What Information Is Held And Why?

It is important that your information management measures extend to semi-active and inactive information as well as covering information being used on a regular, active basis. As well as still having potential value this information, often sizable in volume, is still the responsibility of the institution and could be a potential liability if not managed appropriately.

There is a balance to be struck between sensibly relegating older information down the priority list whilst simultaneously avoiding the dangers of adopting an 'out of sight out of mind' mentality. Clearly you do not want to force users to wade through masses of less current information in order to find the information they need to perform the active task in hand. But equally it is important to retain contextual links between current initiatives and what has gone before and for users to know that the knowledge and accumulated wisdom obtained through previous endeavours may be relevant to their current work and is available to be learned from.

Defining The Journey From Active, To Semi-Active Use

It can be useful to clearly define the event-driven stage points which govern when different types of information move from an active to semi-active phase. For example, for project records 'project closure' may represent this trigger, or for student records it may be one year after the student has graduated. Once defined, such points should mark the formal dividing point between phases of the lifecycle and the trigger for a review of the management controls governing it.

The first such consideration should obviously be whether the information is still likely to be required now that its immediate raison d'etre is at an end. The specific factors to consider in this process will be addressed in the following sections, so for now it is sufficient to highlight the importance of weeding information at this stage to ensure that only information required for a defined reason is being kept.

This review point is also the opportunity to consider the other management controls currently in place for the information and whether they are still appropriate. For example, do the security and access controls need to be adjusted, could the information now be stored elsewhere in less expensive 'offline' facilities, does the format the information was created in need to be changed to ensure it will be accessible in the future?

Retaining The Context

It is also worth considering what links may need to be established between this older content and any current or future work to which it relates. Will the way in which users search for information routinely cover both active and semi-active material? If so, does there need to be any kind of indicator to flag the different status of the information found?

Continued Maintenance

Although the kind of events we have discussed as marking the transition from active to semi-active use are an important stage-post, it is also important to bear in mind the need for continued review and maintenance of information throughout its semi-active life. Circumstances and requirements change over time. The sensitivity of information may decrease (or potentially increase), the rationale for continuing to keep it may change, or measures need to be taken to ensure its longevity. As a result, regular review of information held throughout the semi-current stage of the lifecycle is recommended.