Records Management
| Author | Carolyn Ashe |
| Pages | 635-638 |
Page 635
Advancements in technology and the reproduction of electronic documents have caused organizations to change the way they think about records management. The Emerging Technology Advisory Group of the Association for Information and Image Management (AIIM) identified the top-five emerging technologies entering into the twenty-first century. These technologies have become management concerns and, therefore, concerns of records managers:
Electronic-mail (e-mail) management
Knowledge management
Records migration
Customer relationship management
Procedures for maintaining data in some form have been essential for centuries. Records serve important functions, particularly in efforts to minimize risks. Some of these risks include litigation, regulatory noncompliance, natural disasters, criminal activities, and pirating of resources.
Page 636
Table 1
Characteristics of an ideal information system
| Characteristics of an ideal information system |
| The system minimizes elapsed time between a user's query and the response from the system The more complete the information stored, the more useful the data can be to the end user The more completely an information system can prevent "lost" files, the more generally useful the system is to users An information system should provide access to the same document or file by more than one user at one time The more a retrieval system maximizes pertinence while minimizing redundancy, the more the system services the needs of the user Retrieval queries should be possible in the official language(s) The information system should make provision for selective security The simpler a retrieval system is and the less training required to use it, the more acceptable it is to the user Additions, deletions, and updating of files should be as efficient as possible Since work hours, particularly of managers, extend beyond prime shift hours, the ideal system should be able to operate in non-regular hours at reasonable cost |
Unethical practices as well as new regulations demand accountability for actions taken in business and industry. As a result of the risks faced by organizations, Theodore Vander Noot (1998) suggested ten characteristics of an "ideal information system" that should apply whether the system is a computerized database or a file system or library (see Table 1).
There are two basic reasons for the increase in information over the years. The first, modernity, has seen the decline in small businesses as larger and more complex businesses begin to dominate. A more modern democratic government is seen as the second reason for the growth in information. Both public and private organizations tend to collect more information than needed regarding their programs when providing the requested records for the government.
Four methods are often used for storing information in business and government:
A person's brain
Paper
Microfilm
Computer
Technological advances in the record-keeping industry have made it easier to store and retrieve records. Accelerating digital technologies are the storage mode of the twenty-first century. Stored digital information is only as permanent and...
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