A records management program that works for archives: clearly defining records management responsibilities ensures the capture of significant records and facilitates their transition to archival custody and use.

• Author: Deserno, Ineke
• Position: CareerPath

The quality of an archive's holdings depends on the effectiveness of the records management program responsible for the records before they reach the archives.

Without a records management program guiding the organization and disposition of active and semi-active records, an archives program will not receive a comprehensive, reliable, and authentic body of records, but rather a miscellaneous collection of varying value and usefulness, transferred on an ad hoc basis according to individual interests, priorities, and workloads.

A records management program is indispensable for an archives program. It ensures

* the identification of records of long-term historical value and their orderly transfer to the archives

* the regular, orderly elimination of large amounts of records that have no long-term value beyond their administrative usefulness

* efficiency and economy in the management of the archives program by facilitating planning regarding space, records description, and records preservation

A records management program contributes to an effective archives program by differentiating record value as identified in records schedules, which specify required retention periods and ultimate disposition based on that value. Permanent records document significant transactions, policies, decisions, or services and are of lasting historical, legal, or administrative value. Records of permanent value that are transferred to an archives program's custody in regular, orderly fashion are more readily accessible for reference use and provide more reliable information for future users. Fixed-term records have administrative, legal, or financial value for a specified period of time or until the occurrence of a specific event, after which they are destroyed.

Transitory records have no enduring value and are retained while there is genuine need for them. However, the regular and consistent destruction of transitory records saves time, space, and money and facilitates the identification and location of truly significant documents.

Effective records management programs ensure that records of permanent value that are transferred to the custody of an archives program in a regular, orderly fashion will be more readily accessible for reference use and will provide more reliable information for future users. An effective records management program also ensures that records of no enduring value are not transferred to the archives simply as a means of disposing of them.

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