three quick guides related to records management previously released under FOI MGLA280920-5562 (please note that some of the older information
contained in that response is out of date).

In response to the above we apply no restrictions on internal files placed on our network by our staff. We only apply restrictions on the size of files sent to GLA staff by external parties.

Please find attached annexes taken from Records Management guidance related to
preparations for the GLA’s move to the new City Hall building in 2021 which was circulated to staff and published on the staff intranet in March 2021.

• Annex A - Using appropriate filing structures
• Annex B - File Naming Conventions

The GLA posted messages on our staff intranet pages on 25 July and 6 September 2022 about the management of old email records. These messages are attached.

See also the quick reference records management guides mentioned above.

If you have any further questions relating to this matter, please contact me, quoting
reference MGLA171022-1370.