NKIRU JARLATH OPARA RECORD MANAGEMENT AND NNRA LIBRARY

OUTLINES Objective Introduction The conceptual clarification Record management defined Importance of records management Challenges of records management Role of library Recommendations

Objectives i. To create, maintain, approve, sustain, and enforce records policies, including a classification system (NNRA/PF/1111). ii. To develop a record storage plan, including the short- and long-term housing of physical records and digital information.

Introduction Where are the organization’s records? How long are they kept? When are they eligible for destruction? On what medium are they recorded? Is the recording medium of sufficient stability to maintain the viability of the records for the duration of their retention period?

Introduction cont’d What records are vital to the continued operation of the organization? Are these vital records sufficiently protected? What recovery procedures are in place to help the organization assemble its records and resume administrative operations in case of a disaster? How do you manage electronic records? Are any of these records historically significant?

Introduction cont’d In this day of rapidly advancing technology and abundant information, records management is one of the key tools in assisting government agencies to answer these questions and to function effectively in the information age. (The basics of record management, State of Florida 2009) Records management seeks to manage and control records throughout their life cycle, from their creation and distribution, through their filing and use, and ultimately to their final disposition or permanent retention. ( The basics of record management, State of Florida 2009)

Conceptual Clarifications Records are defined as recorded information in any form, created or received in the conduct of government business and kept as evidence of activities and transactions. Their purpose is to provide reliable evidence of, and information about, 'who, what, when, and why' something happened. A library is a physical building or room, or a virtual space, or both that houses an organized collection of sources of information.

Record management defined Records Management refers to the planning, implementation and continuous evaluation, and other controls involved in managing the life cycle of records in any medium. The ISO 15489: (2001) defined it as "the field of management responsible for the efficient and systematic control of the creation, receipt, maintenance, use and disposition of records, including the processes for capturing and maintaining evidence of and Information about business activities and transactions in the form of records." It entails all recordkeeping requirements and policies that allow an organization to establish and maintain control over information flow and administrative operations.

Life cycle (RM Bulletin 2001). Which is similar to that of biological organism a. It is born (creation phase)This phase is to provide adequate and proper documentation of government activities. b. It lives (maintenance and use phase) document control; files and filing equipment management; identification and maintenance of vital records(disaster recovery, rights and interests records), quality assurance records. c. It dies (disposition phase) includes appraising (placing value on) and scheduling records, retiring, storing and retrieving records, and preserving historical records.

National archive act National archive act part 11 section 3 Responsibilities of records management (1) The head of a public office shall make or cause to be made or filed such records which are essential for- (a) the continuity of his office; (b) the full documentation of its organisation, functions, policies, procedures and transactions; and (c) the efficient, economical and orderly execution of its duties. (2) The head of a public office shall take steps to ensure that officers turn over all records to their successors and establish such safeguards against removal or loss of records as he shall deem necessary or as may be provided by rules and regulations.

National Act cont’d National Archive Act part 11 section 12 Criteria for the selection of public records for permanent preservation (1) All non-current public records of the age of twenty-five years and above which contain- (a) evidence of the organisation, functions, policies, procedures and transactions of the public office in which they were originally made or received; or (b) evidence of public or private personal property rights or civil rights; or (c) historical or general information, are hereby declared public archives and may be transferred to the National Archives at the discretion of the Director.

National Act cont’d (2) Where confidential or secret records transferred under subsection (1) of this section contain information the disclosure of which is, in accordance with any written law prohibited or restricted to certain persons, punitive provisions applicable to a person employed in carrying out the provisions of that written law shall be applicable to the Director and other officers or employees of the National Archives who have access to such records. (3) The Director shall transfer to the National Archives all non-current records offered for transfer by any public office provided he considers that such records deserve to be preserved.

NiBIRR 2003 Part v classification and monitoring of persons. Reg.47.No 3a. keep and submit to the Authority, quarterly records made and maintained pursuant to the arrangements or a copy thereof until the person to whom the records relate has or would have attained the age of 75 years or for at least 50 years from when they were made, whichever is earlier.

NiBIRR 2003 Reg.47, No.3d when required by the employer, make a record of the information concerning the dose assessment relating to a classified person who ceases to be an employee of the employer, and to send such record to the Authority and a copy thereof to the employer forthwith, and a record so made is referred to in this regulation as a ‘termination record’ Reg.47, No.3e within 3 months after the end of each calendar year or such longer period as may be determined by the Authority, send summaries of all current dose records relating to the preceding year to the Authority.

NiBIRR 2003 Reg.53.No 2b, Keep a record of the assessment or a copy thereof until the person to whom the record relates has or would have attained the age of 75 years but in any event for at least 50 years from the date of the relevant accident. Reg.55.The employer shall ensure that any health record, containing the particulars referred to in the seventh schedule to these Regulations, in respect of each of his employees to whom this regulation relates is made and maintained and that record or a copy thereof is kept until the person to whom the record relates has or would have attained the age of 75 years or for at least 50years from the date of the last entry made in it, which ever is earlier.

Importance of records management The requirement to keep certain records is clearly defined by law, regulation or professional practice. More often, recordkeeping is a matter of policy and good business practice, developed over time and "built into" work processes, to ensure that the organisation can: refer to records of past transactions in order to perform subsequent actions; draw on evidence of past events to make informed decisions for the present and future. Provides the basis for openness, verification of facts and accountability. Protects individual rights, enforce legal obligations, and handling of legal claims (considering d yrs of preservation from Nibrri) and account for its actions and decisions when required to do so.

Importance cont’d Technical Document (TECDOC 1510) Ageing workforce, Transfer of workers, Loss of worker

Benefits Space savings: By implementing retention schedules and systematically destroying records that have met their retention requirements, an organization can significantly reduce the space occupied by records. Reduce expenditures for filing equipment: Appropriate disposition of records can greatly reduce the need for filing cabinets, file folders, electronic storage media, etc.

Benefits cont’d Compliance with retention requirements : The hallmark of a good records management program is the establishment of retention requirement. In the absence of such requirements, many organizations either destroy records that should be retained or retain everything, thereby taking a legal risk or assuming unnecessary operating costs. Protection of vital records: Records management’s involvement in identifying vital records and in preparing a carefully designed disaster recovery plan can help an organization reduce its vulnerability. Control over creation of new records: A significant percentage of the cost of information is in records creation. Records management, forms management, and reports management can help reduce the proliferation of unnecessary reports, documents, and copies, and at the same time improve the effectiveness of those reports and documents that do need to be created.

NNRA Records Technical files. Administrative files NNRA regulatory manuals Government gazetted bills Government gazetted regulations Draft guidance document Books Drafts Dissertation

Challenges of records management Ajewole (2001) stated that, ‘the problem of records management is not with records and information per se but with those having interface and interactions with these two vital resources. The problems of records management can be summarized into inadequate knowledge of the life-cycles of records, inertia in implementing a form of system and information’. Functional classification is a system which allows you to properly organize your records based on what your business do. This is to improve information access, collaboration and reducing unnecessary duplication of documents.

Challenges cont’d Record retention schedule: listing record categories, length of time each should be retained as an active record and reasons for retention prior to its disposition (considering also the years in the NiBIRR and National Archive Act).

Role of Library Collaboration is key to compliant and efficient records and information. Records management involves overseeing the entire records life cycle: the creation, use, storage, retrieval and ultimate disposition of business records, regardless of format. For easy identifying, classifying, prioritizing, storing, securing, archiving, preserving, retrieving, tracking and destroying of records.

Recommendations  Records management committee.  Activate NNRA intranet  Official repository for NNRA resources  Adopt greenstone software.

References Enwere, J.C. (1992) Records Management in Nigeria: To be or not to be? Library and Information Science Review. 10(1/2), p Records Management Bulletin (2002) Records management advice prepared for GNWT employees by the Records Management Unit of Public Works and Services No. 6-July International Standards Organisation ISO , Information and Documentation Records Management - Part f: General. Geneva, Switzerland: ISO, 2001, The Basics of Records Management(2009) State Library and Archives of Florida, Tallahassee, Florida.

Thank you