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Records Management

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RECORDS AND ‘RECORDNESS’

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this assignment is twofold. To test understanding and to demonstrate that the overall quality of my chosen sample is based on a reasoned and unbiased evaluation. I will describe my sample, highlight its ‘recordness’ against the internationally recognised standard and underline its key criteria. In so doing my aim is to make an objective comparison and simultaneously corroborate my understanding of the essence of what makes a record.

First, some background. Surprisingly, despite the fact that records has been a kept by us for thousands of years it was not until relatively recently (2001) that an internationally accepted records management standard, known as ISO 15489 set out a standard definition of a record. Accordingly, a record as set out in ISO 15489, is defined as “information created, received, and maintained as evidence and information by an organization or person, in pursuance of legal obligations or in the transaction of business.”

Against this definition I have chosen a record that I refer to regularly at work to test its ‘recordness’. My sample is the Foreign Office's (FCO) Archive Inventory of its paper Inventory. The FCO’s paper file inventory consists of data from both the 2013 and 2014 record audits and is a full inventory of its archive holdings and is an accurate record of the FCO corporate business activities by the various departments of the organisation and provides information of the records created and maintained in pursuant of its core business and provides evidence the FCO compiles with its legislative obligations as set out in the Public Record and the Free of Information Acts.

DESCRIPTION

The latest version of the paper file inventory (March 2015) is made up of 3117 lines of information that physically and securely stored within approximately 119,262 boxes covering approximately 16,993 linear metres and containing over 1.3 (1,359,625) million individual items. Most of these are in the form of Loose papers; files; booklets; binders; bound volumes; maps; registered files; CD-Roms; photocopies; leaflets; notebooks; pamphlets; floppy disks; DVDs; unregistered files; newspapers; photographs; index cards; microfilm; VHS video tapes; U-U-matic videocassette; micro/mini tape; newspaper bulletins, etc. Although it is should be underscored that it doesn’t matter how the FCO inventory is made up because the standard set out in ISO 15489 is media-neutral as it “applies to the management of records, in all formats or media”.

The FCO inventory is constructed and framed within a set of headers to ensure the records are clear and informative. The contents of the FCO inventory are structured and organised logically and suitably labelled to present the information in a concise yet informative manner so that readers of all levels can understand and interpret the information made publically available. The headings used include: [1] the Name of the record series; [2] Number of boxes; [3] Estimated linear metres; [4] a Description of the collection/contents; [5] the Estimated number of items; [6] the Format; and the [7] the Date range of the collection.

Without this inherent structure the information set out in the inventory would be difficult to deconstruct, digest and interpret without specialist knowledge. Without this structure the information would probably be a string on nonsensical words and figures (see below) to most people and would not represent a meaningful record of the paper files that the FCO holds.

Records also draw their significance from their context. That is, they are valued or useful only in groups and only in relation to the activities and purposes for which they were created and used. Therefore, FCO records/archives managers must accurately identify and explain both the context of origin/creation and the context of use/custody and maintain the records in a way that preserves their original character and relationships as 'bounded entities comprising content, structure and context'.

The importance of ‘contextual information’ was also underlined by Shepherd and Yeo (page 10) when they stated that ‘…without adequate knowledge of the activity that gave rise to them...’ records can lose their meaning. This was also emphasised by Peter Emmerson (page 5) in 1989 when he set out a description of a record similar to ISO 15489. In his description, Emmerson stated that ‘…. Records have no existence other than as a product of business activity, without which they have no context or meaning.’

The FCO inventory retains the key feature of context because of the use of headers assigns a name of the record series in question and provides additional detailed descriptors. These together with the other structured information give the records a profile which would otherwise by potentially meaningless to the reader.

EVALUATION

How well does my example compare? I have already stated that to make an objective comparison it is first important to test the FCO inventory against the premise of what constitutes a record as set out in ISO 15489 and from this authoritative definition separate out the key characteristics that together gives a record it's 'recordness'.

Dissecting ISO 154809 shows that a record: [1] must contain information; [2] must be created, received and maintained; [3] to act as evidence or provide information by an organisation or person; [4] to transact business or to meet a mandatory legal requirement; [5] act as evidence of business activity or legal obligation.

The FCO inventory does contain information because it transmits knowledge to the reader; the inventory was inventory was created for the FCO by a specialist external company and its primary purpose was to capture information about its archive collections. The inventory is a continuously evolving and is a working document that is constantly updated. It is maintained and managed by the FCO’s Archive Management Team at the FCO’s estates in Hanslope Park and Westminster. The FCO inventory tracks the activities of the FCO and complies with the Public Records Act as well as being fully transparent with respect to our record holdings.

I am therefore confident my example would meet and satisfy a critic on its ‘recordness’. My assurance stem from the awareness the FCO’s inventory draws its value and significance from its key component parts. This is because information captured in the FCO inventory comprises of content, structure and context and together these form the key ingredients that exhibit the attributes required in a record(s).

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, there is good reason why the rules of ‘recordness’ are necessarily strict and transactional. Without these criterion records would otherwise lack cohesiveness and the essential quality of ‘recordness’ as defined in International Standard ISO 15489. In the same vein, I believe the FCO inventory fully or mostly compiles with the 15480 definition of a record. While it is a continuously evolving record and can only provide a snapshot of holdings in the FCO’s working archive it is regularly updated to ensure it is as accurate as possible and provides value to its readers.

Word count: 1,134

APPENDIX

Hyperlink to FCO Archive Inventory

Inline images 1

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