A records manager is the professional responsible for records management in an organization. This role has evolved over time and takes many forms, with many related areas of knowledge required for professional competency. Records managers are found in all types of organizations, including business, government, and nonprofit sectors. Generally, dedicated (i.e., full-time) records managers are found in larger organizations.

History

Records management evolved from the development of

archives An archive is an accumulation of historical records or materials – in any medium – or the physical facility in which they are located. Archives contain primary source documents that have accumulated over the course of an individual ...

in the United States government following

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. With the explosion of paper records during that war, better systems of management were needed to retain and make the records available for current use. Records managers became specialists that bridged the gap between file clerks and

archivist An archivist is an information professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to records and archives determined to have long-term value. The records maintained by an archivist can consis ...

s. The profession expanded into the corporate world in the 1950s.

Competencies

The records manager generally provides expertise in records management, constituting knowledge areas of: * Records creation and use * Active and inactive records systems * Records appraisal, retention and disposition * Vital records identification and protection * Records and information management technology The Records Manager may also have subject matter expertise in: * Law *

Privacy Privacy (, ) is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves, and thereby express themselves selectively. The domain of privacy partially overlaps with security, which can include the concepts of a ...

and

data protection Information privacy is the relationship between the collection and dissemination of data, technology, the public expectation of privacy, contextual information norms, and the legal and political issues surrounding them. It is also known as da ...

Information technology Information technology (IT) is the use of computers to create, process, store, retrieve, and exchange all kinds of data . and information. IT forms part of information and communications technology (ICT). An information technology system ...

and electronic storage systems * General business principles

Specialization

Records managers are present in virtually every type of organization. The role can range from one of a file clerk to the chief information officer of an organization. Records managers may focus on operational responsibilities, design strategies and policies for maintaining and utilizing information, or combine elements of those jobs. The health care industry has a very specialized view of records management. Health information management involves not only maintaining patient files, but also coding the files to reflect the diagnoses of the conditions suffered by patients. The

American Health Information Management Association The American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) is a professional association for health professionals involved in the health information management needed to deliver quality health care to the public. Traditionally focused mainl ...

(AHIMA) is the professional organization in this space. Records managers in the pharmaceutical industry are responsible for maintaining laboratory research, clinical trials data, and manufacturing information. Records managers in law firms often have responsibility for managing conflicts, as well as managing client matter files. In the United States, records managers in nuclear power plants specialize in compliance with the

Nuclear Regulatory Commission The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is an independent agency of the United States government tasked with protecting public health and safety related to nuclear energy. Established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, the NRC began oper ...

rules regarding the handling of nuclear materials. NIRMA is their local professional organization.

Education and certification

Records managers may have degrees in a wide variety of subjects in all disciplines, and few universities offer formal records management education. Graduate-level programs are often specialties within Library Science and Archival Science programs. Graduate-level

Public History Public history is a broad range of activities undertaken by people with some training in the discipline of history who are generally working outside of specialized academic settings. Public history practice is deeply rooted in the areas of historic ...

programs generally offer coursework in archives and records management. A recent addition to records management education in the United States is the MARA – th
Master of Archives and Records Administration
degree program — offered by the San Jose State University School of Information. Professional and trade organizations offer continuing education conferences, seminars, and workshops. Governmental archives and records management departments such as the

National Archives and Records Administration The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It i ...

offer educational programs of interest to government records managers. A professional certification, the Certified Records Manager credential is offered by the

Institute of Certified Records Managers The Institute of Certified Records Managers or ICRM is an international certifying organization of and for professional records and information managers. It is affiliated with ARMA International and the Nuclear Information and Records Management ...

. Other organizations may offer certificates reflecting completion of a course of studies, attendance at a seminar, or passing a subject matter test.

References

{{reflist Information management Records management

History

Competencies

Specialization

Education and certification

See also

References