Records Management Glossary
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Active Records
Records that are frequently referenced. As a general rule at BCRMS, records referred to once a month or more are considered active.
Administrative Records
Records that document and support functions that are common to all departments in an organization (i.e. finance and sales). Administrative records also document common management processes such as records management, forms management, client agreements, etc.
archival records
Records made or received (created) in the course of a practical activity and set aside for posterity.
C + x
"C" refers to the year of the record's creation or acquisition, and "x" refers to the number of additional years the record is to be kept. For example, a retention period indicated a "C + 3" means that a record is to be kept for three years after the year of creation or acquisition. In the case of files whose contents extend over several years (i.e. employee files), "C" may also be defined as "current".
Classification Code
The code (which is often a series of alphabetical, numerical, or alphanumeric symbols) that identifies a record.
Classification System
The system by which records are arranged in order to retrieve them.
Destruction
The final disposition of records that have no residual or insufficient value to warrant their being retained.
Disaster and Emergency Plan
The documented policies and procedures put in place to prevent non-natural disasters and effectively deal with any natural or non-natural disasters that should occur.
File
A collection or group of related records (this is an intellectual entity, not a physical one, i.e. a file may be many folders in terms of quantity).
Final Disposition
The action taken with regards to records when they have come to the end of their life cycle.
Folder
A container used to hold records.
Full Retention
All of the records in a records series will be retained.
Inactive Rrecords
Records that are not frequently referenced. As a general rule at BCRMS, records referred to less than once a month or more are considered inactive.
Obsolete Records
See Superseded Records
Operational Records
Records that represent the specific functions of each department within an organization (i.e. operations, finance, etc.).
Record
A document, regardless of media, made or received in the course of a practical activity.
Record Series
A group of records related to each other by the function or activity that generated them (thus permitting evaluation as a group for retention scheduling purposes).
Records Management
The application of activities to systematically control records, and the information they contain, throughout their lifecycle. This involves controlling the creation (receipt), classification, use, retention, storage, and final disposition of all records. Records management encompasses the policies, standards, systems, procedures, operations, space, equipment, supplies, and staff necessary to manage recorded information.
Retention Period
The span of time during which records must be maintained by an organization because they are needed for their administrative, financial, legal or historical value. Unless records have a continuing value (such as vital records), they should be destroyed after the termination of the retention period.
Retention Schedule
Documented official authorization for the periodic disposal of described records series on a continuing basis.
Selective Retention
Only a portion of the records in a records series will be retained as decided by the Archivist/Records Manager.
Superseded Records
Records that should be retained as long as they are useful and records for which an active retention period is based on the occurrence of some event.
Vital Records
Any record that is essential to maintain and continue an organization and its operations, and to establish or recreate an organization's legal and/or financial position.
