Records Management - Introduction

What Is Records Management?

Records management is an established theory and methodology for ensuring the systematic management of all records and the information they contain throughout their lifecycle.

According to International Standard ISO 15489: 2001, records management is defined as:

The field of management responsible for the efficient and systematic control of the creation, receipt, maintenance, use and disposition of records, including the processes for capturing and maintaining evidence of and information about business activities and transactions in the form of records.

A detailed description of what constitutes a record will be explored further in the section What is a record?. Traditionally records were held on paper, microfilm or microfiche, but are now predominantly created and held in electronic format or within electronic systems.

The core concept underpinning records management theory is that of the lifecycle, which sees records having a series of phases from creation to final disposition ultimately resulting either in their controlled destruction or being retained on a permanent basis as an archival record.

This infoKit is based around the well established concept of lifecycle management and how it should be specifically applied to the management of records. Further information about the general theory underpinning the information lifecycle, the main phases within it and the key concerns and issues to be addressed within each phase is available from the Managing the Information Lifecycle strand of this resource.

The principle reason for applying the lifecycle concept to records management is to ensure that the records being created and held by the institution are being managed and maintained in such a way that they:

• meet all internal business needs
• enable the defence of the rights and interests of the institution and its stakeholders
• enable the content of the record to be accessed, used and reused in a controlled and efficient manner
• is compliant with all regulatory and statutory requirements
• is capable of providing evidence of a transaction or business process which is admissible in a court of law
• is kept and maintained/stored in the most economical way consistent with the above objectives
• is disposed of in a way which is auditable, and meets all environmental and other requirements

According to International Standard ISO 15489: 2001 records management includes the following activities:

• setting policies and standards
• assigning responsibilities and authorities
• establishing and promulgating procedures and guidelines
• providing a range of services relating to the management and use of records
• designing, implementing and administering specialized systems for managing records and
• integrating records management into business systems and processes