(a) The board shall adopt a seal, which may be either an engraved or ink stamp seal, with the words "Real Estate Appraisers Board, State of Georgia" and such other device as the board may desire included thereon, by which it shall authenticate the acts of the board. Copies of all records and papers in the office of the board, certified by the signature of the real estate commissioner or the commissioner's designee and the seal of the board, shall be received in evidence in all cases equally and with like effect as the originals.

(b) The board shall maintain records so that it may certify the history of appraisers for a period of up to five years preceding the date of certification. The board may certify the classification history of an appraiser based on electronic data that it maintains. When that electronic data is derived from a paper record, upon converting the information on the paper record to electronic form and after verification of the electronic record, the board may:

(1) Properly destroy the paper record; or

(2) Retain the paper record for a period of time determined by the board.