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The University Archives and Records Center offers free, customized training and consultation. Email recmgmt@louisville.edu if you are interested in having someone visit your unit.
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Records Management Lingo
The Lingo of Records Management
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Archival: | Materials that are permanent or have ongoing value. |
| Born Digital: | Information originally created in an electronic format. |
| Custodian: | The individual or organization having possession of and responsibility for the care and control of records. |
| Disposition: | Records’ final destruction, deletion, or transfer to an archive. |
| Electronic Record: | Data and information that has been captured and fixed through electronic means, and that requires the use of specialized equipment and systems to render it intelligible by a person. Also called a machine readable record. |
| Information Governance: | The process of establishing policies and procedures across an organization to manage information as a cohesive resource. Information governance is often geared toward meeting legal, regulatory, risk, and business needs. |
| Media: | The physical materials the carries information (e.g. paper, compact disk, magnetic tape). |
| Public Records: | Data and information, regardless of physical form or characteristics, which are prepared, owned, used, in the possession of or retained by a public agency. |
| Record Copy: | The single copy of a record—often the original—that is designated as the official copy for use and preservation. |
| Records Management: | The systematic, orderly, and efficient control of records throughout their creation, use, and disposition. |
| Reference Value: | The usefulness of records based on their informational content. |
| Retention Schedule: | A document that identifies and describes an organization’s records and provides instructions for the final disposition of those records. Also called a disposal schedule, records schedule, or records retention schedule. |
| Series: | A group of similar records that are related as the result of being created, received, or used for the same function. |
Video Tutorials
Leaders in Records Management
- AIIMAssociation for Information & Image Management
- ARMA InternationalAssociation of Records Managers & Administrators
- NARANational Archives & Records Administration