The Importance of Records Management

The Importance of Records
Management
Prepared by:
Danique Arthurs

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Definition of Records
Records are information created, received
and maintained as evidence received by an
organization or person, in pursuance of
legal obligation or in the transaction of
business. Records Management is the
systematic control of all records from their
creation or receipt, through their
processing, distribution, organization,
storage and retrieval, to their ultimate
disposition.

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Definition of Records
Management
Records
Management
usually falls in one
of the three
categories (1)
service/effective and
efficient (2) profit
(or cost avoidance)
(3) social (moral,
ethical & legal)
responsibility.

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The purpose of Records
Management
• To control the creation and growth of records
• To reduce operating cost
• To improve efficiency and productivity
• To stimulate new records management technology
• To ensure regulatory compliance
• To minimize litigation risk
• To safe guard vital information
• To support better management decision making

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The life cycle of records
Dispositio
n or
Destroy
Archive or
Access
Creation/R
eceipt
Use &
Disseminat
e
Maintain &
Protect

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Record Retention
Record retention
represents the period of
time a document should
be kept or "retained"
both electronically and in
paper format.

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Retention Schedule
A retention schedule is a document
listing all the titles of the records series,
length of time each document or record
will be retained as an active record, the
reason for its retention and disposition
agreed by the user, receiver, Retention
committee..

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Vital Records
• Vital records are records that will be needed in
anywhere from a few minutes to 24 hours after
a disaster to get your office up and running
again.
• They are records that, if lost or destroyed,
would be both costly and time consuming to
recreate - if they can be recreated at all.
• They can be active (currently used by the
office) or inactive (in storage).

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Usefulness of Vital Records
• Vital to the function and mission of any
organisation.
• Essential for the continuous operation or
reconstruction of any organisation.
• Necessary to protect and ensure the rights and
interests of the employees and clients of any
organisation.

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Essential Records
• These are records that will be needed within
72 hours after an emergency.
• It may be costly and difficult can be
reconstructed or replaced from other sources.

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Useful Records
• These are records which can be easily
replaced.
• The time and cost of reproducing or accessing
these records would be minimal because of the
ready availability of these records at other
locations.

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Non-essential Records
• These are records that are of little or no value
to the office and probably should never have
been retained.
• Examples would be stores catalogs, brochures,
extra forms, etc
• They are useful in a sense.

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Advantages of keeping records
safe
• provide accurate records of the agency’s contact with
the client and aid in continuity of case management
between co-workers
• aid/jog memory as over time it can be difficult to recall
the specifics of each case
• lend credibility - particularly if one is called to give
evidence of a particular fact or matter
• may add credence to a claim by a client - especially
about sexual abuse or domestic violence incidents

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Benefits of using a systematic
method of storing documents
• know what records they have, and locate them
easily
• increase efficiency and effectiveness
• make savings in administration costs, both in
staff time and storage
• support decision making
• be accountable
• achieve business objectives and targets

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Continuation of benefits
• provide continuity in the event of a disaster
• meet legislative and regulatory requirements,
particularly as laid down by the Freedom of
Information (Scotland) Act and the Data
Protection Act
• protect the interests of employees, clients and
stakeholders

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Percentage of Organizations that Uses Records
Management in Jamaica, 2010-2013
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
2010 2011 2012 2013
PercentageofOrganization
Year

The Importance of Records Management

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