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Because of the power and importance of records as a resource, managing records over time is a necessity. Management means imposing a regime which influences the control, accessibility, disposal, and storage of this irreplacable evidence and which manages itself effectively.

Regimes adhering to these core functions ensure that reliable records of the highest quality and integrity are available in a timely fashion for authorised use at the right price. These processes further guarantee that the best of the records continue to be available effectively and efficiently as part of our cultural knowledge base.

Learn more about the Basic concepts and principles of archives management.

 CADSS

The functions embodied in the acronym CADSS (for Control, Accessibility, Disposal, Storage and Sustain) make up the core of all information management activities.

CONTROL

The CADSS management model begins with C symbolising the function of Control. Whilst the word 'Control' also conveys the overall goal of records/archives management, Control as a discrete function includes all recordkeeping activities required to:

• bring a record into existence as complete, integrated entity that can serve as reliable evidence of the acts to which it attests;

• identify the physical and intellectual attributes of a record's content, structure and context;

• devise/identify and assign a physical 'address' for the record so that the record can be safely stored and efficiently retrieved;

• articulate/represent and document the attributes and 'address' above as an integral part of the record and of the information systems controlling access and retrieval of the record and/or of information about the record.

Machine-readable records such as video and audio tapes are more complex to describe than paper-based materials because understanding and accessing them needs special machinary. Documenting how these records were made and what technologies were used in their making is an integral part of the 'Control' function of record keepers.

In this photo, an archivist makes notes about the content of an oral history tape, relating it to numbers as registered by a counter on the tape recorder. Future listeners should be able to find particular content without listening to the whole oral history.

In creating/custodial offices, Control would include all tasks associated with creating and/or receiving and organising records physically and intellectually for initial use. If there is a centralised or coordinating entity such as central registry, records management and/or information services with this responsibility, there is a chance for cohesion and continuity.

However, the likelihood that these entities have been discarded or ignored in the technologically driven decentralisation of management and concurrent elimination of clerical support (more chiefs, less indians) means that there may be no records system-wide coordination over such critical factors as file content, structure, titling or indexing/access points, nor would any given record necessarily have an inviolable, integral link with its context of creation.

You never know what you might encounter in a body of records. Ham sandwiches, cockroaches, peanuts, well chewed gum, even mummified birds have been uncovered when arranging and describing abandoned masses of files.

However in this case, the lollypop is not detritus, but an integral part of the record. This special circular was sent to employees by a trade union seeking members support against the company.

Using a synonym for the lollypop, can you complete the opening slogan of the Union's campaign? 'Don't be a _________!'

Click to find out what the slogan was!

In traditional archival repositories, Control embraces a range of activities known as accessioning and arrangement and description. These processes document the nature and origins of the material and explain them to prospective researchers.

In many cases archivists must conduct extensive research to recover or re-construct information needed to explain records that was lost long ago. In this work, they may employ investigative principles and techniques similar to those used by archaeologists.

SITE TO VISIT - The Archivist's Primer: Introduction to Archival Organization and Description - a site hosted by the South Carolina Historical Society to explain the forensic work that archivists do in anlaysing and organising collections so that they can be understood and used by researchers.

ACCESSIBILITY

The function of Accessibility covers all activities associated with determining, administering and facilitating access to and use of records/archives. Accessibility may involve the acquisition or design and operation of specialist facilities, services, expertise and information sources to ensure that:

• laws, regulations, conditions and terms of access to records/archives are suitable, authoritative, documented, disseminated and properly administered;
• information about the records/archives, about obtaining access to them and about using them effectively is accurate, understandable, timely and readily available to authorised users;
• prospective users and their uses are appropriate, authorised and documented;
• the records/archives are retrieved, used and returned to safe custody in a timely manner.

Providing access to images can be difficult as pictures do not translate well into words and producing full size photographs of images is costly. One solution which achieves access and preservation objectives is to copy the most important images, creating a security negative for preservation and a miniature contact print to include with the finding aid in bound form or in a loose card file as shown here.

With the advent of computers and scanning technologies, many of these manual files can be scanned and made accessible electronically. Image databases can provide digital access to important photo collections either on site or over the Internet.

In creating/custodial offices, Accessibility is represented by the systems and practices that govern which staff may see and use records and the mechanisms for controlling and documenting authorised access and use. Common activities include checking passwords and clearances, monitoring record movements documentation and auditing use.

In traditional archives, the activities of Accessibility are called 'reference services' and centre around a designated reading or research room facility.

Accessibility may also involve the creation of more detailed or subject oriented finding aids such as indexes or special guides or lists. These tools create additional points of access (by subject, name of participant, date, type of record, geographic location) which complement the basic structural finding aids based upon provenance.

Client-oriented training and education to promote the use of archives or to develop research skills is also included in the accessibility function.

Providing a suitable environment for research work is a continuing challenge. This supervised reference facility is spacious, quiet and well furnished for comfort and efficiency.

In the public sector, both archives repositories and creating/custodial offices also have a general responsibility to make information and/or records available to the public under such legislation as Freedom of Information, Privacy and Archives or Public Records Acts.

Popular finding aids, such as this one , are paying a high price from overuse. Part of reference management is to prevent such occurences. What would you recommend to ensure that this problem does not recur?

Check Answer

SITES TO VISIT - Access to information about archival holdings and viewing actual archives over the Internet is becoming more common. Visit the sites of the National Archives of Australia and Canada to access both information and actual archives.

DISPOSAL

The Disposal function incorporates all activities involved in:

• identifying and documenting/surveying organised activities and records making/keeping systems within a designated universe of records keeping responsibility;
• determining what documentation reflecting organised activity within a designated record making/keeping system should be retained and, conversely, what should be destroyed;
• authorising when, where, how and by whom these decisions will be implemented and documented;
• providing advice, mechanisms, facilities and documentation for systematic, secure and accountable disposal processes and outcomes.
  

Properly designed disposal instructions inform employees of how and when to close files, of where and how long to store them, and ultimately, whether they are to be destroyed or preserved indefinitely as archives.

In creating/custodial offices, Disposal embraces activities such as:

• conducting records use/location/activity audits;
• providing information about records use/location/activity for disposal decision-making;
• drafting or responding to proposed disposal decisions and recommendations;
• approving, implementing and reporting disposal actions.

In traditional archives, the Disposal function is generally manifest in activities to identify and select or appraise/evaluate records of enduring value, but may also include the disposal and de-accessioning of unwanted material following appraisal or subsequent re-appraisal.

SITES TO VISIT - Find out how the National Archives of Australia identifies nationally significant archival records.

STORAGE

The Storage function is largely concerned with the physical preservation and care of records and archives through the use of archivally sound and/or appropriate :

• recording technology and media, packaging components/supplies, storage equipment, facilities, macro- and micro-environments;
• handling procedures during retrieval/refile, use, copying, display, transfer and transport;
• macro-preservation actions including:
  - risk assessment and minimisation;
  - preventative and protective intervention activities;
  - disaster response and recovery planning;
  - collection and environmental stability monitoring; and
  - informational copying/media migration;
• micro-conservation treatments to stabilise, repair, strengthen and/or protect individual documents or series.

Training programs to educate record creators and support staff in the proper care of long-term records can help eliminate destructive practices such as those evident in this nightmare storage room.

What threats to record preservation and integrity can you see in this picture?

Check Answer

Within creating/custodial offices, Storage can be badly fragmented. Decisions affecting the choice of record making technology, media, components/supplies and equipment are frequently divided among the Information Systems or IT services section, purchasing, central records/registry (if it exists) and individual office managers of decentralised records systems.

Find out about the characteristics of Effective storage/preservation programs.

Standards and procedures for records and file maintenance and handling can be chaotic if no central policy or coordinating responsibility exists.

In traditional archival repositories, the Storage function may be shared between two organisational entities- program administration which frequently manages the plant/facilities and technical and/or preservation services, which may also include centralised microfilming, photographic and electrostatic copying.

Specialist forms of records require appropriate packaging to facilitate access and ensure preservation. Here, audio tapes are boxed in acid free cartons to protect them from dust.

SITES TO VISIT - To explore the world of archival preservation, visit Conservation OnLine(CoOL) for a vast array of links and news items.

SUSTAIN

The final CADSS letter represents Sustain, which is used here as a synonym for management - the function that sustains the recordkeeping regime as a viable and effective component of its host organisation.

Whether a particular operation is large or small, all professional recordkeepers must fullfil their management responsibilities to acquire and deploy valuable resources and to get work done productively, effectively, harmoniously.

1. Know what ensuring essential evidence through effective recordkeeping requires and how it can be achieved in various contexts.
2. Set realistic written objectives which complement and support the overall purpose and strategies of your host organisation.
3. Identify others who require essential evidence in their work and involve them meaningfully and appropriately in the process of setting and achieving these objectives.
4. Acquire and deploy resources (staff, facilities, funds) to meet these objectives.
5. Use the agreed upon objectives and distributed work tasks as the focus to encourage cooperation/collaboration and achieve productivity (management by objectives).
6. Assess the quality and quantity of progress and end results (evaluate performance).
7. Obtain and disseminate essential knowledge, skills, techniques, attitudes on a continuing basis.

Recordkeeping staff are essential to the smooth running of an organisation and require appropriate training and resources to effectively fulfill their roles.

Because recordkeeping regimes must establish and operate effectively across the whole organisation, it is essential that recordkeeping professionals understand and learn to enhance the influence and, thereby, the effectiveness of their recordkeeping regimes. The pathway to success is smoother when one or more of the following conditions exists or can be created:

• A workplace culture that fosters productive, professional relationships and welcomes diversity.
• A constituency (or at least those members which are themselves powerful or close to power) which knows/ understands/ appreciates the function of recordkeeping.
• A host body which itself employs the regime for a full ranges of recordkeeping services, including protection of its own records with enduring value or archives.
• An integrated archives/records management program which provides services to meet the host business, regulatory and cultural/historical recordkeeping needs.

• An administrative placement and structures that facilitate ready access to key decisionmakers; are linked to powerful units with authority across organisation and/or are not too far down the chain of hierarchy.
• A host body with a cohesive focus on recordkeeping, not just on administering a 'heritage' or 'culture'. For example, archival collections may be administered as cultural heritage, along with a museum, art gallery and/or library materials. When archives are administered strictly as cultural objects split off from the recordkeeping regimes that generated them, those powerful organic relationships that link them to ongoing management effectiveness and regulatory accountability are broken. In such cases, archives may appear restrictive and mundane in comparison with more accessible, visual, understandable and, therefore, sexier, more exploitable art and museum material.

Visibility and networking are crucial to recordkeeping effectiveness. As the sign attests, the archivist of this college has positioned the archive for optimum contact with the powerful.

 Recordkeeping regimes

The professionally managed recordkeeping regime = A rewarding investment

Global diversity and complexity is placing greater and greater emphasis upon recordkeeping systems. Good recordkeeping doesn't happen automatically. The design and operation of recordkeeping regimes ie. the programs for making and managing records, requires specialist professional knowledge and skill. And, as with all worthwhile enterprises, you must invest appropriate resources to achieve effective results.

Where we work: The recordkeeping context

As stated earlier, everyone needs and keeps records, though some do it more extensively and formally than others. Generally, recordkeeping specialists do their work within public or private sector organisations as part of work units bearing some variation of the title: Archives and Records Management Services.

1. Public sector placements

A public recordkeeping authority that oversees the capture and maintenance of evidence on behalf of 'the people' performs a duty of care that requires objectivity. Thus it may be established as an independent body, or, provided regulations protecting its integrity are present, it may be part of a larger agency administering centralised management or heritage responsibilities.

Independent Body - Statutory authority or corporate entity, often with an advisory board composed of public 'watchdogs', industry experts and stakeholders.

Part of larger agency - recordkeeping regime reports to:

• Multi functional cultural or heritage department
• Administrative services department
• Library or historical society or museum
• Department of State or 'secretariat' equivalent
• Office of Chief Executive

2. Private sector placements

Generally recordkeeping regimes in private enterprises are established to serve the mission of that host body and serve business and regulatory requirements as their first priority. However, most private enterprises now recognise corporate good citizenship as a vital and fragile business asset. As a result, many are relying more on their recordkeeping regimes, particularly their archives, to provide long-term evidence of their societal contributions. Mirroring their organisation's primary evidential concerns, most recordkeeping regimes in the private sector are 'headquartered' in one of the following areas:

• Multi functional administrative services
• Legal department
• Secretariat
• Public relations/Advertising
• Research and development
• Corporate information services, including information systems and information technology

Whether public or private, effective recordkeeping regimes must always be centrally designed and coordinated, but may be decentralised in their implementation and daily operations.

Type and functional emphasis

The tangible features of the program itself reflect the enterprise that hosts the recordkeeping program. Looking at the categories of human activity below, it is clear that there would be considerable differences in each sector's requirements and use of records. For example, private sector mining is less records intensive than medical services or social welfare.

Categories of human enterprise

Social quality sector enterprises - may be public or private or both

Cultural
Educational
Knowledge
Philanthropic
Political

Protective
Religious
Social
Social welfare

Agriculture
Industry
Manufacturing
Mining
Services - financial, telecommunications, etc.
Transport

Defence
Education
Health
Justice
Public works
Regulation
Revenue
Security

These major contextual factors create a distinctive personality for each recordkeeping regime by influencing the

• Nature of the work carried out by the host enterprise
• Scope of Jurisdiction (in-house/institutional, collecting, comprehensive)
• Functional emphasis(es) of recordkeeping service (business, regulatory and/or historical)
• Nature of holdings (range of media, record types)
• Major depositors
• Major user/client groups
• Types and size/extent of services/facilities
• Particular policy, practice or procedural requirements

The recordkeeping program of a fast food company will differ from that of a church; a school will have different records and emphases that a bank and so on.

Some programs serve a single organisation; others collect materials from many different sources. Those who manage the records of a host organisation are referred to as in-house or institutional recordkeeping regimes. Those that receive the inactive records/archives of a number of different bodies are known as collecting archives. Some programs may combine elements of both collecting and in-house work and are characterised as comprehensive recordkeeping regimes.

Increasingly in-house and comprehensive programs are utilising the Records Continuum regime management model to manage records from conception to untimate disposition; whereas collecting programs are more historically orientated and offer repository services exclusively for archival materials. Regardless of whether the type of regime is institutional/in-house, collecting or comprehensive, each one will emphasis different functional aspects of recordkeeping. For example, an institutional regime may be more focussed upon recordkeeping to achieve ongoing business objectives; another might be intent upon addressing legislative and regulatory requirements; a third, usually a collecting regime, might be designed more or less exclusively to recover and preserve evidence of the past. However, it is not unusual for a comprehensive program to be involved in all three, in varying degrees.

What is an effective recordkeeping regime?

Researchers from Monash University's Records Continuum Research Group have developed a checklist of features that characterise a fully competent and effective recordkeeping program.

So far the Group has concluded that the components of accountable recordkeeping include:

1. Accountable recordkeeping regimes at macro level.
2. Independent recordkeeping authority with powers adequate to its purpose
3. Professional standards and best practice promulgated and accepted by society.
   SITES TO VISIT - Visit sites providing Australian and International records and archive standards.
4. Compliant recordkeeping systems at micro level.
5. Beneficial alliances with other accountability players and relationships of trust with accountability stakeholders

SITE TO VISIT - for a detailed look at these five components of effective recordkeeping regimes see Archivists at Risk: Accountability and the Role of the Professional Society, a conference paper by Monash researchers McKemmish and Acland.

Recordkeeping in this small office creates records supporting its daily business on the left side of the room (just out of the picture) and files its completed business records in the cabinets shown on the right, where they are still accessible, but out of the way. To safeguard their vital records and accommodate their statutory retention requirements, the managers utilise the longer term and security storage services of their public records repository.

Facts, figures and encouragements for good recordkeeping

Authority, reponsibility and powers

It is vital that the top level of decision making understand and approve the recordkeeping regime, its functions and powers; without such recognition, the regime will be unable to fulfil its organisation-wide responsibilities for ensuring evidence and will thus expose the organisation to unacceptable levels of managerial and regulatory risk. The need for AUTHORITY, RESPONSIBILITY and POWER can be articulated in the following way:

1. One of the most critical tools that a professional recordkeeper can possess is sufficient AUTHORITY to obtain compliance with his/her regime’s policies and procedures. This authority to manage/control is granted by the ultimate decision-making entity within an organisation or bureaucratic system and is normally embodied in legislation(public sector) or in executive /administrative orders at the highest level (private sector).
2. The allocation of regime RESPONSIBILITY is twofold involving (i) Functional or operational responsibility to vest full responsibility and control over all aspects of records making, using and keeping within the organisation's entire scope of operations in the recordkeeping regime and (ii) Managerial authority which involves giving the recordkeeping professional the authority for developing/implementing/revising/enforcing requirements, standards and guidelines (policies, procedures) for all activities/resources which influence the quality and quantity of records throughout the entire management continuum of records making and keeping.
3. The POWER to carry out recordkeeping responsibility is embodied in regulations/administrative arrangements, standards, policies and guidelines issued by the recordkeeping regime acting on behalf of the highest authority. These documents specify what can and cannot be done across all activities which comprising and affecting the capture, preservation and accessibility of essential evidence as records. Ideally, all proposed actions impacting upon the quality or quantity of records media, file components, file housings, records creation, records storage areas, records creating/processing/storing technology, reprographics, records and files identification, documentation, maintenance and handling, records access & retrieval systems, automation, disposal, destruction, surveys, vital records protection, etc. should be subject to a coordinated approval and review process.

Unfortunately 1 and 2 in some settings are treated as if they were separate matters, rather than the two halves of the management whole. In such cases, an early and strong effort must be made to reunite and balance them; otherwise your regime cannot not be effective.

SITE TO VISIT - Find out more about the role of authority, responsibility and powers by looking at Eric Ketelaar’s RAMP Study on Archival and Records Management Legislation and Regulations on the UNESCO website.

In addition to the powers Ketelaar recommends, there are other measures that can facilitate recordkeeping effectiveness - see Powers assisting recordkeeping effectiveness.

Counting and accounting: Communicating the 'value' of recordkeeping

One of the difficulties alluded to by many recordkeepers is communicating the value of recordkeeping to non-specialist stakeholders, particularly to those who pay the bills and expect results and value for money. The challenge is to measure the impact of recordkeeping activity BEFORE and AFTER an interval and then express the outcomes in terms that the target audience values.

Creating and caputuring the information embodied in records represents a considerable investment. One has only to look at the salaries of those responsible for preparing and analysing high level management documents and reports to see that these items have cost a bundle. In addition, there are those vital databases of client informmation, product inventories, design specifications and plans, If these were lost or could only be found with a great amount of time and effort, the resulting cost in terms of delay would be huge.

Recordkeeping rewards

It is no surprise that progressive public and private organisations are realising that ONLY a well-managed recordkeeping program or regime provides the full, accurate and trustworthy evidence needed for optimum rewards such as:

1. Management decision support

2. Compliance with legislative/regulatory requirements

3. Risk management, litigation protection and support

4. Organisational continuity, efficiency and productivity

5. Corporate knowledge base quality control and vital asset protection

6. Fountainhead of societal conscience and memory

Recordkeeping and related professions

While recordkeeping institutions are responsible for capturing and maintaining the documentary evidence important to society, they share the overall role of knowledge preservation and cultural transfer with other heritage management institutions including libraries and museums.

What's the difference?

Chart 1: The institutions and their holdings compares the traditional professional responsibilities of registries, archives, libraries and museums

Chart 2: Access to facilities and holdings compares the institutions differing levels of user access.

Chart 3: Professional staff and issues compares the qualifications and professional concerns of staff at registries, archives, libraries and museums.

Most people base their expectations of original sources and archival research on early experiences at school and their use of local public libraries.

Many are surprised that they cannot 'browse' the shelves and borrow originals of records for use at home. They soon understand the need to protect irreplaceable materials by using facsimile copies.

Recordkeeping and specialist recordkeepers

The activities of fully mature recordkeeping regimes document the present and reconstruct the past; they serve business and culture equally through work in offices and in repositories. Overall, the professionally educated recordkeeping specialists working in them are competent to perform the Duties of a recordkeeping specialist.

As we have seen almost every process people undertake in the world generates or involves some form of record and EVERYBODY, not just specialists, is involved. We are all de facto recordkeepers, though few of us may be aware of our role as such. However, in this segment, we concentrate on those who undertake the design and management of recordkeeping systems and service regimes as paid professional work. Recordkeeping specialists oversee the infrastructure - the principles, standards, policies, plans, guidelines and technologies - and provide the advice and support that enables people in different contexts to have the documentation required to meet their personal, business, regulatory and cultural obligations.

Who we are

Career recordkeepers are attracted to the field because they want to do something worthwhile in society and because they enjoy investigative research. Because we manage our host organisation’s most vital and valuable information, recordkeeping specialists must be conscientious and trustworthy persons of good character. Fortunately, recent studies of the temperaments of professional archivists in Australia, Canada and the United States indicate that people attracted to such work are hard-working, respectful, modest, tenacious, decisive, problem-solvers who:

• are accurate, reliable and trustworthy;
• maintain stability, continuity and traditions;
• value sense of belonging, procedures, rules and detail;
• are logisticians ie. prefer to work with things than with people;
• have integrity and concern to 'do right' in the real world.

Whilst these findings apply to archivists only, I hypothesise that comparable studies of record managers and/or manuscript curators would produce similar results. Our employers and colleagues generally think we are nice people, but would like us to have a lighter touch, be less detailed and more strategic and possess much better people management skills. In short, they would like us to:

• exhibit positive, flexible can-do attitudes;
• combine good strategic sensibilities with team playing and leading skills;
• work productively within organisational culture;
• develop the negotiation, communication & conflict resolution skills necessary to optimise our superior analytical and problem-solving abilities.

The work we do

For the most part, recordkeeping work comprises identifying and analysing records related challenges and marshalling resources to address them.

1. Holdings (the bodies of records we manage and information contained therein)
2. Services (storage, preservation, reference, disposal, education, advocacy, administration)
3. Facilities, equipment and systems
4. Expertise in recordkeeping and organisational behaviour (technical consultancy, training, advice and assistance)
5. Learning experiences ( involving clients and stakeholders in learning to use sources, equipment, facilities to solve problems or perform tasks and thereby gaining new benefits, knowledge,insights and enjoyment)

As recordkeeping professionals, we devise recordkeeping regimes to capture and manage the evidence that our firms, offices require to do their business and which our society demands to achieve cultural transfer and continuity. We hope to do it consistently, systematically, effectively and at a reasonable cost.
Often people wonder how recordkeeping work fits in with fields such as document management, knowledge management, information technology, data administration, and information systems. Because all of these specialisations are concerned with documentation, it is easy to become confused.

Competency standards for recordkeeping specialists

In order to ensure a level of consistency and competence in recordkeeping education around the English-speaking world, the profession has turned its attention to developing standards that are intended to guide the development and delivery of recordkeeping training and education.

What are competency standards?

• Competency standards describe what people do in the workplace at various levels and the standard to which they do it.
• Competency standards identify the characteristics possessed by individuals that enable them to be either assessed or judged competent in a particular task. The standards specify how these characteristics are to be applied and reflected in the workplace.
• Competency standards cover all aspects of work performance. These include the particular skills and knowledge required to do the job and all the necessary safety, communication and attitudinal aspects of undertaking the job.

Why is it important to have National Competency Standards for the records and archives industry?

National Competency Standards for recordkeeping work identify the competencies required at different levels of employment and work within the recordkeeping industry throughout a nation. They identify the standard at which these tasks are carried out competently on a national basis.

Achievement of these standards enables employees to move throughout the country, perhaps even internationally, with skills at identified levels that are transferable and uniformly recognised. A person who is regarded as competent at a particular task at a certain level in one State may also be expected to be competent to carry out a similar task in another State.

Competency standards are also beneficial to employers by aiding job design and organisation structures, staff recruitment, on-the-job training, and practical implementation of national and international standards for recordkeeping.

Professional education programs programs convey the basic knowledge and skills required by competency standards, but must also equip graduates to grapple with theoretical research challenges.

Examples of competency standards

Both Australia and Canada are pioneers in developing standard units for the training of recordkeeping specialists. The first versions of these were developed in 1997 and the latest revisions of them are set out below.

AUSTRALIA

In 1999-2000 Australia undertook a major revision of its competencies in preparation for developing generic training packages, identifying 4 levels of ever-deeper expertise. While detailed competencies exist for each level, the overview of Competency unit titles offers a good summary.

SITE TO VISIT - for more information about the Australian recordkeeping competencies, check out the website of the Records Management Association of Australasia.

CANADA

Canadian recordkeeping specialists are divided into two categories:

Level 1 Recordkeeping Specialist - assumes the role of a strategist; a person who sees the big picture in the organisation, how the business process of organisation operates. This individual would also understand the accountability needs of the organisation and how these must be built into the business and record keeping processes. The Level 1 Specialist would work at a strategic or upper management level in the following roles:

• Recordkeeping systems analyst

• Recordkeeping educator/consultant

• Recordkeeping strategist

• Recordkeeping policy driver

Recordkeeping educators must keep up-to-date with developments in the field of record keeping and share what is relevant with colleagues.

Level 2 Recordkeeping Specialist - works at an operations level in the organisation, assuming the role of liaison between the Level 1 Specialist and the users and offering support to both groups in matters involving record keeping.

The Level 2 Specialist works in the following roles:

• Recordkeeping logistician

• Retrieval expert

For each of the major groupings, Canadians identified distinctive skills, knowlege and abilities required as follows:

• Level 1 Recordkeeping Specialist

• Level 2 Recordkeeping Specialist

A retrieval expert designs accessibility aids and assists users with advice on search strategies and choice of material, either in person or via the Internet.

Professional ethics

One of the hallmarks that distinguishes a profession from other occupations is having a code of ethics that sets standards of quality and integrity. Some are aspirational; that is they explain the quality levels that professionals should try to achieve. Others are prescriptive in that they state firm 'dos and don'ts'.

SITES TO VISIT - look at some codes of ethics of leading recordkeeping professional associations such as the Australian Society of Archivists and the Society of American Archivists.

Preparing for a career in recordkeeping

To find out up to date information about qualifying for recordkeeping work, consult the websites of the professional associations serving the discipline. Most of the associations have developed quality standards that they use to evaluate education and training programs. They also make an effort to post to date information about professional development and tertiary study opportunities available within their jurisdictions on their websites.

SITES TO VISIT - visit the websites of leading recordkeeping professional associations such as the Australian Society of Archivists and the Society of American Archivists and follow the links to education and training.

Recordkeeping professional issues

Recordkeeping in the 21st century is fraught with challenges, particularly those posed by the Information Technology Revolution of the 1990s.

SITES TO VISIT - read some of these stimulating papers and reports for a sampler of key writings discussing some of the key recordkeeping professional issues today.

Recordkeeping research

A number of universities and research consortia are focusing their attention on finding solutions to modern recordkeeping challenges.

SITES TO VISIT - visit websites of some of the notable research groups focusing on recordkeeping.