Establishing a Vital Records Programme

Abstract

The Records or Information Manager has two basic types of records for which he is responsible. These are operational and vital corporate records. Only a small number of records fall into the latter group, probably less than 20% of a company's total documentation. It is therefore very easy for a Records Manager to become so concerned with the sheer volume of operational records and the problem of managing these that the special requirements of the vital records are neglected. He does so at the peril of his organisation which may never recover from a disaster if proper steps have not been taken to adequately protect these records. In areas of the world where disasters such as wars and earthquakes are not a part of daily life there is a tendency to become complacent. However, business premises are regularly experiencing floods and fires which can easily destroy a company to such an extent that it is never able to recover.

Citation

Kenny, A. (1989), "Establishing a Vital Records Programme", Records Management Journal, Vol. 1 No. 2, pp. 54-60. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb027022