Managing records

A handbook of principles and practice

By Elizabeth Shepherd and Geoffrey Yeo

MANAGING RECORDS a handbook of principles and practice

Many organizations do not yet have a formal programme of records management, fot Increasingly they are recognizing the benefits of well managed records and the senous consequences of inadequate records systems. Establishing records management and maintaiming an effective programme require specialist expertise. This essential manual of practice provides a detailed guide to the concepts, skills and techniques of records management for organizational staff who have responsibility for setting up maintaining or restructuring a records management programme. It offers invaluable advice on the management of records in both electronic and traditional paper media, and focuses on the following areas:

understanding records management

analysing the context for records management

classifying records and documenting their context

creating and capturing records

managing appraisal, retention and disposition

maintaining records and assuring their integrity

providing access

implementing records management: practical and managerial issues.

The appendices provide a wealth of additional information including a list of standards for records management, an annotated bibliography and sources of further information, and details of relevant professional and advisory bodies.

This much-needed manual is an indispensable purchase for organizations wishing to introduce better practices for managing their records. The book is intended to be of value to experienced records managers as well as LIS practitioners and newcomers to the field. It should be on the desk of every manager and every information professional with responsibility for records management.

The authors

Elizabeth Shepherd worked in archives and records management in local government before becoming a records management specialist at TFPL Ltd. She was director of the Masters programme in Archives and Records Management at University College London (UCL) from 1992 to 2002, and now teaches records management and general management skills on a part-time basis. She serves on the editorial boards of Archival Science and the Records Management Journal

Geoffrey Yeo has worked in archives and records management for over 25 years, and possesses substantial experience in both public and private sector organizations. He has also worked as a freelance consultant, undertaking archives and records projects in the UK and Africa, and contributing training materials to the International Records Management Trust's Management of Public Sector Records project. He was a Senior Research Fellow at UCL before becoming director of the Masters programme in Archives and Records Management at UCL in 2002.