Prepared for Unesco's Records and Archive Management Programme (RAMP), this study is designed to provide archivists and other interested information professionals with an introduction to machine-readable records and to provide guidelines for the appraisal of their archival value. The study assumes no prior knowledge of machine-readable records and should be equally useful to archivists in industrialized and developing countries. The guidelines are based on the policies and practices of those countries with the most experience in this field. This report contains: (1) an introductory discussion of the advantages of computer use in information management and disadvantages of older business systems; (2) background information on computer systems and machine-readable records; (3) procedures for managing machine-readable records; (4) guidelines and criteria for the appraisal of both the content and the technical attributes of machine-readable records; (5) descriptions of two processes for anonymizing personal data to protect confidentiality in machine-readable records; (6) discussion of issues involved in transborder data flow; and (7) summary conclusions in the form of recommended policies and practices, or guidelines. Appendices include appraisal forms and procedures developed by the Public Record Office (United Kingdom), the National Archives and Records Service (U.S. General Services Administration), and the Machine Readable Archives Division of the Public Archives of Canada, and a glossary of terms. A bibliography is also provided. (BBM)