SPEC Kit 305: Records Management· 13
Executive Summary
Introduction
Records management is the field of management re-
sponsible for efficient and systematic control of the
creation, receipt, maintenance, use, and disposition
of the records of a business or organization. There are
two reasons for retaining non-current records. First
is to satisfy the legal and fiduciary responsibilities of
the organization for specific periods of time second
is to permanently retain those records which docu-
ment the history of the institution. Not all academic
or research institutions have a records management
program. This survey was an inquiry into the state of
records management in ARL member institutions.
The survey was distributed to the 123 ARL mem-
ber libraries in February 2008. Sixty-two libraries
completed the survey for a response rate of 50%. Of
those 62, 41 (66%) have records management pro-
grams. Three have had programs, but no longer have
them. One of these began at an unknown time and
ended in 1993 one existed for only five years, between
1991 and 1996 a third ended in 2003 after thirty-eight
years of operation.
At the majority of responding institutions (25 or
61%) records management duties are located in a li-
brary unit. They are the responsibility of special col-
lections in twelve institutions (29%) archives units
that are part of the library system but not part of the
special collections library or department in five cases
(12%) and another library unit or department in 10
cases (24%). Records management is the responsibility
of an archives unit that is not part of the library sys-
tem in five cases (12%) and of some other non-library
unit or department in 11 cases (27%).
Thirty-five respondents reported the year the re-
cords management program began. Four started in
the 1960s, the earliest in 1962 in a non-library archives
unit. In each decade since, between seven and nine
new programs have begun, mostly in library units.
The most recent began in 2007 and reports to a non-
library unit, the University Secretariat. The percent-
age of departments that participate in the records
management program ranges from a minimum of 2%
to a maximum of 100% with a mean of 53.11% and a
median of 50%.
The respondents at institutions where records
management is not the responsibility of a library
unit were asked to conclude the survey at this point.
The 25 remaining respondents completed the rest of
the survey.
Staffing
Sixteen respondents (64%) report that there is a pro-
fessional records manager responsible for their re-
cords management program. At one institution, two
positions, Associate Archivist and Electronic Records
Archivist, share this responsibility. Time spent on
records management duties by individuals in this po-
sition ranges from a minimum of 10% (one individual,
Head, University Archives &Records Management)
to a maximum of 100% (eight individuals with titles
such as Records Manager, Records Officer, Records
Coordinator, or Records Archivist). Positions that
Executive Summary
Introduction
Records management is the field of management re-
sponsible for efficient and systematic control of the
creation, receipt, maintenance, use, and disposition
of the records of a business or organization. There are
two reasons for retaining non-current records. First
is to satisfy the legal and fiduciary responsibilities of
the organization for specific periods of time second
is to permanently retain those records which docu-
ment the history of the institution. Not all academic
or research institutions have a records management
program. This survey was an inquiry into the state of
records management in ARL member institutions.
The survey was distributed to the 123 ARL mem-
ber libraries in February 2008. Sixty-two libraries
completed the survey for a response rate of 50%. Of
those 62, 41 (66%) have records management pro-
grams. Three have had programs, but no longer have
them. One of these began at an unknown time and
ended in 1993 one existed for only five years, between
1991 and 1996 a third ended in 2003 after thirty-eight
years of operation.
At the majority of responding institutions (25 or
61%) records management duties are located in a li-
brary unit. They are the responsibility of special col-
lections in twelve institutions (29%) archives units
that are part of the library system but not part of the
special collections library or department in five cases
(12%) and another library unit or department in 10
cases (24%). Records management is the responsibility
of an archives unit that is not part of the library sys-
tem in five cases (12%) and of some other non-library
unit or department in 11 cases (27%).
Thirty-five respondents reported the year the re-
cords management program began. Four started in
the 1960s, the earliest in 1962 in a non-library archives
unit. In each decade since, between seven and nine
new programs have begun, mostly in library units.
The most recent began in 2007 and reports to a non-
library unit, the University Secretariat. The percent-
age of departments that participate in the records
management program ranges from a minimum of 2%
to a maximum of 100% with a mean of 53.11% and a
median of 50%.
The respondents at institutions where records
management is not the responsibility of a library
unit were asked to conclude the survey at this point.
The 25 remaining respondents completed the rest of
the survey.
Staffing
Sixteen respondents (64%) report that there is a pro-
fessional records manager responsible for their re-
cords management program. At one institution, two
positions, Associate Archivist and Electronic Records
Archivist, share this responsibility. Time spent on
records management duties by individuals in this po-
sition ranges from a minimum of 10% (one individual,
Head, University Archives &Records Management)
to a maximum of 100% (eight individuals with titles
such as Records Manager, Records Officer, Records
Coordinator, or Records Archivist). Positions that
