Basic Records Management Concepts OT 122 Chapter One

Intro We’ll use this book for the 1 st half of quarter – Blue cardboard box and ‘Retrieval Exercises’ – Don’t work ahead  – So little homework Access 2 nd half of quarter – Please be computer…literate…? – Know how to open, save, new, etc.

Why is Records Management Important? MONEY!!! – Things may be lost Require time (money) to be found or redone – Legally required Medical, education, government (taxes, birth and death certificates) – All businesses use some sort of records management!! Even if customers aren’t tracked, then suppliers?

The Cycle of Records Management “Life” cycle of a record – Creation – Use – Storage – Retrieval – Disposition Can vary depending on the type of record – Legally required? – How/why created? – How received? – What form?

Impact of Technology on Records Management Umm…DUH! – Less paper – Cheaper – Faster – Easier – Safer (more secure) Can see who’s been looking at what

ARMA.org Originally stood for Association of Records Managers and Administrators Professional organization Ok to look at, but really nothing but a sales pitch… – Register for certifications, online courses – Subscribe to journals – Purchase other related materials

Would you like a career in Records Management? LOTS of options Successful candidate qualities? – Database literate – Trustworthy with sensitive information – Ability to delegate You probably won’t be able to do EVERYTHING in the cycle! – Ability to determine what needs to be handled

Records Management Vocabulary Accession log – List of code numbers assigned to each record that shows the next available code number in a numeric filing system Aka accession book OR…number list. Bar code – Do you really need this definition?! – Unique pattern of printed vertical lines and spaces containing information that is read electronically

Records Management Vocabulary CD and DVD, -R, -ROM, -RW, and WORM – Compact disc and Digital Versatile discs BOTH defined as ‘optical discs’ – R = Recordable Record once, replay infinitely Same as a WORM – Write Once, Read Many – ROM = Read Only Memory Pre-recorded – RW = Rewritable Can record and then record over

Records Management Vocabulary Charge out & follow up – Procedure for fulfilling requests to borrow records (charge out) and for making sure that records are returned on time and refiled correctly (follow up) Coding – Marking the units in the name or subject under which a record will be filed Correspondence – Incoming AND outgoing communication in written form Snail mail, , faxes, etc.

Records Management Vocabulary Cross-reference – Hopefully another ‘duh’ – An entry directing attention to another related heading. – Directs a person to look elsewhere for a record or more information Database – File of related records all of which should share the same fields Completed customer app will have name, address, social and DOB, etc.

Records Management Vocabulary Digital record – Created by a computer system – Electronic mail – Incoming and outgoing messages sent electronically by way of computer networks Fax – Facsimile – Machine that scans a document and converts it to electronic signals to send, and converts the signals and prints a copy to receive

Records Management Vocabulary Field – A position set aside for a specific type (piece) of information Name, address, phone number, etc.

Records Management Vocabulary File – A collection of related records arranged in a systematic way and stored either manually or electronically Ex. A patient’s medical history with a particular doctor – All visits for that patient (‘related records’) are stored in the same file (systematic by customer name), probably in order of date of visit Filing – Arranging records into predetermined sequences Alphabetic Numeric Subject Date

Records Management Vocabulary Filing indexing unit – A number, letter, or word (or any combo) used as part of the filing segment Filing segment – The entire name, subject, or number used for filing purposes Guide – Divider with a captioned tab that is used to separate and identify sections in a file to facilitate retrieval of records

Records Management Vocabulary Indexing – Selecting the filing segment under which to store a record and determining the order in which the units should be considered Proper names or business names with several words Information – Data that are contained in records and that are meaningful or useful – Data is the raw, information is processed

Records Management Vocabulary Microimage records – Records that are photographed in reduced sizes and stored on microfilm or microfiche. OCR – Optical Character Recognition – The process of scanning printed characters or photos and converting them to digital format – Like a fax machine without sending; just stores the information

Records Management Vocabulary Records – All materials preserved for future reference Records manager – Person responsible for controlling the cycle of an organization’s records, as well as the maintenance, protection, and preservation Cycle? – Creation, use, storage, retrieval, disposition

Records Management Vocabulary Records retention & disposition schedule – List of types of records that indicates for each type how long it is to be maintained and when it may be destroyed Release mark – Symbol placed on a record, usually in the form of initials, a code, or a stamp, indicating that the record is ready to be filed