Records management encompasses an array of activities aimed at documenting the policies and activities of organizations. The process includes analyzing all transactions and then classifying these transactions as records, a subclass of documents.
Records management is becoming ever more valuable, as organizations must preserve and protect their information for legal and historical purposes and to ensure consistency in their operations.
Use this glossary to help you become familiar with some of the terms used by records management providers.
Records management encompasses an array of activities aimed at documenting the policies and activities of organizations. The process includes analyzing all transactions and then classifying these transactions as records, a subclass of documents.
Records management is becoming ever more valuable, as organizations must preserve and protect their information for legal and historical purposes and to ensure consistency in their operations.
Use this glossary to help you become familiar with some of the terms used by records management providers.
access
According to the International Standard Organization, access is your right or mean of retrieving your records.
access copy
Rather than provide the original document for viewing, records management companies use access copies, which are reproductions of the original records, for information sharing. This allows the storage facility to protect the original document from damage or theft.
current records
Your current records are those that you use frequently in your daily business activities. These records are typically stored such that you can easily access them.
Also known as: active records
analog records
analog records are records that are not in an electronic format. These can include paper documents and audio documentation.
appraisal
An appraisal is the process of analyzing a record to determine the record’s retention period.
bi-tonal image
Bi-tonal images are graphic and textual images that are void of gradation of tone. Bi-tonal images can include printed black and white images.
Also known as: black & white non-continuous tone image
born-digital records
Born digital records originated in electronic formats and include email and other electronic documentation.
business records
Business records refer to any material or document that your organization creates or receives during your normal business operations.
class
Class refers to a set or group of records that share a common characteristic. Records in storage may be grouped by class hierarchies to determine security levels.
classification
Classification is the process by which you identify and categorize business records. Classification helps to determine security levels, retention period, access rights and destruction dates.
compression
Records management providers use compression to reduce electronic file sizes.
Also known as: zip
conservation
Conservation is part of the preservation process that repairs and stabilizes records. To ensure that documents remain in their original state as long as possible, the conservation process uses chemical or physical treatments to stabilize documents.
copy
A copy is a replication of an original document.
Also known as: duplicate
creator
The creator of a document is the organization or individual that originally produced the document.
Also known as: originator
custody
The records management provider takes custody of your records when you place the records management process in their hands. Custody refers to responsibility for care, not ownership.
declassification
The declassification process changes moves a record from one class to another. A record that may have previously been deemed highly classified and, therefore, viewable by only a certain audience may be declassified and made available to a larger or general audience.
Also known as: reclassification
description
The description process in records management entails analyzing the record to determine its context, purpose, retention period, and its storage process.
destruction
Destruction is the process of disposing records permanently.
digitization
Digitization converts analog material, such as paper files, to digital format. Digitization uses photography or scanning processes to convert documents.
disaster mitigation strategy
Incredibly crucial in the records management process, disaster mitigation strategies are policies and procedures designed to minimize the impact of risks to an organization’s records. Disaster mitigation strategies include steps to recover records in the event of a catastrophe or any event that disrupts daily business activities.
Also known as: disaster recovery strategy
disposal
In records management, disposal refers to destroying records that are no longer needed. Disposal can also refer to transferring records to archives.
document
Documents are recorded information or objects. Records grouped together as a unit can be referred to as one document.
electronic records
Electronic records are created or maintained with electronic equipment.
electronic signature
Electronic signatures are digital marks or symbols that identify the person who gives consent for digital material
encryption
Encryption is a security procedure that converts electronic data to incomprehensible data. The intended reader must have and apply the appropriate key in order to read the translate the information to its original form.
file plan
A file plan is the scheme that the records management provider develops to organize and arrange your records.
Also known as: file classification scheme.
hygrothermograph
A hygrothermograph is a device used to record atmospheric humidity and temperature.
inactive records
Inactive records are those records that you no longer need in daily business transactions but you must maintain for administrative, legal or historical purposes.
ISO 15489
The ISO 15489 is an International Standards Organization prescriptive for creating, capturing and maintaining records. .
master copy
The master copy is the original record, and it is used to make access copies.
medium
Mediums are the physical material or container that you use to record information.
preservation
Preservation is the process of maintaining authentic records.
records
According to the ISO records are “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.”
record keeping
Record keeping is the process of creating and maintaining evidence of business transactions.
records management program
Records management programs are strategies for managing records and documenting business processes and activities.
retention schedule
Retention schedules detail the retention period of a record.
scanner
Scanners are optical devices used to transform analog images to electronic formats.
taxonomy
Taxonomy refers to intellectual structures that arrange items into groups and subgroups.
tracking
Tracking in records management refers to the process of creating, capturing and maintaining information about the movement of records.
vital records
Vital records are those records that are critical to your organizations operations.
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