In this installment of our series on the new Guide to Inventorying, Scheduling, and Disposition of Federal Records (ISD) we are focusing on record inventories. For more information see the section Knowing Your Records in the ISD.
What is a records inventory? A records inventory is a descriptive listing of records or systems your agency creates or receives.
Why are records inventories important? Record inventories help you to do the following:
- Know what you have and what you need to manage
- Identify records management issues
- Build relationships between the Records Management Program and program offices
- Collect information for records scheduling and appraisal
Inventory records as part of the scheduling process. The record schedule should be based on information gathered during the inventory. The more complete the inventory, the better the schedule is likely to be.
There are many benefits to conducting an inventory when scheduling records:
- You can write better record descriptions that explain the content and context of the records.
- You can explain the process the records are related to, such as what information the records contain, where it came from, and what it is used for.
- You can explain why the proposed disposition instruction is appropriate.
- You can be confident that the proposed retention time for the records will meet all stakeholders’ needs
If you have any questions, please contact your agency’s assigned appraiser.
