1. RECORDS MANAGEMENT EMMANUEL BAIDOO COLLEGE SECRETARY, COLLEGE OF BASIC AND APPLIED SCIENCES

2. DEFINITION/OBJECTIVES OF RECORDS MANAGEMENT
Records management is the application of systematic and scientific controls and management procedures to recorded information required in the operation of an organizational business
Objectives of Records Management
Any functional records management programme should have the following as its major objectives:
To furnish accurate, timely and complete information for decision making

3. DEFINITION/OBJECTIVES OF RECORDS MANAGEMENT
To process recorded information as effectively as possible
To provide records and information at the lowest cost
To render maximum service to the users of the records
To dispose of the records as soon as they are no longer needed.

4. DEFINITION/OBJECTIVES OF RECORDS MANAGEMENT
Key Words
Timeliness Accessibility
Accuracy Usefulness (Value)
Completeness
Cost-effectiveness

5. WHY RECORDS MANAGEMENT
To control the creation and growth of records
To reduce operating cost
To improve efficiency and productivity
To ensure regulatory compliance
To minimize the risks of litigation
To safeguard vital information
To support better management decision making
To preserve corporate or institutional memory

6. WHY RECORDS MANAGEMENT
To take advantage of Information Technology
Prevent re-inventing the wheel
Records Life Cycle
This is a theory which likens information and for that matter records to biological organisms. They live a life –born (creation phase); live (maintenance and use phase); die (disposition phase). The theory states, that the life cycle of the records must be holistically or integratedly managed.

7. MANAGING RECORDS CREATION PHASE
The management of the first phase of the records life cycle is particularly important because if administered effectively it will:
Prevent the creation of non essential records
It decreases the volume of records to be controlled, stored and disposed of.
Enhance the utility and value of records that are needed;

8. MANAGING RECORDS CREATION PHASE
The specific elements involved here are:
Form Design/Management
Examples of forms developed at the University of Ghana are:
Application Forms Concessional Forms
Forms for Leave of Absence Promotion Forms
Sabbatical Leave Forms Admission Forms
Performance Appraisal Forms
Annual Leave Forms

9. MANAGING THE RECORDS CREATION PHASE
Correspondence
All incoming and out-going correspondence are received and stamped at the Registry. The incoming correspondence are collated in the “To See” file and sent to the Director for his/ her action. The Director after going through will refer the correspondence to the various unit Heads who are to work on them. These correspondence are brought back to the Registry and placed on respective files i.e. Subject Matter, Personal Files of Staff and sent to the respective Units.

10. MANAGING THE RECORDS CREATION PHASE
The same place is used to dispatch out-going letters. These correspondences are recorded in the dispatch book showing where they are going, the date and name and signature of the recipient. Alternatively they are sent through the University Internal Mail Office.

11. MANAGING THE RECORDS CREATION PHASE
Filing Systems
Types of Files
There are three main types of files. i.e. Confidential, Personal and Subject Matter Files. Personal files can be sent from one office to the other for reference purposes. On Personal Files, the following documents are filed:
Application letters from the candidates
Application Forms of the candidates
Curriculum Vitae of candidates

12. MANAGING THE RECORDS CREATION PHASE
Candidates academic certificates
Candidates transcripts of academic records
Letters inviting candidates for Interviews
Appointment letters
Letters from the candidates accepting appointments made.
All other correspondence on the staff, for example, annual leave, maternity leave, permission to travel, Hospital reports among others

13. MANAGING THE RECORDS CREATION PHASE
However, unlike Personal Files, Confidential Files cannot be sent to any other office. They are kept in the Director’s office. On Confidential Files, the following documents are filed:
Application letters from the candidates
Application Forms of the candidates
Curriculum Vitae of candidates
Candidates academic certificates
Candidates transcripts of academic records
Letters inviting candidates for Interviews

14. MANAGING THE RECORDS CREATION PHASE
Appointment letters
Letters from the candidates accepting appointments made.
All confidential or appraisal reports from the Head of Department.
Special assessments on the candidate’s performance.
Reports of Committees of Inquiry on the candidate
Candidate’s dossier for promotion.
Promotion letters

15. MANAGING THE RECORDS CREATION PHASE
Office Manual All Institutions need to develop an Office Manual which indicates the various types of files, codes for the units of the organization, where the files are stored, and the classification systems used; i.e. alphabetical, numeric or alpha-numeric. The Office Manual describes the filling system of an organization.

16. MANAGING THE RECORDS CREATION PHASE
Reports management
Examples of reports are the various Reports and Minutes of both Statutory and Ad hoc Committees of the University.
Directives management
Directives are the records containing the policies, instructions and directives to staff. For eg. The Statutes of the University, Conditions of Service, Scheme of Service, Students Hand Book etc.

17. MANAGING THE MANAGEMENT AND USE PHASE
The second phase involves the control, use and storage of records needed to carry out or facilitate the activities of an organization.
It embodies measures to ensure
Ready availability of needed information and records.
Cost-effective use of current information and records
Selection of supplies, equipment and locations for storage of records.

18. MANAGING THE MANAGEMENT AND USE PHASE
The component elements of this phase of management are as follows:
Filling and Retrieval System
Files Management
Mail and Telecommunication Management
Copy Machine Management
Vital Records Protection Programmes
Records Centre Programmes

19. MANAGING THE DISPOSITION PHASE
The third phase of records management is a critical one. It involves decision on which records should be saved as permanent documentation of the organization’s past and how long after their creation, should other records be retained for on-going administration or legal reason, before their destruction.
Effective records disposition programmes will consider the following activities:

20. MANAGING THE DISPOSITION PHASE
Identification and description of records by series or class.
Scheduling of these series or class for retention or disposal purposes.
Appraisal to determine which records merit permanent retention as archives
Transfer of permanent records to the Archives.
Periodic disposal of non-permanent records.

21. LEGISLATION GUIDING DISPOSITION IN GHANA/OFFICES OF CREATIONS
Legislations Guiding Disposition In Ghana
Public Archives Ordinance 1955, No. 35 of 1955
Public Archives Regulations 1958, LN
State Property and Contracts Act. 1960
The Limitations Decree NRCD 54 of 1972
The Financial Administration Regulations, 1979 LT

22. LEGISLATION GUIDING DISPOSITION IN GHANA/OFFICES OF CREATIONS
These are the various units which create records needed for the performance of their legitimate functions. These units include:
The Registry
The Records Centre
The Archives

23. THE REGISTRY/THE RECORDS CENTRE
This is the institution which provides functional storage and retrieval facilities to current and active records of every organization.
Normally located very close to the user departments. The registry engages in:
managing mails
processing records
provision of storage facilities

24. THE REGISTRY/THE RECORDS CENTRE
filing and retrieval
aspects of disposition
The Records Centre
The Records Centre is the main institution which houses and provides for the management of non-current or inactive records. They could be either located within the structure of the offices they serve or outside the premises, depending upon a number of factors like space, security, and risk factors like fire and flooding.

25. THE ARCHIVES
This is the facility for storing records which have finished serving the administrative purpose for which they were created and yet have acquired important historical or research values for which they should be permanently kept.
The registries, records centres and the archives are not to be seen and managed as mutually exclusive units but as institutions along the continuum of the life of a record. There is the need for a strong unit co-ordination.

26. THE ARCHIVES
Symptoms of Poor Records Management
Regular cases of lost files, information etc.
File titles not reflecting their contents
Files too bulky/torn.
Officers retaining files in their offices
Confidential/security information accessible to all
Duplication of information and files
Delays in decision making and taking action
Slow retrieval
Increasing demand for storage space

27. BARRIERS TO RECORDS MANAGEMENT
Records Management programmes do not generate income.
Records Management is not most institution’s primary function. They are facilitative.
Records Management does not constitute institutional priority.

28. BARRIERS TO RECORDS MANAGEMENT
REFERENCES
Akussah, H., “Records Management, An Overview”, proceedings of In service Training on Records Management organized for Secretarial and Messengerial staff of the University of Ghana at the Great Hall, University of Ghana on November 23, 2000
Baidoo, E., “Records Management in Tertiary Institutions: A Case Study Analysis of the University of Ghana, Legon and the University of Education, Winneba”, Lap Lambert Academic Publishing, Saarbrücken, Germany, 2013

29. THE END
THANK YOU