Directive M-23-07: What It Means for Metadata, Data Transformation, and Accessibility

Understanding Directive M-23-07

In December 2022, the Office of Management and Budget issued Directive M-23-07, a sweeping federal mandate to improve the accessibility, usability, and management of public sector information. Its goal is simple but ambitious: transform government data into an asset that’s findable, interoperable, and useful for generations.

Whether you manage a local records office or consult for a federal agency, M-23-07 affects you. It pushes agencies to rethink how they collect, format, and share data—especially older records stuck in legacy systems or aging formats like floppy disks, DVDs, and bulky paper archives.

Why Metadata Matters More Than Ever

At the heart of Directive M-23-07 is metadata—the information about information. Metadata enables data discoverability and interoperability. Think of it as the context that makes data useful. Without robust metadata, a scanned document is just a picture. With metadata, it becomes searchable, sortable, and shareable across agencies.

If you're converting legacy content, it's essential to apply metadata during the process—not after. This is especially important for formats that were never born digital, such as:

• Paper-based archives

• Video discs

• Floppy disks

Services like our bulk records conversion service or floppy disk data transfer ensure metadata is embedded at the point of transformation.

Data Transformation Is the Foundation

Data transformation refers to the process of converting raw or outdated formats into structured, machine-readable digital files. This includes:

• Digitizing paper documents to PDF/A with OCR

• Extracting structured content from floppy disks or zip drives

• Transferring video content from DVDs or mini discs into accessible digital formats

Agencies seeking to comply with Directive M 23 07 must think beyond simple scanning. Every file should be:

• Searchable by content

• Labeled with accurate metadata

• Stored in an interoperable format

Our video disc transfer service and America’s best specialty conversion service are designed to meet these standards while keeping original context intact.

Data Accessibility Is Now a Mandate

M-23-07 isn’t about digitizing for the sake of digitizing—it’s about accessibility. That means ensuring records are:

• Searchable by screen readers

• Indexed by content and date

• Available to both public users and internal stakeholders

For many agencies, the challenge lies in legacy formats. Systems that rely on physical access or outdated software are now non-compliant.

To meet these standards, records must be transformed into cloud-accessible formats. At Heirloom, for example, we digitize to the cloud by default—helping ensure content is accessible to any device, any time, with zero reliance on DVDs or outdated drives.

From Directive to Action

If you're unsure where to start, ask these questions:

• Are our legacy files findable by content?

• Can they be retrieved without special hardware?

• Do we have searchable metadata embedded in each digital file?

If the answer is no, it may be time to explore a partner with experience in data rescue and compliant metadata transformation. Avoid solutions that simply scan to image-based PDFs or burn to disc—these approaches may no longer meet federal guidelines.

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