ROYAL NORTHERN COLLEGE OF MUSIC
RECORDS MANAGEMENT POLICY
The Royal Northern College of Music recognises that the effective management of its
records is necessary to support its core functions, to comply with its legal and
regulatory obligations and to contribute to the effective overall management of the
institution.
The Royal Northern College of Music will seek to implement the principles and
practices set out in the British Standard for Records Management (BS ISO
15489:2001).
This document provides the policy framework through which effective records
management can be achieved and audited. It covers:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Scope
Definitions
Aims of the Records Management function
Responsibilities
Relationship with existing policies and legislation
Contacts
1. Scope of the Policy
This policy applies to all employees of the Royal Northern College of Music.
This policy applies to all records created, received or maintained by staff of the
RNCM in the course of carrying out their corporate functions. Records and
documentation created in the course of research, whether internally or externallyfunded, are also subject to contractual record-keeping requirements.
2. Definitions
Records are defined as all of those documents required to facilitate the business
carried out by the College and retained for a set period of time to provide evidence of
its transactions or activities. These records may be created, received or maintained
in any format.
Records Management is the “field of management responsible for the efficient and
systematic control of the creation, receipt, maintenance, use and disposition of
records”. (BS ISO 15489: 2001)
The Records Lifecycle is a method for describing the different stages through which
information passes in recorded form. Records are current from their creation and for
as long as their administrative value remains at its highest. They become semicurrent when their administrative value declines and reference to them becomes
less frequent and irregular. When a record ceases to have any administrative value
at all it is non-current.
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Vital records are those without which the College would cease to be able to function
properly. All other records are non-vital.
A Retention Schedule is a list of record series (types of records) setting out the
periods/actions describing their preservation/destruction.
3. Aims of the Records Management function
o To ensure that records of vital importance for the continuing operations of the
Royal Northern College of Music are identified and managed systematically
o To dispose of the College’s non-current records in an organised, efficient and,
where necessary, confidential way
o To monitor and offer advice on the creation, maintenance, version control and
disposition of records throughout the College
o To ensure compliance with legislation relevant to the creation and processing
of records
o To facilitate the identification and selection of material suitable for permanent
preservation in the College Archives
4. Responsibilities
The College’s Archivist/Records Manager is responsible for the dissemination and
maintenance of records management best practice throughout the College.
All records within a School, Department or Section should have an identified owner
with ultimate responsibility for their classification and management whilst in regular
use (that is, whilst they are current).
Heads of Schools and Departments have overall responsibility for the management
of records generated by their department’s activities, thus ensuring that the records
created, received and controlled within their department or unit, and the systems
(electronic or otherwise) and procedures they adopt, are managed in a way which
meets the aims of the College’s record management policies.
Committee Secretaries are responsible for ensuring that a full record of a
committee’s business (its minutes, agenda and all supporting papers and reports –
regardless of their format/medium of origin) is preserved and that any documents
generated or received electronically are printed in hard copy format and form part of
the full and official record. This official record, in paper format and designated for
permanent retention in the College Archive, will be taken as the definitive and
authentic copy. Copies of minutes, reports and papers may then be distributed and
also shared electronically. Such copies will be the personal responsibility of individual
committee members, to be destroyed routinely and must not be passed to the
Records Manager.
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Individual employees must ensure that records for which they are responsible are a
complete and accurate record of their activities, which are maintained and disposed
of in accordance with the College records management guidelines.
All new and existing members of staff will receive an introductory briefing on records
management procedures.
5. Relationship with existing policies and legislation
This document has been formulated with reference to specified national legislation
and standards, as follows:
o
o
o
o
Data Protection Act 1998
Freedom of Information Act 2000
Human Rights Act 1998
International Standard on Records Management, BS ISO 15489
The following documents will also be drawn up and should run in conjunction with the
Records Management policy:
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o
o
o
o
o
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RNCM Retention Schedule
RNCM Disposal Policy
RNCM Vital Records Plan
RNCM Email Protocol
RNCM Guide to the Management of Electronic Records
RNCM Guide to the Freedom of Information Act
RNCM Guide to the Data Protection Act
6. Contact
Archivist/Records Manager: Mary Ann Davison
Tel: 0161 9075211
Email: archives@rncm.ac.uk
Policy approved: 11 December 2006
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