Steven, I think the only area we actually disagree is with your
definition of a record. I think your fighting a battle that's already
been won. No one argues over whether a record can be an e-mail, voice
mail, or whatever other media we chose. However, as has been pointed out
in previous postings, context is what distinguishes a record from
non-record items. If you don't include that element of context in your
definition, you're dramatically expanding the scope of what you seek to
control, while losing the clarity of what those controls should entail.
This is particularly important in the electronic realm, where context
has to be created, and cannot be taken for granted to a large extent as
it often could be in the analog world. I agree with Mr. Benedon:
definitions such as contained in ISO 15489 are vitally important in
guiding our efforts. That's not to say that controls should not be
established for non-record items, or that we should not have some
responsibility for their development. I do think that most non-record
controls are much less costly than records controls. On the other hand,
there is also a danger that "non-record" controls will be seen to
suffice in controlling actual records. Its probably this latter problem
that is causing problems with judges. In my experience, one of the
biggest problems in the records management realm is having a poor
concept of scope. This leads to classic disparities between
responsibility, authority, and resources. Most good records definitions
provide the basis to distinguish between a record and non-record
"information"; this allows you to strategically focus those limited
resources. Elizabeth's posting just gave some examples of elements that
might impact the context in a given environment. Simply stating that a
record is any recorded information blurs these important considerations.


Dwight Wallis, CRM
Records Administrator
Multnomah County Fleet, Records, Electronics, Distribution and Stores
(FREDS)
1620 S.E. 190th Avenue
Portland, OR 97233
Phone: (503)988-3741
Fax: (503)988-3754
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