Efficient Record and Document Management (Booklet)

Citation

(2000), "Efficient Record and Document Management (Booklet)", Industrial Management & Data Systems, Vol. 100 No. 9, pp. 459-460. https://doi.org/10.1108/imds.2000.100.9.459.2

How and where should information be stored so that organisations can maintain, and even improve, competitive advantage? This is just one of the issues covered in a new booklet, Efficient Record and Document Management, produced by Dexion Limited. The 20 page booklet provides a succinct guide to developing a systematic information strategy for records and documents, with contributions by The Association for Information Management (Aslib) and The Chartered Institute of Secretaries and Administrators. It looks at the main management and legal issues affecting any organisation that needs to ensure that the right information is in the right place at the right time.

The underlying theme of the guide is that by developing an efficient record and document management policy, any organisation can maximise their working efficiency and make the best use of the amount of available space. It explains, for example, how organisations can maintain easy access to frequently used information by classifying records and documents as requiring “dynamic” “active” or “deep” storage.

The booklet also explores the legal and statutory implications of document and records management, with sections on the Data Protection Act 1998, Health and Safety legislation and statutory retention periods. It includes a helpful table of statutory retention periods for documents and records covered by legislation.

Other issues covered in the guide are electronic data, choosing the appropriate storage systems and comparative floor area requirements for document storage. A list of organisations that can provide more detailed information on all of the topics covered is also included.

In the foreword to the guide, Alison Scammell of The Association for Information Management (Aslib), reminds readers that, although there may be a contemporary preoccupation with electronic media, “it is easy to forget that a vast amount of information remains paper‐based and that the management and storage of these records is a critical task for any organisation.” For this reason, she says, the booklet will be of use to anyone concerned with the physical aspects of record management.

Efficient Record and Document Management can be obtained from Dexion Limited, Maylands Avenue, Hemel Hempstead HP2 7DF. Tel: +44 (0) 1442 242261; Fax: 01442 342448; E‐mail: mike.chapman@dexion.co.uk