Having an institutional records center:
- Aligns with Church policy
- Vital records (as defined in General Conference Working Policy BA 70) are protected.
- Records that need protection (private, confidential, privileged, etc.) receive an appropriate level of protection in an institutional records center.
- Facilitates transparency
- Responsibility for various records are clearly delineated.
- Compliance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements are demonstrated, helping to avoid costly fine or penalties.
- Records generated or managed by the institution would have a reasonable guarantee of authenticity and reliability.
- Improves efficiency and increases effectiveness
- Records would be maintained in a way that allows for timely and accurate retrieval.
- Records are reliably retained for appropriate amounts of time.
- Retention schedules allow for secure and appropriate disposition of records, including the destruction of non-permanent records; these can be pointed to when documents are requested. ‘This has been destroyed in accordance with our retention schedule’ is better than ‘We don’t know where that is’.
Certain permanent records, if centrally held and organized, could be used for:
- Marketing and recruitment
- Social media
- Alumni relations
- Fundraising
- Strategic planning
- Faculty research
- Student learning
- Community outreach
Good records management facilitates the best way to ensure maintaining the unique history and heritage that an institution’s records comprise.
If you would like a copy of these benefits, as well as several key definitions related to records management, click here.