Records Management was recently added as the sixteenth collaborative project in the Partnership.  The project will seek to develop common policies and procedures, and to establish a forum to disseminate best practice in the areas of records management, Data Protection and Freedom of Information.

As well as Swansea University. Swansea Metropolitan University and University of Wales Trinity St David, the universities at Aberystwyth and Lampeter have been invites to attend as observers, thereby involving the whole higher education sector in south west Wales.

Records Management

Records management is the field of management responsible for the efficient and systematic control of the creation, receipt, maintenance, use and disposition of records (ISO 15489). Organisations use records in the conduct of their business:

• to inform decisions and actions
• to prove what was decided in the past
• to establish precedents
• to support accountability and transparency
• to meet legal, regulatory and fiscal requirements.

When an organisation’s records are not properly managed:

• they may be unable to show accountability
• whether procedures and policies were correctly followed
• they may be unable to defend liability claims
• they may be unable to prove rights or protect assets
• critical information may not be available when required.

Increasingly, organizations are recognizing the benefits of well-managed records and are implementing programmes to ensure that the appropriate records are created and retained.  An effective records management programme will also ensure that records are available for use when needed, that privacy and confidentiality are maintained and that unnecessary records are consistently destroyed.