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Records/Archives Management (RAM) for Staff |
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| Records and Archives Glossary |
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Right, opportunity, means of finding, using or retrieving
information. International Standard ISO/TR15489-1, Clause 3.1
The principle that individuals, organizations and the community are responsible for their actions and may be required to explain them to others. International Standard ISO/TR15489-1, Clause 3.2
Administrative records are common to most organizations. Examples
include routine correspondence or interoffice communications;
records relating to human resources, equipment and supplies, and
facilities; reference materials, routine activity reports, work
assignments, appointment books, and telephone logs. [SAA: Glossary
of Archival and Records Terminology] The process of establishing the value of a record in order to establish retention periods
Background records Reference, product literature, research notes, handbooks and news clippings, usually not UNICEF produced records
Born digital
Information created in
electronic format
Procedures to ensure
an organisation’s ability to continue operating outside of normal
operating conditions
The process of determining that a record should be made and kept.
This includes both records created and received by the organization.
It involves deciding which documents are captured, which in turn
implies decisions about who may have access to those documents and
generally how long they are to be retained.
The process of identifying the category or categories of business
activity and the records they generate and grouping them, if
applicable, into files to facilitate description, control, links and
determination of disposition and access status.
Convenience Copy Copy of a record retained for information purposes only by a section or an individual not directly responsible for that record. No supporting material accompanies a convenience copy.
The individual, group or organization which produces a record
Declassification
The conversion of analog material into a digital format for storage
in a computer. For example scanning a paper document to create a
digital copy.
Written policies, procedures and information designed to mitigate
the impact of threats to an organisation's records and to recover
them in the event of a disaster.
The operation of restoring record collections and related operations
after a disaster
The process of making records available for public access The transfer of records, especially noncurrent records, to their final state, either destruction or transfer to an archives. [SAA: Glossary of Archival and Records Terminology]
A
range of processes associated with implementing records retention,
destruction or transfer decisions which are documented in
disposition authorities or other instruments.
Recorded information or object which can be treated as a unit.
Electronic
document management system (EDMS) EDRMS
An automated
system which combines the functionality of an EDMS and an ERMS
Any messages created, sent or received within an email system that are required by an organization to control, support, or document the delivery of programmes, to carry out operations, to make decisions, or to account for activities
Records that are information and communication technology data, and which have:
Electronic records
management system (ERMS)
Electronic signature
A digital mark,
code, or other symbol that identifies an individual and that
indicates responsibility for or consent to the content of the
material to which it is affixed.
An electronic postal
system
The quality of records
that provides information about the origins, functions, structure,
procedures, transactions and
activities of their creator. These records allow for the
reconstruction of UNICEF's history. Policy statements, procedural
instructions, descriptions or demonstrations of precedent-setting
decisions or action are evidential records.
Facilitative Records Cover the activities which support/promote or make easier completion of a main activity. This type of record is common to many organizations. Facilitative records usually include routine administrative, financial and other records, such as ordering of supplies and maintaining accomodations. They are sometimes referred to as 'housekeeping records'.
A system that describes standard categories and that is used to organize records with common characteristics
Filing system
Policies and
procedures directing how files should be stored and indexed in order
to ensure their retrieval, use, and disposition.
Fonds
The whole of
the records, regardless of form or medium, organically created and /
or accumulated and used by a particular person, family, or corporate
body in the course of that creator's activities and functions.
I Any records, other than UN documents, which may be seen as providing evidence of UNICEF’s origin, structure, functions, procedures and significant transactions. This may also include policy statements, procedural instructions, and descriptions or demonstrations of precedent-setting decisions or actions. These require special procedures for protection and preservation.
Records no longer needed on a day to day basis but may be required for administrative, legal or historical reasons
Information
Data,
irrespective of medium, in context
The policies,
procedures and practices required to maintain and provide assurance
of the confidentiality, integrity and availability of information.
The value of
records based on their content
Creation of
tools, such as catalogues and finding aids, to facilitate access to
the informational content of records and archives Records which will not be kept permanently as part of UNICEF Archives. Such records will ultimately be destroyed.
ISAD(G)
International Standard
for Archival Description (G) A standard published by the
International Council on Archives that establishes general rules for
the description of archival materials, regardless of format, to
promote consistent and sufficient descriptions, and to facilitate
exchange and integration of those descriptions. Information Documentation - Records Management. An international standard which establishes principles for creation, capture, maintenance and management over time in appropriate systems of records, irrespective of their format.
Local Archive Low cost, warehouse style storage used for semi active and inactive records – see Secondary Storage
Medium
The physical
material, container, and / or carrier in or on which information is
recorded (i.e., paper, film, magnetic tape).
Data describing
context, content and structure of records and their management
through time.
Model
specifications for electronic records management system
requirements.
N
Records that are more than three years old. Since most are no longer
required for current business, but may be required for
administrative, legal or historical reasons, they are stored in a
separate area outside the main office. Include library and exhibit material made or acquired and preserved solely for reference and exhibition purposes; extra copies of records retained solely for convenience or reference; stocks of publication, documents, reports, etc.
The office of record is the office or administrative unit that has been designated for the maintenance, preservation and disposition of record (official) copies.
The official publications of the United Nations (see UN Document)
Master or official copy of a UN record
Private Papers
of UNICEF staff members are those which have no connection with
their official work for UNICEF, but which have been filed in the
office by a member of the staff. They may also include duplicate
copies of official documents related to or reflective of personal
performance but not subject to restrictions. Private papers are the
only records a staff member may take without special arrangements
when leaving the organization or transferring to another post. Preservation
Processes and
operations involved in ensuring the technical and intellectual
survival of authentic records through time.
The
relationship between records and the organizations or individuals
that created, accumulated, and / or maintained and used them in the
conduct of personal or corporate activity.
The systematic creation, use, maintenance, and disposition of
records to meet administrative, programmatic, legal, and financial
needs and responsibilities.
Recordkeeping systems
Information
systems which capture, maintain and provide access to records
through time. Any data, information or documentary material, regardless of its form or medium, maintained by UNICEF as evidence of a transaction:
Record series Documents arranged in accordance with a filing system or maintained as a unit because they result from the same accumulation or filing process, or in the same activity; have a particular form,; or because of some other relationship arising out of their creation, receipt, or use. General International Standard Archival Description ISAD(G), Section 0.1
A
facility used for low-cost storage of inactive and semi current
records before those records are destroyed or transferred to an
archives
Records creation The first stage in the records lifecycle
A mapping of the stages in the life of a record from creation to destruction or transfer to archives
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.
Records management programme A records management programme is the programme conducted on an organisation-wide basis for the management of records, recordkeeping activities and recordkeeping systems.
The process of gathering basic information about an organization's
records, including their quantity, form, location, physical
condition, storage facilities, rate of accumulation, and associated
business processes. [SAA: Glossary of Archival and Records
Terminology] Record value is determined primarily by considering record type and record importance.
The process of
masking some of the content of a record before making it available
for consultation
In those
systems where registration is used, its purpose is to provide
evidence that a record has been created or captured in a records
system. It involves recordkeeping brief descriptive information
about the record in a register, and assigning the record a unique
identifier.
A paper
recordkeeping or filing system run by staff tasked with the creation
and management of files (including storage and tracking) is
centralised Restricted Records Records that have access limitations imposed by rules and regulations, including personnel files, confidential records not intended for general knowledge, and personal notes and unedited observations, the unauthorized disclosure of which could damage UNICEF.
A comprehensive instruction covering the disposition of records to assure that they are retained for as long as necessary based on their administrative, fiscal, legal and historic value.
Routine Records Operational, administrative financial - commitment of funds, case files, acknowledgement of actions or requests
S An optical device that transforms an analog image into a graphics image readable by a computer.
Records which are referred to infrequently and therefore are
typically stored away from the work area 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 [SAA: Glossary of Archival and Records Terminology]
Records related to the core activities of an organisation i.e. those activities which are distinctive to the organisation. Cover areas of primary importance to UNICEF's mission and mandate, such as main programme activities. These records stand by themselves and have a high potential to be kept permanently. These records are usually unique to UNICEF and distinguish UNICEF from other ogranizations with different mandates.
T An intellectual structure which arranges items into groups and subgroups based on predetermined rules
Information circulars and widely circulated 'convenience copies' - information for short-term use
Thesaurus
A thesaurus is
a controlled list of terms linked together by semantic,
hierarchical, and associative or equivalence relationships. Such a
tool acts as a guide to allocating classification terms to
individual records. Total Retention Time (TRT)
The total time
that a record is kept including time in working areas and storage
facilities (non-current records area and archives) Tracking
Creating,
capturing and maintaining information about the movement and use of
records. The process of moving records as part of their lifecycle
Version control
Techniques,
especially in an automated environment, to control access to and
modification of documents and to track versions of a document when
it is revised.
Working/current records Records that are less than three years old. These are regularly used for current business and must be maintained in the office area. They are stored at a staff member’s desk, in support staff areas or in common working areas.
The views expressed or information presented do NOT necessarily represent the official position of any person or organization. |
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Please send any comments, questions or suggestions about
these pages to uyoung@unicef.org, |
This glossary is comprised of generic definitions taken from
international sources as well as definitions specific to the United
Nations. Developed by the UN The Archives and Records Management
Section (ARMS) and equally applicable to UNICEF
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