Spring 2021
INF 389E Introduction to Records Management
Synchronous class meetings conducted online.
DESCRIPTION
Systems for controlling recorded information in an organizational setting.
COURSE NOTES
This course (INF389E: Introduction to Records Management) introduces the
principles and practices involved in managing analog and digital data,
information, and records in private, not-for-profit, and public-sector
organizations. Becoming a distinct profession in the 1950s, traditional
drivers for Records and Information Management (RIM) programs include the
need to control the creation and growth of records and information, safeguard
vital information, preserve corporate memory, and foster professionalism in
the running of a business.
RIM is now part of broader Information Governance (IG) initiatives which seek
to improve organizational information management as a way to meet government
oversight and industry regulation, to utilize information as an asset and as
a strategic resource, and to manage business continuity concerns.
Records and Information Managers work across sectors and industries including
government (federal, state, local, criminal justice), education (colleges and
universities), consumer goods and services (communications, real estate,
non-profit, retail, media, food, hotel), energy (petroleum, utilities),
financial and business services (banking, accounting, insurance), contractor
Industries (government, employment), product and technical services (high
tech, manufacturing, design, engineering, construction, transportation),
legal (law firms), and the health Industry (health care services,
pharmaceuticals).
This semester the course will put a particular focus on (1) challenges and
opportunities in managing information in a time of global crisis and (2)
building resilience in your own RIM career.
Over the course of the semester topics covered will include: managing
structured and unstructured information, types of data/record/information
systems, value propositions for RIM and IG, ethics and the RIM profession,
information auditing and risk management, project management, business
process modeling, classification schemes, RIM in the cloud, blockchain,
e-discovery, information and system security, business continuity planning,
storage and digital preservation, and corporate archives.
By the end of the course students will be able to:
Understand national and global policies and trends that impact information
governance and the records and information management profession
Understand and analyze the impact (practical, economic, and social) that
records management and information governance have in organizational
environments and government settings
Understand the history of the RIM profession and the traditional and emerging
roles and responsibilities of the records and information manager, and
articulate the similarities and differences between RIM and other information
professionals
Understand and analyze the practical, legal, and ethical issues involved in
implementing a records and information management program across the records
lifecycle
Understand and articulate policies and procedures for managing active and
inactive records and gain firsthand experience of designing an effective
digital record keeping system
Gain familiarity with the concepts, tools, processes, and national and
international standards that enable records managers to carry out their job
in a competent and comprehensive manner
PREREQUISITES
Graduate standing.
RESTRICTIONS
iSchool students prioritized during earlier registration periods. Additional seats may become available for outside students in a later period.