Survey on records system!

When doing a survey of existing records system, one normally would find some of these. As such, in organizations where no structured records management programme has been in place, surveys often reveal a variety of problems. Typically a survey may find that:

·        paper records systems are congested, and in some cases have been used to store information products and other materials which are not records

·        paper records are poorly organized and difficult to retrieve, and their arrangement does not fully reflect the processes and activities which led to their creation

·        parts of some record series appear to be missing from the paper systems, but some of the missing records are believed to be held in electronic form on personal computers

·        computer storage is not organized to match the paper system, but each worker follows their own system: most store records alongside work in progress, and many use random and seemingly meaningless file titles, so that correlating electronic and paper documentation is impossible

·        records stored on personal computers are inaccessible when the worker is absent

·        further records which are needed appear to have been lost or destroyed, but no-one knows exactly what exists or where

·        when employees leave or change jobs, computing staff clear the contents of their hard disk or personal account: everything is deleted regardless of any continuing value it may have for the organization

·        older paper records, together with some unlabelled computer tapes or floppy disks, are in unmarked cabinets and boxes in a basement.

Surveys do not always find the existing situation as dire as this. Sometimes a survey discovers that fairly adequate systems are in place.

ERMS challenges...points to share

Some points to share...


The ability to find, organize, use, share, appropriately dispose of, and save records—the essence of records management—is vital for the effective functioning of the federal government. In the wake of the transition from paper-based to electronic processes, records are increasingly electronic, and the volumes of electronic records produced by federal agencies are vast and rapidly growing, providing challenges to Arkib Negara Malaysia as the nation’s recordkeeper and archivist.


Besides sheer volume, other factors contributing to the challenge of electronic records include their complexity and their dependence on software and hardware. Electronic records come in many forms: text documents, e-mails, Web pages, digital images, videotapes, maps, spreadsheets, presentations, audio files, charts, drawings, databases, satellite imagery, geographic information systems, and more. They may be complex digital objects that contain embedded images (still and moving), drawings, sounds, hyperlinks, or spreadsheets with computational formulas....


The roll out of a software or an Electronic Records Managament Systems (ERMS) in an agency must at least consists 6 major components:

• “Ingest” enables transfer of electronic records from federal agencies
• “Managed Storage” enables stored records to be managed in a way that guarantees their integrity and availability
• “Dissemination” enables users to search descriptions and business data about all types of records, and to search the content of electronic records and retrieve them
• “Records Management” supports scheduling,5 appraisal,6 description, and requests to transfer custody (from agencies to the Archives) of all types of records, as well as ingesting and managing electronic records, including the capture of selected records data (such as origination date, format, and disposition)
• “Preservation” enables secure and reliable storage of files in formats in which they were received, as well as creating backup copies for offsite storage
• “Local Services and Control” regulates how the ERMS components communicate with each other, manages internal security, and enables telecommunications and system network management.