Links between educational archives and records management...

Archivists are involved in the process of identifying the development of existing patterns of client access to records, as well as appraising, selecting, preserving and disposing of records at the end of the information management cycle. In order to complete these tasks as successfully as possible, the in-house archivist must attempt to become acquainted with the earliest stages of the life of the records produced within the educational institution. Archivists working in small to medium sized educational institutions need to be keenly aware of the circumstances surrounding the creation of records within the organisation, records usage in the early stages of records cycle, as well as any computer hardware and software associated with the early stages of records management.

Links between educational archives and records management...

Changes in information technology have contributed to an increasing tendency amongst administrators as well as information specialists to see strong links between the roles of the archivist and the records manager within an organisation. A global approach to the life of a record places the record in a continuum, and examines the management of records from their creation to their status as non-current or inactive documents. So an educational administration could conceivably be based in part on a close working relationship between senior administrators, a records management section and archivists. If a records manager is not present in a small or medium sized organisation, personnel responsible for the archives may be required to provide advice or feedback linked to the management of active records. Similarly, if a small or medium organisation lacks archive staff, then an administrative staff member responsible for active records may be called upon by senior administrators to provide assistance with the appraisal, storage or disposal of semi-active or inactive records.

Educational administration and quality information services...

The strength of the relationship between educational administrators and personnel in educational records management and archives repositories relies upon both the quality of the management’s awareness of the importance of records and the level of the service provided by the staff involved in records management and archives. Records and archive personnel must be able to retrieve relevant information when it is required. Care must also be taken to ensure that the information is not poor in quality, and sufficient to meet the needs of the management.

Educational records management, educational archives and risk managment...

In an increasingly litigious age, educational records management and archivists can play an important role in assisting an educational administration by retrieving records during the course of legal proceedings. The archive may need to supply a range of permanent administrative records, from student or staff files to documents related to title deeds and land ownership, gifts, and bequests. Educational records management and archives administration is increasingly related to corporate risk management.

The educational archive and management obligations.

The archive can provide evidence of continuing management obligations and rights as well as instruments of power, legitimacy and accountability which facilitate corporate and interpersonal connections. Information from an in-house educational archive, such as financial and inventory documents, and statements of responsibility, as well as staff and student records, can be used when the management wishes to evaluate long-standing control systems within the organisation or department. This would help administrators to implement corrective action where necessary, or revise methods of strategic or operational control.

Management planning and data from the archives.

An efficient management uses the planning process to give an organisation or department a purpose and direction, and develop the potential for effective growth within the organization or department. The availability of information and the quality of information are vital factors in the thinking process for strategy formulation, and the development of a corporate strategy. Data from the in-house archive can be used by the management during the planning process, in order to help define situations and circumstances, determine aids and barriers to the planning process, recognise and understand past and present goals and objectives, develop new goals, objectives, programs, and sets of actions, and then identify communication flows and networks.

Decision making and management data from the educational archives...

Rational decision-making and problem-solving activities stand at the core of educational administration, and the capacity to make choices, the central component of the decision-making process, relies on the availability of information. Data from educational archives can help management staff to diagnose problems and establish priorities during the problem-solving process. Archival information can also be used to help develop potential solutions to problems. Data from the archives could, for example, help administrators to understand the evolution of parental attitudes, and then adapt public relations and communication programs.

The educational archive as a source of information for management...

Effective management depends on the managers’ ability to gain access to information. Educational administrators need archives linked to their educational institution, department or organisation because archives can supply vital information for a wide range of continuing administrative tasks as well as special projects. The archives should serve as a long-term collective memory, capable of supporting planning tasks and decision-making by providing records of access to earlier sources of knowledge and practical expertise, as well as records of previous decisions, actions, and outcomes. In essence, the archives can supply educational administrators with important historical perspectives.

Records management, archives and corporate memory…

Politicians, religious and corporate leaders, individuals involved in the media, educational administrators, parents, teachers, and students refer to both active and inactive educational records on a regular basis. Active records in the records management stream are vital for the day to day administration of activities that support teaching and learning processes, and educational archives at the end of the records management stream are vital for the preservation of corporate memory. In essence, educational records help to preserve information about organizational and social activities that individuals, a corporate body and society at large deem to be of ongoing value. The archives of an educational institution have a key role to play in the administration of the parent institution. These archives can supply knowledge of past and present interactions to present and future staff members, thereby supporting their activities as well as assisting the continuing development of the institution.

Introduction...

This blog is devoted to the development and administration of records management programs and archives within institutions associated with elementary or primary education, secondary education and post-secondary education. It will address issues related to the role of records management and archives as components of the administrative structure of an educational institution, the issue and opportunities related to the preservation of educational records, the creation of control records that support the administration of records management and archives in an educational institution, the links between marketing, heritage issues, historical research, education, and records management and archives, as well as the relationships between an official archive for an educational institution and other repositories and databases.