Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) 2007 A.M.I.E.T.E Computer Science

The ISO describes records as "information created, received, and maintained as evidence and info by an organization or person, in pursuance of legal obligations or in the transaction of business". The International Council on Archives (ICA) Committee on Electronic Records describes a record as, "a recorded info produced or received in the initiation, conduct or completion of an institutional or individual activity and that comprises content, situation and structure sufficient to give evidence of the activity." While the definition of a record is often identified strongly with a document, a record can be either a tangible object or digital info which has value to an organization. For example, birth certificates, medical x-rays, office documents, databases, application data, and e-mail are all examples of records. Records are to be managed according to their value to the organization rather than their physical or logical characteristics.
The other crucial aspect of the above definitions is their consistent reference to records as evidence. Indeed, records management can be seen as being primarily concerned with the identification and management of the evidence of an organization's business activities.
Practicing Records Management
The practice of records management involves:
• Creating, approving, and enforcing records policies, including a classification system and a records retention policy
• Developing a records storage plan, which includes the short and long-term housing of physical records and digital info
• Identifying existing and newly created records, classifying them, and then storing them according to standard operating procedures
• Coordinating access and circulation of records within and even outside of an organization
• Executing a retention policy to archive and destroy records according to operational needs, operating procedures, statutes, and regulations.
Often, a records management system helps to aid in the capture, classification, and ongoing management of records throughout their lifecycle. Such a system may be paper based (such as index cards as used in a library), or may be a computer system, such as an electronic records management application.
ISO 15489:2001 states that records management includes:
• setting policies and standards;
• assigning responsibilities and authorities;
• establishing and promulgating procedures and guidelines;
• providing a range of services relating to the management and use of records;
• designing, implementing and administering specialized systems for managing records; and

Earning:   Approval pending.