Records management |
Records management, also known as records and information management, is an organizational function devoted to the management of information in an organization throughout its
An organization's records preserve aspects of institutional memory. In determining how long to retain records, their capacity for re-use is important. Many are kept as evidence of activities, transactions, and decisions. Others document what happened and why.[3] The purpose of records management is part of an organization's broader function of
The concept of record is variously defined. The
Recent and comprehensive studies have defined records as "persistent representations of activities" as recorded or created by participants or observers.[5] This transactional view emphasizes the importance of context and process in the determination and meaning of records. In contrast, previous definitions have emphasized the evidential and informational properties of records.[6] In organizational contexts, records are materials created or received by an organization in the transaction of business, or in pursuit of or in compliance with legal obligations.[7][8] This organizational definition of record stems from the early theorization of archives as organic aggregations of records, that is "the written documents, drawings and printed matter, officially received or produced by an administrative body or one of its officials".[9][10]