Overview
of Records Management
Records Management is
one of the vital components of an organization. It is an
organization wide administrative service responsible for creating
and maintaining systematic procedures and control over all phases of
the records life cycle. It is the discipline which accounts for and
controls all information.
Not only
must information be properly controlled and managed to ensure
effective administration; it must also be managed well so that ever
increasing demands of regulatory agencies and other governmental
bodies are satisfied.
Records serve as a tool of management in
planning, organizing, controlling, and decision-making as well as in
problem-solving. Likewise, records form the history of an
organization.
Records
Management Defined
Records Management is the application of systematic and scientific
control to recorded information which is required in the operation
on an organization’s business. This systematic and scientific
control involves the creation, use, transmission, retention,
maintenance, storage, retrieval, preservation, and disposition of
records of the organization.
Function of
the Records Management
The function of
records management is many-phased. It should be designed to program
the records life cycles, to simplify and eliminate paper work, to
ensure improved quality of information and to aid management in its
fundamental responsibilities. It is, therefore, considered a major
branch of management/ administrative services. It should encompass
the latest techniques for controlling forms, reports and
correspondence; for developing and maintaining retention and storage
programs and for maintaining a quality level in all paper work
operations.
