Darren,
Thanks for the email. Yes, my thought experiment starts to crumble if subjected to extensive analysis. Here is the basis for which I did that spur of the moment analysis.
It was based on the following math. I know from a previous advertisement that Birmingham City Council has 50k boxes in storage. They have a population of about 1 Million. I saw that as 1 to 20 ratio. However most of those boxes are for a smaller percentage of people. For example, adoptions, looked after children, and social care records, as well as long term storage of certain records that would not go to the archives, such as asbestos files and financial files.
I extrapolated that down for central government because of their need to deal with things like, a census, NINO, DVLA, the NHS, and other regulatory bodies such as the Prisons. The overall national government systems will require more storage than local government. Also, central government has systems (although this is changing) that are paper intensive than local government which tends to be leaner, relatively speaking, than central government. I used the logic that with fewer people 400k out of 6 million public sector employers the central government would have to be more paper intensive. Instead of a frontline worker you have a form. :)
I focused on local government because that is where I work and governments, by their nature, tend to be paper intensive and more so than private sector. The reason is not about profit, but about mission and durability. Governments rarely go out of business, they just reorganise. :) However, your point is correct that private sector can in many instances, especially medical or industrial, generate huge volumes of records because of potential for litigation.
All of this was a crude analysis done at the spur of the moment.
Where this analysis breaks down is on central government and an analysis of how well electronic storage and scanning has reduced storage requirements. I could argue, of course because this is a thought experiment, that if we included electronic storage, my number may be a bit closer to reality. :) However, I think with paper records, I think it is going to be closer to 1/20 rather than 1/5.
I will be interested to see your analysis.
Best,
Lawrence
-----Original Message-----
From: The Information and Records Management Society mailing list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Short, Darren
Sent: 26 February 2014 17:07
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: How many boxes stored offsite in the UK?
Hi Lawrence,
Many thanks for your considered response. A good stab at looking at it, that is. So if the population of the UK was 63 million in 2012 that divided by 3 is approximately 21 million boxes held by agencies on us.
I wonder if it where 1 per 5 people, as 21 million seems a lot! Certainly for the public sector it might provide an answer but the less regulated private sector may prove a challenge.
D.
-----Original Message-----
From: Lawrence Serewicz [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 25 February 2014 15:12
To: Short, Darren; [log in to unmask]
Subject: RE: How many boxes stored offsite in the UK?
Darren,
I would suggest that on average in the public sector local government there is going to be something from 1 box per 10 people to 1 box per 20 people.
Across the public sector, including central government, I would say that there is the equivalent of 1 box per 3 people.
There are several problems with the question in that most boxes are for historical cases, closed and just being held, i.e. adoption and asbestos. Second, electronic storage is growing so paper storage will stabilize and reduce to a set percentage. I do not know if we are at the inflection point where we have more long term electronic storage than paper storage, but I would say we are closing in on it. Also, paper records are being destroyed each day so it is never going to be a fixed number.
In a basic sense, there is (has to be) a file for every person. We are captured by, or perhaps are creatures of, the state. Will that information that the state requires and creates need a box? Probably not. Most people will require an entry on some registers and systems if they lead a life that intersects minimally with the state. However, an adult that intersects with the state even minimally will, in their lifetime, have a number of records that need to be retained for a long period of time.
As the state becomes more comprehensive, it has to collect and process more personal data in a variety of ways. 1000+ years ago the Domesday book that contain a basic record of life in the UK as seen by the government. Today, with the advent of the modern state, such a book is simply not possible. Consider how many records the NHS requires and all the bureaucratic apparatuses that did not exist 1000 years ago, 200 years ago, or even 20 years ago.
I would be interested to know what you find out from your search.
Best,
Lawrence
-----Original Message-----
From: The Information and Records Management Society mailing list [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Darren Short
Sent: 24 February 2014 10:24
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: How many boxes stored offsite in the UK?
Hi,
This is a bit of a crazy question for a monday morning but I thought I might ask it of the group.
Has anyone ever considered or seen any estimate for the total number of boxes of records that are stored with offsite storage providers in the United Kingdom?
Is any such calculation even feasible, especially as I would imagine business's may be sensitive to announcing how big there paper tail is and providers due to their wish to protect their commercial details.
Any comments welcome :)
Kind Regards,
Darren.
To view the list archives go to: https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A0=RECORDS-MANAGEMENT-UK
To unsubscribe from this list, send an email to [log in to unmask] with the words UNSUBSCRIBE RECORDS-MANAGEMENT-UK
For any technical queries re JISC please email [log in to unmask] For any content based queries, please email [log in to unmask]
________________________________
Help protect our environment by only printing this email if absolutely necessary. The information it contains and any files transmitted with it are confidential and are only intended for the person or organisation to whom it is addressed. It may be unlawful for you to use, share or copy the information, if you are not authorised to do so. If you receive this email by mistake, please inform the person who sent it at the above address and then delete the email from your system. Durham County Council takes reasonable precautions to ensure that its emails are virus free. However, we do not accept responsibility for any losses incurred as a result of viruses we might transmit and recommend that you should use your own virus checking procedures.
Please consider the environment before printing this email.
AECOM Professional Services LLP is a limited liability partnership registered in England and Wales with registered number OC306911. A list of members' names is available for inspection at MidCity Place, 71 High Holborn, London WC1V 6QS, the firm's principal place of business and registered office.
PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE
This email is confidential and is for the intended recipient only. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the author and you must not disclose or use the contents in any way. The author bears responsibility for any legal action or disputes arising from views or professional advice expressed which do not relate to the business of AECOM Professional Services LLP.
Explore ONE<http://one.aecom.com>, AECOM’s global e-magazine
To view the list archives go to: https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A0=RECORDS-MANAGEMENT-UK
To unsubscribe from this list, send an email to [log in to unmask] with the words UNSUBSCRIBE RECORDS-MANAGEMENT-UK
For any technical queries re JISC please email [log in to unmask] For any content based queries, please email [log in to unmask]
________________________________
Help protect our environment by only printing this email if absolutely necessary. The information it contains and any files transmitted with it are confidential and are only intended for the person or organisation to whom it is addressed. It may be unlawful for you to use, share or copy the information, if you are not authorised to do so. If you receive this email by mistake, please inform the person who sent it at the above address and then delete the email from your system. Durham County Council takes reasonable precautions to ensure that its emails are virus free. However, we do not accept responsibility for any losses incurred as a result of viruses we might transmit and recommend that you should use your own virus checking procedures.
To view the list archives go to: https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?A0=RECORDS-MANAGEMENT-UK
To unsubscribe from this list, send an email to [log in to unmask] with the words UNSUBSCRIBE RECORDS-MANAGEMENT-UK
For any technical queries re JISC please email [log in to unmask]
For any content based queries, please email [log in to unmask]
|