As we move further into a knowledge-based economy, governments must not only recognise the role of technology as a means for providing greater access to goods and services and a more efficient and rapid mechanism for distribution, but also as a means to strengthen and improve public administration.
A common characteristic of records, in traditional hardcopy or electronic
form, is that they must be kept for some period of time. In a manual recordkeeping
system, records are static and are generally captured into the system unless
some deliberate action is taken to prevent capture. In electronic systems,
the reverse is true and records will generally not be retained unless formal
action is taken to capture and retain them.
Records management in the information age is more than a basic set of routine
clerical processes such as registering, filing and moving records. While technology
has facilitated the removal of much of the routine tasks from records management
and improved processing speed and accuracy, technology is still only a tool.
Recordkeeping is concerned with strategic and operational planning and action.
Organisations need to reassess the fundamental recordkeeping policies and
practices and establish a strategic recordkeeping framework of policies, standards
and practices. Recordkeeping is less concerned with "doing the filing" and
increasingly concerned with ensuring organisations are compliant and accountable
and that operations are efficient and effective. It is to this end, that the
Queensland Government Recordkeeping Framework has been developed.
To view the status of Government Recordkeeping in 2005-06, please see the Queensland State Archives Annual Report 2005-06 (Page 19).
