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The standard RM texts provide extensive guidance on this topic. For an easily digestible approach may I suggest Chapter 4 of my colleague Elizabeth Parker's book 'Managing Your Organisation's Records' (LA Publishing 1999)? The chapter is entitled 'Sorry there wasn't time to switch off the light!- Protecting vital records'. It has a particularly useful decision tree (fig. 4.1, p 62) and guidance on protecting vital records.
Since all organisations are different, what's vital will differ from one to another. Like using other people's retention schedules, using someone else's VR list might be potentially hazardous. There really is no substitute for getting out there, collecting the data and doing the analysis, in consultation with your colleagues.
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-----Original Message-----
From: The UK mailing list for archivists, conservators and records managers. [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Stephenson,M
Sent: 20 March 2002 12:40
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Vital records
Dear All,
I have a records management related question for you all. I hope you can help.
I am beginning to worry about vital records and the way we manage them. Does anyone have a list of series earmarked as vital that I could use as a basis for creating our own vital records database.
Secondly, how are they treated differently to normal "run of the mill" records that aren't vital? I have been waking up in the middle of the night worrying that in the event of a fire all our vital (paper) records will be destroyed because they're not duplicated a thirty-four times, microfilmed and stored in a fireproof bunker - but surely all these are pretty impractical.
Any thoughts would be gratefully received.
Thanks
Matthew Stephenson
Matthew Stephenson
Records Manager
London School of Economics
Houghton Street
London WC2A 2AE
Tel: 020 7955 6481
Fax: 020 7852 3646