Managing Public Records

for Local Government Agencies

Records Management Definitions

(Based on Richard Pearce-Moses, A Glossary of Archival & Records Terminology. Society of American Archivists, 2005.)

 

Administrative value refers to the usefulness or significance of records to support ancillary operations and the routine management of the organization.

Citation refers to the specific state or federal statute that applies to the confidentiality restrictions of a records series.   

Confidential records are records that are exempt from public access.

Disposition instructions are specific directions regarding the manner in which records are to be disposed of (i.e., keep them permanently, destroy them, or transfer to the State Archives).  

E-discovery refers to the process that compels a party in a lawsuit to disclose evidence and electronic information relevant to the case.

Fiscal value refers to the usefulness or significance of records containing financial information that is necessary to conduct current or future business or that serves as evidence of financial transactions. 

Historical value (also archival value; continuing value) refers to the importance or usefulness of records that justifies their continued preservation because of the enduring administrative, legal, fiscal, or evidential information they contain. 

Legal value refers to the usefulness or significance of records to document and protect the rights and interests of an individual or organization, to provide for defense in litigation, to demonstrate compliance with laws and regulations, or to meet other legal needs. 

Migration refers to converting your files to a new format or a new version of a format. (i.e., migrating your .doc files to .rtf format).

Records schedule refers to a list of record series that relate to the substantive activities an organization undertakes to accomplish its mission or mandate; operational records.  

Records Series or Series refers to a group of similar records that are arranged according to a filing system and that are related as the result of being created, received, or used in the same activity; a file group (i.e., Personnel File).

Redaction is the process of concealing sensitive information in a document before being released to someone not authorized to see that information.

Refreshing is replacing the media on which digital files are stored. For example, considering the life span of some CDs and DVDs, you might want to refresh data on older discs every two or three years.

Signature page refers to the page attached to your records schedule, which is signed by the head of your agency and/or governing board, and the Secretary of the Department of Cultural Resources. 

Vital Records (also essential records) are emergency-operating records immediately necessary to begin recovery of operations after a disaster, and rights-and-interests records necessary to protect the assets, obligations, and resources of the organization, as well as its employees and customers or citizens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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