- "Records management, also known as records and information management, is an organizational function devoted to the management of information in an organization throughout its life cycle."
This involves the management and protection of critical business records, such as those needed to keep the organization running in an emergency or disaster.
Definition of Vital Records Management: Vital Records Management involves the systematic and efficient control of an organization's most critical information to ensure its availability in the event of a disaster or emergency.
Identification of Vital Records: Vital records are the records that are essential for an organization to continue its critical functions during and after an emergency or disaster.
Inventory of Vital Records: Creating and maintaining an inventory of an organization's vital records ensures the efficient management of those records in the event of an emergency or disaster.
Conducting a Risk Assessment: A risk assessment is an analysis of the potential threats and vulnerabilities faced by an organization's vital records.
Developing a Records Retention Schedule: A retention schedule is a document that specifies how long an organization must keep its records before they are eligible for destruction.
Establishing Recordkeeping Policies: Recordkeeping policies set the standards for how an organization will manage its records, including the creation, retention, storage, and disposal of records.
Records Security: Records security involves safeguarding records from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, modification or destruction.
Disaster Preparedness and Recovery: Disaster preparedness and recovery plans are procedures that ensure the availability of records in the event of a disaster, and outlines procedures for restoring records that ultimately may have been damaged or destroyed.
Best Practices for Vital Records Management: Best practices are the industry-recognized standards that are followed to ensure the efficient management of an organization's vital records.
The Role of Technology in Vital Records Management: Technology plays an increasingly important role in records management, providing the means for improved efficiency and security for records, including digital records.
Birth records management: This type of records management focuses on the maintenance of records related to the birth of individuals within a particular jurisdiction.
Death records management: This type of records management involves the maintenance of records pertaining to the death of individuals within a particular jurisdiction.
Marriage records management: This type of records management includes the maintenance of records related to the marriage of individuals within a particular jurisdiction.
Divorce records management: This type of records management involves the maintenance of records related to the dissolution of marriages within a particular jurisdiction.
Adoption records management: This type of records management includes the maintenance of records related to the adoption of children within a particular jurisdiction.
Immigration records management: This type of records management involves the maintenance of records related to the immigration and naturalization of individuals into a particular jurisdiction.
Property records management: This type of records management includes the maintenance of records related to property ownership, transfers, and deeds within a particular jurisdiction.
Medical records management: This type of records management involves the maintenance of records related to a patient's medical history, treatment, and other medical information.
Financial records management: This type of records management includes the maintenance of records related to financial transactions, tax filings, and other financial information within a particular jurisdiction.
Legal records management: This type of records management involves the maintenance of records related to legal proceedings, court cases, and other legal documents within a particular jurisdiction.
- "This includes identifying, classifying, storing, securing, retrieving, tracking and destroying or permanently preserving records."
- "The ISO 15489-1: 2001 standard defines records management as '[the] field of management responsible for the efficient and systematic control of the creation, receipt, maintenance, use and disposition of records.'"
- "An organization's records preserve aspects of institutional memory."
- "The purpose of records management is part of an organization's broader function of governance, risk management, and compliance and is primarily concerned with managing the evidence of an organization's activities."
- "In determining how long to retain records, their capacity for re-use is important."
- "Records management shows linkages between records management and accountability in governance."
- "Storing, securing, and retrieving records."
- "From the time of creation or receipt to its eventual disposition."
- "The reduction or mitigation of risk associated with managing the evidence."
- "Activities, transactions, and decisions."
- "The ISO 15489-1:2001 describes it as the process for capturing and maintaining evidence of and information about business activities and transactions in the form of records."
- "Records management is part of an organization's broader function of governance."
- "Records management is primarily concerned with managing the evidence of an organization's activities as well as the reduction or mitigation of risk associated with it."
- "Storing records is important for their eventual disposition."
- "Records management is part of an organization's broader function of governance, risk management, and compliance."
- "From the time of creation or receipt to its eventual disposition."
- "The efficient and systematic control of the creation, receipt, maintenance, use and disposition of records."
- "Recent research shows linkages between records management and accountability in governance."
- "Others document what happened and why."