What is Records Management?

Records Management is a field of management responsible for the efficient and systematic control of the creation, receipt, maintenance, use, and disposition of records, including processes for capturing and maintaining evidence of, and information about, business activities and transactions in the form of records.

Source: Information and Documentation - Records Management - Part 1: General (ISO 15489:2001) [10]

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Each employee of the University of Northern British Columbia is responsible for managing the University records they create and receive during their daily activities. Whether on their own, or with help from the Information Governance Officer, each employee needs to be able to:

  • locate email, documents or information when needed
  • reuse valuable work that you or a colleague has produced in the past
  • determine the most recent version of a document
  • produce evidence as to why a particular decision was made
  • protect yourself, your colleagues, your students  and the University in the event of litigation
  • support cultural, social and historical values, helping future generations
  • understand the University’s history and collective achievements.

The Information Governance Officer will work with university employees to ensure their unit records are systematically and efficiently: created, captured, secured, stored and preserved for as long as they are needed; then destroyed or transferred once they no longer have any residual business value. The Information Governance Officer will also assist employees achieve and maintain the following records management objectives:

  1. to control the creation and growth of records
  2. to reduce operating costs
  3. to improve efficiency and productivity
  4. to assimilate new records management technologies
  5. to ensure regulatory compliance
  6. to minimize litigation risks
  7. to safeguard vital information
  8. to support better management decision making
  9. to preserve the corporate memory
  10. to foster professionalism in running the business