Records Management Advice
Basics of Records Management
Purpose: Provide guidance to state government agencies on record terms.
RECORD means all documentary material in any format (paper, digital records including e-mail), made or received and maintained by an agency in accordance with law or rule, or in the transaction of its official business.
SPECIFIC TYPES OF RECORDS Archival/Permanent Records - Records required to be kept indefinitely because they have enduring value/historical significance. Once business needs of the agency are met, archival records contain a secondary, research value for the citizens of Maine.
Closed Records Records which no longer have value (administrative, legal or fiscal) for the current business of the originating agency, and would either be destroyed or transferred for temporary or archival storage.
Confidential Records Records which are exempt from public inspection according to the provisions of state and/or federal statutes or regulations.
Current Records Those records needed and used in the day-to-day conduct of the current business of a state agency, and which therefore must be kept in the agency until the current business need has been met.
Electronic Records Records containing machine-readable information which cannot be read without the aid of hardware or software.
Non-Record Additional copies of materials for which official or record copies have been retained; stocks of publications and processed documents intended for distribution or use; or records relating to personal matters kept in an office for convenience.
Temporary Records Records which will be destroyed once they have met their agreed to retention period. These can be either short or long term retention records.
Transitory Records Records having short-term value and which are not required for administrative or operational processes. Records required for a limited time to complete a routine action, retained as information or convenience copies
Vital Records (related to business continuity) Records that are necessary to re-start an organization's operations in the event of a natural or human-made disaster. They support necessary services and preserve the legal, financial, and/or functional status of the agency.
Additional advice regarding the management of public records is available online.
"The right record, to the right person, at the right time, at the lowest possible cost"