Records and Information Management

Fundamentals of Professional Practice, Fourth Edition

William Saffady

Records and Information Management: Fundamentals of Professional Practice, Fourth Edition presents principles and practices for systematic management of recorded information. It is an authoritative resource for newly appointed records managers and information governance specialists as well as for experienced records management and information governance professionals who want a review of specific topics. It is also a textbook for undergraduate and graduate students of records management or allied disciplines—such as library science, archives management, information systems, and office administration—that are concerned with the storage, organization, retrieval, retention, or protection of recorded information.

The fourth edition has been thoroughly updated and expanded to:

Set the professional discipline of RIM in the context of information governance, risk mitigation, and compliance and indicate how it contributes to those initiatives in government agencies, businesses, and not-for-profit organizations
Provide a global perspective, with international examples and a discussion of the differences in records management issues in different parts of the world. Its seven chapters are practical, rather than theoretical, and reflect the scope and responsibilities of RIM programs in all types of organizations.
Emphasize best practices and relevant standards.

The book is organized into seven chapters that reflect the scope and responsibilities of records and information management programs in companies, government agencies, universities, cultural and philanthropic institutions, professional services firms, and other organizations. Topics covered include the conceptual foundations of systematic records management, the role of records management as a business discipline, fundamentals of record retention, management of active and inactive paper records, document imaging technologies and methods, concepts and technologies for organization and retrieval of digital documents, and protection of mission-critical records. In every chapter, the treatment is practical rather than theoretical. Drawing on the author’s extensive experience supplemented by insights from records management publications, the book emphasizes key concepts and proven methods that readers can use to manage electronic and physical records.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 254 • Trim: 7⅜ x 10

978-1-5381-5253-9 • Hardback • April 2021 • $128.00 • (£98.00)

978-1-5381-5254-6 • Paperback • April 2021 • $61.00 • (£47.00)

Subjects: Language Arts & Disciplines / Library & Information Science / Administration & Management, Language Arts & Disciplines / Library & Information Science / General

Courses: Library & Information Services; Records Management

Records and Information Management

Fundamentals of Professional Practice, Fourth Edition

Hardback

Paperback

Summary

Records and Information Management: Fundamentals of Professional Practice, Fourth Edition presents principles and practices for systematic management of recorded information. It is an authoritative resource for newly appointed records managers and information governance specialists as well as for experienced records management and information governance professionals who want a review of specific topics. It is also a textbook for undergraduate and graduate students of records management or allied disciplines—such as library science, archives management, information systems, and office administration—that are concerned with the storage, organization, retrieval, retention, or protection of recorded information.
The fourth edition has been thoroughly updated and expanded to:
- Set the professional discipline of RIM in the context of information governance, risk mitigation, and compliance and indicate how it contributes to those initiatives in government agencies, businesses, and not-for-profit organizations
- Provide a global perspective, with international examples and a discussion of the differences in records management issues in different parts of the world. Its seven chapters are practical, rather than theoretical, and reflect the scope and responsibilities of RIM programs in all types of organizations.
- Emphasize best practices and relevant standards.
The book is organized into seven chapters that reflect the scope and responsibilities of records and information management programs in companies, government agencies, universities, cultural and philanthropic institutions, professional services firms, and other organizations. Topics covered include the conceptual foundations of systematic records management, the role of records management as a business discipline, fundamentals of record retention, management of active and inactive paper records, document imaging technologies and methods, concepts and technologies for organization and retrieval of digital documents, and protection of mission-critical records. In every chapter, the treatment is practical rather than theoretical. Drawing on the author’s extensive experience supplemented by insights from records management publications, the book emphasizes key concepts and proven methods that readers can use to manage electronic and physical records.

Details

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 254 • Trim: 7⅜ x 10

978-1-5381-5253-9 • Hardback • April 2021 • $128.00 • (£98.00)

978-1-5381-5254-6 • Paperback • April 2021 • $61.00 • (£47.00)

Subjects: Language Arts & Disciplines / Library & Information Science / Administration & Management, Language Arts & Disciplines / Library & Information Science / General

Courses: Library & Information Services; Records Management

Author

William Saffady is a records management and information governance consultant and researcher based in New York City. He is the author of over three dozen books and many articles on information governance, records management, record retention, document storage and retrieval technologies, library automation, and other information management topics. Saffady received his Ph.D, and M.S.L.S. degrees from Wayne State University. Before establishing his full-time consulting practice, he was a professor of library and information science at the State University of New York at Albany, Long Island University, Pratt Institute, and Vanderbilt University. Saffady is a fellow of ARMA International, and he is profiled in the Encyclopedia of Archival Writers, 1515–2015, a reference work published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2019.

Table of Contents

Preface
Chapter 1: Records Management as a Business Discipline
Chapter 2: Preparing Retention Schedules i: Collecting Data
Chapter 3: Preparing Retention Schedules ii: Making Retention Decisions
Chapter 4: Managing Paper Records
Chapter 5: Document Imaging
Chapter 6: Managing Digital Documents
Chapter 7: Protecting Essential Records

Reviews

In order for information to be useful it must be available at the point of need. In discussing records and information management (RIM), Saffady covers how to collect data, determine retention policies, and manage nondigital and digital documents, all while maintaining effective privacy and security protocols. Saffady approaches each of these topics practically, rather than theoretically, with a primary goal of helping RIM professionals perform their duties. Throughout he provides best practices, and he shares commonly accepted standards of information management when applicable. The lengthy section on legally mandated record keeping requirements will be particularly helpful to new professionals and RIM students. Aids include summaries of major points in every chapter and endnotes for additional reading; persistent identifiers provide easy access for readers of the text’s digital format. Tables, images, and sidebars help to break up the text. From the classroom perspective, the book would benefit from basic teaching tools—e.g., end-of-chapter assignments, discussion questions, ancillaries (test bank, presentation slides, etc.). This fourth edition of Records and Information Management (first edition, 2004) has been updated and expanded to include a global perspective. Recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty, professionals.

— Choice Reviews

Bringing together his knowledge of regulatory environments, operational requirements, information technologies, and his practical experience of records work, William Saffady has written a thorough, clear and pragmatic book that will be a valuable guide to practitioners and students of records and information management.

— James Lowry, assistant professor, Queens College, City University of New York

Records and Information Management: Fundamentals of Professional Practice, Fourth Edition by William Saffady is just what I need for teaching my records management course. The updated version addresses many of the contemporary issues in our field in a professional and thorough manner. Moving forward this will be a required text.

— Stephen Dalina, director, Rutgers University Records Management

This is my go-to book recommendation for university students and new professionals in the field of Records and Information Management. The text is written from a practical standpoint, based in sound theory, and provides the reader with a wealth of useful information. Saffady's book should be on the shelf of every records manager.

— Emilie Gagnet Leumas, PhD, CA, CRM, EGL Consultants, LLC and adjunct instructor, Louisiana State University

With this new edition, Records and Information Management continues to be a leading resource on record and information management practices. Because it reviews the salient components of records management programs, this text will be of great benefit to students and seasoned professionals looking for guidance or a refresher to assist them in their careers.

— Donald C. Force, associate professor, School of Information Studies, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee