As a Certified Records Manager who has also worked for many years as a
corporate archivist, I feel compelled to address the issue of referring to
archival records referred as "historical records." Records managers often
use the two terms synonymously, and even archivists fall into that habit.
But really the two terms are not synonymous. Yes, archival records are
often used to research an organization's history. But what many people
don't realize is that archival records are also used to support research
needs that can't strictly be called "historical" - e.g., supporting a tax
claim, defending a trademark, or (in the case of public records)
supporting a citizen's rights. It just so happens that the information
needed to support this research dates back many years.
As John has said, this is the "good stuff" that needs to be culled from
the voluminous piles of otherwise "mundane stuff" that organizations
create on a regular basis - especially since archival records usually
comprise only 1-3% of all records created by a given organization.
Identifying and preserving the "good stuff" is definitely a challenge, and
that is why archivists have developed their own set of skills and
practices (including archival appraisal to identify the "good stuff" and
arrangement and description to make the "good stuff" more accessible - a
level of detail work that most records managers do not have time to do).
In some countries these skills are taught as part of one profession, but
in the U.S. they have developed into two separate professions.
In my opinion, when we talk about treating records as valuable assets that
need to be managed, that includes archival records, which are among the
most valuable records that an organization creates. To do our job as
Records and Information Managers most effectively, we need to find ways to
facilitate identification, preservation, and access to archival records.
Archives need to be seen as an essential service in any organization, not
a "nice to do" that documents an organization's history.
Elizabeth W. Adkins, Certified Records Manager, Certified Archivist
Director, Global Records and Information Management
CSC
The opinions expressed above are my own and do not represent the opinions
of my employer.
From:
John Annunziello <[log in to unmask]>
To:
[log in to unmask]
Date:
11/30/2010 10:48 AM
Subject:
Re: Implementing Retention Periods Retroactively (Now historical value)
We as RIM's wear many hats. Ginny has made some very good points and we
as RIM's need to consider the historical value of records. For instance,
we have a centralized records paper program in place. Prior to
implementation of our centralized system, there were considerable records
that were sent offsite when the filing cabinets became full. As a result,
when on site records came to Central Filing, these records were ignored.
Over the past year, I have been pulling these boxes from storage and
identifying the contents. Some are coming into our records system as they
still have value and retention has not been achieved. In other cases, the
records are disposed of as they have no value (historic, administrative,
financial etc).. However, much of the information found in these boxes
are from the early days of the organization such as the details and
reports behind the reconstruction work of watercourse. As this
information was never part of our records system, we had to create new
retention series to manage these. In many cases, we were able to cull the
information and keep the "good stuff".
To make a long story even longer, we do not have an archivist on site. So,
I have had to learn how to distinguish historical material and retain it
within the organization. The people who created this material in the
early 50's are long gone and the people who have replaced them give me a
blank stare when I ask if these still contain value. As well, they just
won't spend the time to consider this material.
So the onus falls to me to manage this. Part of me says, get rid of it
all. But as a 32 year veteran of this organization with the wisdom
gained through the years, and also as a CRM, this will not happen. So
diligently, I cull through this information and do my part.
It has been a good exercise in that I have learned more about the
organization from the early days. Also, offsite storage costs will be
reduced as previously it had a permanent retention.
John Annunziello, CRM, ermm
Manager, Records and Information
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority
[log in to unmask]
"Information is a corporate, strategic asset that needs to be managed"
"*PLEASE CONSIDER THE ENVIRONMENT WHEN DECIDING TO PRINT THIS MESSAGE*
Toronto and Region Conservation Authority Confidentiality Notice:
The information contained in this communication including any attachments
may be confidential, is intended only for use of the recipient(s) named
above, and may be legally privileged. If the reader of the message is not
the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination,
distribution,disclosure or copying of this communication is strictly
prohibited. If you have received this communication in error, please
resend this communication to the sender and delete it permanently from
your computer system.
Thank you."
List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html
Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance
To unsubscribe from this list, click the below link. If not already
present, place UNSUBSCRIBE RECMGMT-L or UNSUB RECMGMT-L in the body of the
message.
mailto:[log in to unmask]
List archives at http://lists.ufl.edu/archives/recmgmt-l.html
Contact [log in to unmask] for assistance
To unsubscribe from this list, click the below link. If not already present, place UNSUBSCRIBE RECMGMT-L or UNSUB RECMGMT-L in the body of the message.
mailto:[log in to unmask]
|
