This document discusses the process and challenges of creating an archives of service user records. It outlines key questions to consider, such as who the archives is for and what legislative requirements must be followed. The document explains why recordkeeping is important for organizational mission, expectations, and compliance. It describes what a service user record contains and challenges such as change, time scale, legal issues, and funding. The process involves stakeholders meetings, surveys, infrastructure planning, and policy development.

1. CREATING AN ARCHIVES OF
SERVICE USER RECORDS
PROCESS AND CHALLENGES
Yulu Griffith Klein
Registered Archivist
2016

2. KEY QUESTIONS
• Who is the archives for?
• What are the legislative, regulatory,
and ethical requirements which need
to be taken into account?
• Will the archives be stored centrally
or at multiple locations?
• How are records being created?
• How far back do case files go?
• What about the historical archives?
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3. WHY IS THIS
CRITICAL
• Organizational mission
• Expectations
• Compliance
• Benefits
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4. WHAT HAS
RECORDKEEPING GOT
TO DO WITH IT?
• Identify archives
• Timely destruction of records
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5. THE ARCHIVES LOOK
LIKE…
• What is archives?
• records that survive disposition activities
• Stakeholders
• record creators, users, researchers
• The user service record
• also known as case files, these records concern and
identify a person
• Other records: administrative, donors, historical, …
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6. USER SERVICE
RECORD - ELEMENTS
• Decisions made on the file
• Recording (form, completeness,
accuracy) is variable
• Forms (multiple)
• May be partly electronic, wholly
electronic, or in hard copy
• Metadata
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7. SETTING UP THE
ARCHIVES – PROCESS 1
• Initial meeting of stakeholders
• Records survey and information
audit
• Preservation planning survey
• Meeting of stakeholders to review
findings
• Human resources
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8. SETTING UP THE
ARCHIVES – PROCESS 2
• Physical infrastructure for storage and
reference
• Preservation and security
• Intellectual infrastructure
• Policy development
• Appraisal
• Retention scheduling
• Accessioning and description
• Tools for access
• Guidance and training
• Disaster planning
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9. CHALLENGES
• Change
• Time-scale
• Legal considerations
• Funding to maintain and expand
services
• The digital environment
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10. QUESTIONS?
Email us at yulu@griffithklein.com and let's see if we can
help!
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11. ABOUT US
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Experience in providing a service that is
customer driven.
Sensible and appropriate solutions.
Ability to work methodically and creatively.
Emphasis on collaboration, dialogue,
discretion, working across sectors, and
cultural awareness.
www.griffithklein.com