Glossary

Unless otherwise specified, the following definitions are taken from the Dictionary of Archives Terminology produced by the Society of American Archivists. Along with the definition of each term, you will find pointers to resources where you can discover more about these records management and archival terms.

Tab/Accordion Items

  • The usefulness or significance of records in supporting the operations and management of the organization that created them.

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  • The process of identifying materials offered to an archives that have sufficient value to be accessioned.
  • The process of determining the length of time records should be retained, based on legal requirements and on their current and potential usefulness.

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  • Having enduring value; permanent.

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  • When used by records management, the terms “archive” and “archives” often refer to an institution which collects permanent records after their current business use has ended, preserves them, and makes them available to the public for research and similar purposes. When used by information technology, the term “archive” refers to a collection of computer files that has been moved from active disk storage to another location (either for backup purposes or for storage on less expensive media) from which it can be accessed if needed. Council of State Archivists, Key Terms & Acronyms for the IPER Courses

  • The quality of being genuine, not a counterfeit, and free from tampering, and is typically inferred from internal and external evidence, including its physical characteristics, structure, content, and context.

  • When used by records management, the term “backup” refers to duplicate records stored off site under environmentally controlled conditions for protection of the information in case the original records are lost or damaged. They usually satisfy the limited-term business retention requirements of the information contained in the backup. Backups are not substitutes for permanent retention of electronic records, which are stored in archives. Council of State Archivists, Key Terms & Acronyms for the IPER Courses

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  • A collection of documents relating to circumstances that may include particular situations, individuals, investigations, or administrative actions.

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  • The person or organization holding and responsible for the care of archival and other cultural materials.

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  • A disposal process that results in the obliteration of records. 

Note: In North Carolina, paper records can be burned, shredded, placed in acid vats, or sold as waste paper. Electronic data and metadata should be overwritten, deleted, and unlinked. 

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  • Specific directions regarding the manner in which records are to be disposed. 

Note: Disposition instructions may include procedures for screening records before transfer to the archives or specific instructions on how records are to be destroyed. 

  • Records needed for the Continuity of Operations (COOP) of a government agency during and following an emergency. They are records an agency must have to perform one or more of the following critical functions: operate during an emergency; resume or continue business after an emergency; re-establish the legal, financial, and/or functional status of the agency; rebuild the community after the crisis passes. Sometimes referred to as “vital records,” e.g., by the National Archives and Records Administration. Council of State Archivists, Key Terms & Acronyms for the IPER Courses

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  • A classification scheme describing different types of files, how they are identified, where they should be stored, how they should be indexed for retrieval.

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  • A technique for appraising and processing materials based on the relative importance of the activities performed within an organization.

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  • The process of surveying the records in an office, typically at the series level.

  • "Public record" or "public records" shall mean all documents, papers, letters, maps, books, photographs, films, sound recordings, magnetic or other tapes, electronic data-processing records, artifacts, or other documentary material, regardless of physical form or characteristics, made or received pursuant to law or ordinance in connection with the transaction of public business by any agency of North Carolina government or its subdivisions. Public Records Act, N.C. General Statute 132-1

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  • The single copy of a document, often the original, that is designated as the official copy for reference and preservation.

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  • A written, approved, implemented, and periodically tested plan that includes the information and actions needed to respond to and recover from a records emergency. It is not the disaster plan itself, it is only an element of the plan—the portion of your disaster plan that relates to records. Council of State Archivists, Key Terms & Acronyms for the IPER Courses

  • The systematic and administrative control of records throughout their life cycle to ensure efficiency and economy in their creation, use, handling, control, maintenance, and disposition.

  • A copy of a record kept for easy access to the information it contains, as opposed to its intrinsic or evidential value.

Note: This is different than the record copy/official copy.

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  • The usefulness or significance of materials based on their content, independent of any intrinsic or evidential value.

  • A document that identifies and describes an organization's records, usually at the series level, provides instructions for the disposition of records throughout their life cycle. 

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  • The evaluation of the possibility of incurring loss, damage, or injury and a determination of the amount of risk that is acceptable for a given situation or event. Also called risk analysis. 

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  • A collection of documents relating to some topic.

  • A record of ephemeral value that can be destroyed immediately or after a short time period.

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