WUM COUNCIL ECHOES: WUM COUNCIL TRAINS TWO STAFF AT CEFAM FOR BETTER OUTPUT

Records management, is a broad concept. It is also known as records and information management, it is an organizational function devoted to the management of information in an organization throughout its life cycle, from the time of creation or inscription to its eventual disposition. This includes identifying, classifying, storing, securing, retrieving, tracking and destroying or permanently preserving records.

Another school of thoughts defines records management as "the field of management responsible for the efficient and systematic control of the creation, receipt, maintenance, use and disposition of records, including the processes for capturing and maintaining evidence of and information about business activities and transactions in the form of records"

An organization's records preserve aspects of institutional memory. In determining how long to retain records, their capacity for re-use is important. Many are kept as evidence of activities, transactions, and decisions. Others document what happened and why. The purpose of records management is part of an organization's broader function of Governance, risk management, and compliance and is primarily concerned with managing the evidence of an organization's activities as well as the reduction or mitigation of risk associated with it.

A Records Manager is someone who is responsible for records management in an organization.

Section 4 of the ISO 15489-1:2001 states that records management includes:

setting policies and standards
assigning responsibilities and authorities
establishing and promulgating procedures and guidelines
providing a range of services relating to the management and use of records
designing, implementing and administering specialized systems for managing records
integrating records management into business systems and processes

Thus, the practice of records management may involve:

planning the information needs of an organization
identifying information requiring capture
creating, approving, and enforcing policies and practices regarding records, including their organization and disposal
developing a records storage plan, which includes the short and long-term housing of physical records and digital information
identifying, classifying, and storing records
Coordinating access to records internally and outside of the organization, balancing the requirements of business confidentiality, data privacy, and public access.
identification and maintenance of records per a specified retention period
Executing a retention policy on the disposal of records which are no longer required for operational reasons; according to organizational policies, statutory requirements, and other regulations this may involve either their destruction or permanent preservation in an archive.

Records-management principles and automated records-management systems aid in the capture, classification, and ongoing management of records throughout their life cycle. Such a system may be paper-based (such as index cards as used in a library), or may involve a computer system, such as an electronic records-management application.

Records Management is a wide-ranging management discipline. It ensures that our institution is compliant with all the laws that affect its operations and staff. Other requisites are best practices of information and records to long term preservation of electronic data, and the selection of records for eventual inclusion in the historical archive of our institution. The goal of Wum council in training two staff at CEFAM is bringing a consistent approach to records keeping and imaging practices, freeing up valuable office space from record storage, and ensuring that the retention of records created by all departments is compliant with laws and regulations concerning the management of records.

Ikom Ivor Smith and Aji Attracta Nchuo, have just ended their training at CEFAM. these two staff of Wum Council defended their projects recently, at the CEFAM school in Buea.

"When I started this journey, 2years was like 20years, arriving at the end 2years was like 2days. I thank the Almighty for abundance love, protection, knowledge, understanding and guidance.Dixit Aji Attracta.

DEFENSE IN PICTURES